Frederick Carl Frieseke Catalogue

Chronology

1874

Frederick Carl Frieseke was born in Owosso, Michigan. His father, Herman Carl Frieseke, had arrived in the United States as an immigrant, with his parents and brothers, in 1858. Herman and his brother Julius manufactured brick in Owosso. Herman Carl married a local woman, Eva Graham. From that alliance came Edith (in 1871), and then Frederick.

1880

Eva Graham Frieseke died.

1881-1885

Herman Carl Frieseke took his two children to Jacksonville, Florida, where, with a brother Albert, he worked to establish a brick yard.

1886-1893

Frieseke attended the public schools of Owosso, his education supplemented by his maternal grandmother, Viletta Gould Graham, whose own avocation as a painter led her to paint decorations for the wooden furniture manufactured by the Woodard Company of Owosso. For much of this time he lived with an aunt and uncle, Charles and Flora Duff.

1893

Visited the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

1893-1896

Enrolled in the Art Institute of Chicago, following the regular academic program for the first year, and attending only from September – November in 1895, and from January – June of 1896. Fellow students and lifelong friends were Karl Anderson and Will Howe Foote.

1896-1897

With $200.00 from his father, he went to New York, where he enrolled in the men’s afternoon Life Class at the Art Students League. While in Chicago, he had already begun to sell humorous drawings to newspapers, and in New York he continued this activity, selling to such periodicals as Puck, Truth, and the New York Times.

1897

In September, he traveled to France (with shipmate Will Howe Foote); in Paris, enrolled at the Académie Julian in the atelier of Constant and Laurens. He studied also with Auguste Delecluse and, at the Académie Carmen, with Whistler. It is said to have been Whistler who persuaded him to turn his attention from working in watercolor to oil.

1898

Traveled to Holland in the summer, and painted there (in watercolor). It is apparently during this year that he first met Sarah Anne O’Bryan, an American living in Paris with her family.

1899

Exhibited watercolors at the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris.
The Wanamaker department stores began to pay him a regular stipend to provide drawings to illustrate their catalogues.
Dated watercolors show him to have worked, during the summer, both at Le Pouldu, on the Brittany coast, and in Etaples, in northwestern France.

1900

Visited Germany, and exhibited at the American Art Association of Paris, with which he would be associated throughout his career as a member, officer, and exhibitor.

1901

First recorded address in Paris was a live-in studio, 51 boulevard St. Jacques, in a building occupied by the painters Henry Ossawa Tanner, an American, and the Australians Hugh Ramsay, James MacDonald and Ambrose Patterson. Tanner was to remain a close friend.
For the first time he exhibited oils at the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, and was elected to that body as an associate. (He would continue to exhibit regularly there until 1923, and sporadically again after 1925.) He was invited to join and to exhibit with the International Society of Painters and Sculptors, Paris, and began to participate in the annual exhibitions of the Art Institute of Chicago and (in 1902) the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia.
Spent the summer working in Le Pouldu, Brittany.

1902

Spent much of this year in the United States, visiting New York and Philadelphia, and painting in his native Owosso, Michigan. The Art Institute of Chicago’s 15th Annual Exhibition of Oil Paintings and Sculpture by American Artists included a special exhibition of eight of his paintings. On his return to Paris, he moved into the building at 6, rue Victor Considerant, in which his friends, the painter Alson Clark, and his wife Medora Clark, were living.

1903

Exhibited with the International Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers in London, with whom he would occasionally exhibit thereafter.
John Wanamaker undertook to make regular purchases from Frieseke’s annual Salon exhibition. This arrangement would continue perhaps until 1917.

1904

Awarded a silver medal at the Saint Louis Universal Exposition. Painting The Green Sash (Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago) was purchased by William Merrit Chase from the exhibition.
The French government purchased Before the Mirror for the Luxembourg Museum.
The death of John Duross O’Bryan caused the departure of his family to accompany his body to Philadelphia, for burial. Frieseke accompanied the family and, in Philadelphia, worked briefly as an advisor in the art department of the North American, a Wanamaker-run newspaper.
He began exhibiting with the Carnegie Institute’s annual exhibition in Pittsburgh, and would continue to do so throughout his career.

