The Grand Central Art Galleries were the exhibition and administrative space of the nonprofit Painters and Sculptors Gallery Association, an artists' cooperative established in 1922 by Walter Leighton Clark together with John Singer Sargent, Edmund Greacen, and others."Painters and Sculptors' Gallery Association to Begin Work," The New York Times, December 19, 1922 Artists closely associated with the Grand Central Art Galleries included Hovsep Pushman, George de Forest Brush, and especially Sargent, whose posthumous show took place there in 1928."Grand Central Gallery Shows Material Found in Artist's Studio After His Death," The New York Times, February 15, 1928
The Galleries were active from 1923 until 1994. For 29 years they were located on the sixth floor of Grand Central Terminal in New York City. At their 1923 opening, the Galleries covered and offered nine exhibition areas and a reception room,"New Art Gallery Opens to Throng," The New York Times, March 22, 1923 described as "the largest sales gallery of art in the world.""New Home for Art to Cost $100,000," The New York Times, March 11, 1923 In 1958 the Galleries moved to the second floor of the Biltmore Hotel, where they had six exhibition rooms and an office."Galleries to End 36 Years in Depot," The New York Times, October 31, 1958 They remained at the Biltmore for 23 years, until it was converted into an office building."Retaining Order to Block Biltmore Demolition Expires," The New York Times, August 19, 1981 The Galleries then moved to 24 West 57th Street, where they remained until they ceased activity.
In addition to their main offices, the Grand Central Art Galleries directed a number of other enterprises. They launched the Grand Central School of Art in 1923, opened a branch gallery at Fifth Avenue and 51st Street in 1933,http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/collection/grancent.htm |1934 Grand Central Art Galleries catalog and in 1947 established Grand Central Moderns"In Two Current New York Shows," The New York Times, September 17, 1950 to show non-figurative works. The Grand Central Art Galleries were also responsible for the creation, design, and construction of the United States Pavilion at the Venice Biennale."American Art Show Opened at Venice," The New York Times, May 5, 1930
Origins
The Painters and Sculptors Gallery Association was established in 1922 by Walter Leighton Clark together with John Singer Sargent, Edmund Greacen, and others. As stated in the Galleries' 1934 catalog, their goal was to "give a broader field to American art; to exhibit in a larger way to a more numerous audience, not in New York alone but throughout the country, thus displaying to the world the inherent value which our art undoubtedly possesses."
The founders envisioned a nonprofit, cooperative organization, but one firmly supported by the best business principles"Great Art Gallery Will Open March 21," The New York Times, March 6, 1923 Greacen, an artist, is credited with having suggested the Galleries' financial structure: Artists who wished to join were required to give a work of art each year for three years as an initiation fee, after which they became life members. Non-artists (referred to as "lay members") agreed to give a sum of money (initially $600, the equivalent of $11,256 in 2024) to purchase one of the donated works, but available only after the first year. As Clark wrote: "The beauty of this plan of operation is that it accomplishes results in a practical way and is free from the sting of charity because the artists are actually underwriting their own organization." Initial interest was strong, with many artists and lay members joining the new organization. "We had upward of one hundred names on each of the above lists," Clark wrote.
The original board of trustees consisted of Walter Sherman Gifford; the Galleries' architect, William Adams Delano; Robert W. DeForest, president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Frank Logan, vice-president of the Art Institute of Chicago;"Frank G. Logan (1851-1937)," Bulletin of the Art Institute of Chicago Irving T. Bush, president of the Bush Terminal Company; and artist and businessman Walter Leighton Clark. The association's charter and bylaws were written by Gifford and John G. Agar, president of the National Arts Club."Arts Club Warned of Thought Trust," The New York Times, November 13, 1913. Clark was elected president, DeForest vice-president, and Gifford became secretary and treasurer. Erwin S. Barrie, manager of the art collection of Carson Pirie Scott, was hired as director."Erwin S. Barrie Dies at 97; Led Grand Central Galleries," The New York Times, July 27, 1983
The board sought a location in Manhattan that was central and easily accessible. Through the support of Alfred Holland Smith, president of the New York Central Railroad, the top of the Grand Central Terminal was made available. The official street address was 15 Vanderbilt Avenue. The Painters and Sculptors Gallery Association signed a 10-year lease, and together with the railroad company, invested more than $100,000 in preparations. The Galleries extended over most of the terminal's sixth floor, , and offered eight main exhibition rooms, a foyer gallery, and a reception area. A total of 20 display rooms were to be created for what was intended to be "the largest sales gallery of art in the world." The architect was Delano, best known for designing Yale Divinity School's Sterling Quadrangle.
