The League of Masters

Past + Present | 7 J ackson Pollock, Cy Twombly, Georgia O’Keeffe, Mark Rothko, Louise Nevelson — everyone recognizes these names and their stature in the art world, but few know where they studied or taught. They, and scores of others studied, instructed, mentored, found friendship, camaraderie, inspiration and encouragement at the Art Students League. Founded by artists, for artists in 1875, the League continues to uphold a living legacy of support for artists here in New York, the world’s foremost mecca for creative people. For decades, the Art Students League on 57th Street was the center of gravity for New York’s art scene. Beginning in the 1920s, the area around the League became New York’s first gallery district with top dealers clustered around its orbit. Many of the world’s most famous artists, whose work now sells for figures in the millions, were regulars in the League studios. I came to know of the Art Students League as an avid collector of American art from the 1920s through the 1960s. In researching the artists I was drawn to, I learned that many of them had been members of the Art Students League. Some of their works are offered by galleries on Incollect, or have been profiled in our publication Antiques & Fine Art , through which I developed a deeper appreciation for their oeuvre. In 2008, I had the great fortune to meet and then develop a close friendship with artist Will Barnet, whose work is represented in this exhibition. Will and I had many wonderful conversations about art and the life of an artist. A student and later an instructor at the League, his unwavering support and deep respect for it bordered on the reverential. I’ve gained a growing appreciation for the Art Students League through the years, and realized what a unique concept it represents. This exhibition came about, as these things frequently do, at the intersection of fate and opportunity. Last year Incollect partnered with the New York Design Center’s Gallery at 200 LEX. The New York Design Center is a very special place with its own continuing legacy of supporting the design trade. Helmed by President and CEO Jim Druckman, and with the support of his dedicated team, it is the country’s oldest furniture and design building, purpose built in 1926. Together, the NYDC and Incollect teams have been developing ideas for bringing new exhibitions to the 10th floor gallery. So when earlier this year I met Robin Lechter Frank, art collector and board member and student at the Art Students League through my colleague Nicole Kapit, we began discussing the possibility of an exhibition of ASL artists. I was taken with the synergy of these two great New York institutions brought together in an exhibition. Our concept for the exhibition is twofold: to honor the historically significant heritage and some of the past masters of the ASL, and to celebrate the League’s immensely talented instructors, all of them artists who teach artists. Together with Robin we curated a group of work that represents a wide spectrum of styles, honoring the League’s mantra that champions freedom of artistic expression and the nurturing of individuality. These are amazingly talented artists, special people whose lives are devoted to art. Today, the classrooms at the League remain much as they did from the beginning. The studio floorboards bear traces of paint from 127 years of artistic expression. The locker rooms are unchanged. Imagine knowing that you might be using a locker that once stashed Georgia O’Keeffe’s paints or Jackson Pollack’s denim jacket. Also unchanged is the passionate spirit of the Art Students League members and the magic and mystery they create. I’m humbled and thrilled to have the opportunity to work with so many talented and wonderful artists. Enjoy the exhibition John Smiroldo President & CEO, Incollect JOHN SMIROLDO FOREWORD John with friend and artist Will Barnet and collector Larry Dubin in 2011.