1905

Exhibited at the Venice Biennale and at the ninth Internationalen Kunstausstellung in Munich, Germany, where he received a Second Class Medal for Rest (not identified).
First recorded visit to Giverny during the summer.
Frieseke and Sarah O’Bryan were married in Paris in October.

1906

Installed murals in the Hotel Shelburne, Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The Friesekes began to spend summers in Giverny, and would continue to do so until 1919.
Took up residence at 246, avenue Raspail.

1907

Traveled to New York to install mural decorations in the auditorium of the Wanamaker Building.
Exhibited twenty-six canvases at Schulte’s Art Gallery in Berlin, Germany.
Elected to full membership in the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts.
Purchase of Panneau Décoratif by the Modern Gallery, Odessa, Russia (presently in the collection of Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah).

1908

Exhibited his first outdoor figure subjects from Giverny at the International Society of Painters and Sculptors, Paris.
Began to exhibit regularly at the Biennials at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D. C.
Awarded 4th William A. Clark Prize and Corcoran Honorable Mention Certificate for painting Marcelle (also called Reflections; collection of the Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah).

1909

A special exhibition of Frieseke and Richard Miller (a lifelong friend), at the 8th Venice Biennale, included seventeen canvases by Frieseke.

1910

Exhibition at the Madison Art Gallery, New York, The Giverny Group, included Frieseke with Karl Anderson, Richard Miller, Lawton Parker, Guy Rose, and Edmund Greacen.
Reflections (Marcelle) purchased by Telfair Academy, Savannah.

1911

The Friesekes made what would be their last trip to the United States except for a two-week visit in 1928. They visited New York and Los Angeles, where Frieseke’s father was living.

1912

The Macbeth Gallery, New York, began a representation of Frieseke that would extend through the end of his career, with the exhibition Paintings by Frederick C. Frieseke, January 17 - 30.
Worcester, Massachusetts, Exhibition of Paintings by Frederick C. Frieseke.
Elected an associate in the National Academy of Design, New York.
Woman with a Mirror (Femme qui se mire) acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, as gift from Rodman Wanamaker.
Spent the winter of 1912-13 in Corsica.

1913

Exhibition of Paintings by Frederick C. Frieseke at the Macbeth Gallery.
Won Temple Gold Medal at the 108th Annual Exhibition at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, for the painting Youth (private collection).
Before her Appearance (collection Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, Jacksonville, Florida) sold from Salon exhibition to Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney.
Exhibition Seventeen Paintings by Frederick Carl Frieseke traveled from the Detroit Museum of Art to the Art Institute of Chicago.
Purchased an apartment at 64, rue du Cherche Midi, Paris.

1914

Elected academician in the National Academy of Design. Hollyhocks was accepted as the diploma painting. Frieseke would continue to exhibit regularly with the National Academy of Design throughout his career.
Daughter Frances born in Paris, August 2. The family remained in France throughout the war.

1915

Served (briefly) with the American Ambulance Hospital in Neuilly, outside Paris.
Won the Gold Medal and Grand Prize at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco for a group of paintings that included Summer (collection Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York). This success stirred considerable commercial activity in the sale of his paintings.

1916

Awarded Norman Wait Harris Silver Medal at the Art Institute of Chicago’s 29th Annual Exhibition of American Oil Paintings and Sculpture.
Exhibition Recent Paintings by Frederick C. Frieseke, N. A. at Macbeth Gallery, New York.
Exhibition Paintings by Frederick C. Frieseke at St. Botolph Club, Boston.

1917

The City Art Museum, St. Louis, purchased Torn Lingerie.
Telfair Academy, Savannah, purchased The Hammock.
On the Bank purchased for the Art Institute of Chicago.
Exhibition Paintings by Gardner Symons, James R. Hopkins and F. C. Frieseke traveled from the Detroit Museum of Art to the Toledo Museum of Art and (in 1918) the Minneapolis Museum of Art, the Milwaukee Institute, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, and the Rochester Memorial Art Gallery, NY.
Sent a large shipment of small paintings to Macbeth Gallery.

1918

Spent the winter of 1918-19 in Rousillon, on the Mediterranean coast, and began to paint in watercolor again.
2nd Annual Exhibition of Intimate Paintings at Macbeth Gallery includes some of the small paintings sent the previous year.
Peace, exhibited at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts 113th Annual Exhibition, was later (1921) purchased by the Corcoran Gallery of Art.

1920

Purchased a farm in Le Mesnil sur Blangy, Normandy, France.

Named Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor.

Awarded Edward B. Butler Popular Prize; W. M. R. French Gold Medal, and Potter Palmer Gold Medal at the Art Institute of Chicago’s 33rd Annual Exhibition of American Oil Paintings and Sculpture, for Torn Lingerie, loaned by the City Art Museum, St. Louis.
Exhibition of Paintings by Charles H. Davis, N. A., Frederick C. Frieseke, N. A., Richard E. Miller, N. A., at Macbeth Gallery.
Albright Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, Exhibition of Paintings by Frederick Carl Frieseke, Maurice Fromkes, Hayley Lever and Jonas Lie.
Landscape watercolors done in Cagnes are dated 1920.

1921

Special Exhibition of Paintings by Frederick Carl Frieseke at Cincinnati Museum and Detroit Museum of Art.
The Gold Locket purchased by Cincinnati Museum (since de-accessioned).
Composed suite of watercolor sketches based on reminiscences of his childhood years spent in the area of Jacksonville, Florida. (The majority of these are in the collection of the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, Jacksonville, Florida.)
Exhibited nine watercolors at 1st Annual International Exhibition of Watercolors, Art Institute of Chicago.

Macbeth noted a falling off in sales, from which there was to be no recovery.

1922

Awarded Gold Medal at the Philadelphia Art Club’s 30h Annual Exhibition.
Exhibition of Paintings by Frederick C. Frieseke and Hayley Lever, Macbeth Gallery.

1923

Ceased exhibiting regularly with the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, and began to exhibit (until 1931) with the Salon de Tuileries, Paris.
Participated in the inaugural exhibition of the Grand Central Art Galleries in New York.
The Dressing Room purchased by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

1924

Special Exhibition of Paintings by Frederick C. Frieseke at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Exhibition of New Paintings by Frederick C. Frieseke at the Macbeth Gallery.

1926

Spent the winter of 1926-27 in Nice.

Exhibited oil paintings based on earlier Florida watercolors at Durand-Ruel’s Exposition du groupe des peintres Américains de Paris in Paris, a part of which exhibition traveled to the Brooklyn Museum the following year as Paintings in Oil by a Group of American Painters in Paris.

1927

Included in the first exhibition of the Associated Dealers in American Paintings, New York.

Spent winter of 1927-28 in Nice.

1928

Brief final visit to the United States.

Won third William Clark Prize and bronze medal at the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s 11th Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting for Frances (Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts.)

1929

Exhibition Water Colors by Frederick C. Frieseke, N. A. at the Macbeth Gallery.

Spent winter of 1929-30 in Font Romeu, in the Pyrenees.

1930

Daughter Frances was sent, for her health, to Samaden, Switzerland, accompanied by her mother. Frieseke joined them there and, during the following year, painted Swiss landscape subjects, as well as still life.

1931

Exhibited seventeen paintings at the Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts.

1932

Exhibition of Swiss subjects at the Macbeth Gallery’s Exhibition of Winter Landscapes and Other Subjects by Frederick C. Frieseke, N.A.

The family returned to Normandy, summering there but retaining the Paris apartment until 1934.

1935

Exhibited eighteen new canvases at Macbeth Gallery, Recent Paintings by Frederick C. Frieseke.

Won second William Clark Prize and Corcoran Silver Medal for Girl at Piano at the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s 14th Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary Oil Paintings.

1937

Sales of Nude Seated to Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art; Silhouette to the Toledo, Ohio Museum of Art (since de-accessioned).

Frances married Kenton Kilmer and moved to the United States.

1938

Given a special exhibition at the Venice Biennale.

1939

Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings by Frederick C. Frieseke, N. A. at the Grand Central Art Galleries, New York, in March.

Died (of an aneurysm) at his home in Normandy, August 24.

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