The Grand Central Art Galleries officially opened on March 23, 1923. The event featured paintings by Sargent, Charles W. Hawthorne, Cecilia Beaux, Wayman Adams, and Ernest Ipsen. Sculptors included Daniel Chester French, Herbert Adams, Robert Aitken, Gutzon Borglum, and Frederic MacMonnies, who showed a fountain, The Boy and the Fish. The gala event attracted 5,000 people and received a positive review from The New York Times: "The initial exhibition, seen for its own sake, is a beauty. Every artist seems to have realized that it is an occasion for putting his best work forward, and his best work could not be more favorably shown to the public. Even the galleries of the newest museums are not quite so favorable."
In keeping with the founders' conception of the Galleries as a commercial as well as artistic organization, the majority of the works on display were for sale. Prices ranged from $100 to $10,000, the most expensive one being by Hawthorne; Sargent's contribution was valued at $5,000. By 1934 Clark estimated that sales were $500,000 to $600,000 a year. Total sales up to that year were approximately $4,000,000. Two-thirds of proceeds on commercial sales were distributed to artists.
Members' Art Drawings
The Grand Central Art Galleries were founded on the idea of a respectful and mutually beneficial relationship between artists and those interested in art. Artist members donated one work a year for three years as their initiation fee; lay members gave a yearly sum in return for a work of art after the first year's membership. Works donated by the artists were distributed to the lay members at an annual drawing. A yearly catalog indicated the works to be distributed at a drawing and reception at the gallery.
As described in the 1934 catalog, the procedure was as follows:
"[The drawing] will be accomplished by placing the name of each lay member on a slip of paper in a sealed jar which will be shaken thoroughly. Then before the entire audience the seal will be broken and a child will draw the names, one at a time, and they will be read aloud and entered on a list. The name first drawn will have first choice of all the contributed works of art. The second name drawn will have a free choice after number one has made his selection and the third name will then have the privilege of making his choice from all the works that remain, and so on until the last name."
Available works were placed on display prior to the drawing, and lay members were requested to "make a list of thirty choices, arranging same in the order of his preference." This pre-selection would allow the awarded paintings to be announced the evening of the drawing. Because of the wide range of works being offered, the drawing — and in particular, an early selection — was important. 1925: The name of Harold H. Swift, the Chicago meatpacker, was the first selected, and he chose John Singer Sargent's 1918 painting, Shoeing Cavalry Horses at the Front, worth $15,000 at the time."Lucky Draw Wins Sargent Painting," The New York Times, October 3, 1925"John Singer Sargent, Works in Oil, 1910-1919," Jssgallery.org. 1927: The first name selected was that of Henry W. Cannon, who chose H. Bolton Jones's landscape In the Berkshires. 1930: The slips with the members' names were selected by Nancy Clark Dunn, granddaughter of Walter Leighton Clark. The works that year were reportedly worth $100,000. The person whose name was first chosen selected Chauncey Ryder's River Road to Sheffield."Here and There Among the Galleries," The New York Times, October 26, 1930 1936: The first name drawn was that of Walter S. Gifford, president of AT&T. He selected a Hovsep Pushman still life of a Chinese statuette."W.S. Gifford Draws First Choice for Art; He Selects Painting by Pushman," The New York Times, November 13, 1936 1941: Works of 82 artist-members are distributed at the annual drawing. Film star Gloria Swanson presided, "dressed in a simple black costume with a large black hat." The first name drawn was that of Arthur B. Davis, president of the Aluminum Company of America; he chose H. Bolton Jones's painting The Shore. Eugene Frank of Columbia University was selected next, and he chose Hovsep Pushman's Fading Rose. The third name drawn was A.E. Clegg, president of the Kerr Steamship Company, who selected Frederick Judd Waugh's Invading Spindrift."Lay Members of Grand Central Galleries Draw for Works of 82 Artist Members," The New York Times, November 14, 1941.
Grand Central School of Art
A year after the Galleries opened the Painters and Sculptors Gallery Association established the Grand Central School of Art, which occupied on the seventh floor of the east wing of the Grand Central Terminal. The school was directed by John Singer Sargent and Daniel Chester French; its first year teachers included painters Edmund Greacen, Wayman Adams, Jonas Lie, George Elmer Browne, Nicolai Fechin, and Sigurd Skou; sculptor Chester Beach; illustrator Dean Cornwell; costume designer Helen Dryden; George Pearse Ennis, who worked in stained glass and watercolors; and muralist Ezra Winter."New Art School Opens: Reception Held in Studios Over the Grand Central," The New York Times, October 2, 1924"Terminal Fire Not in Art School," The New York Times, November 23, 1924
The school enrolled more than 400 students its first year; this soon grew to 900, making it one of the largest art programs in New York City. In 1925 Edmund Greacen engaged Arshile Gorky as an instructor, one of the school's most prominent teachers; he remained with the school until 1931. It was in operation for almost 20 years, including a summer program in Maine, closing in 1944.
Exhibitions and Events
Throughout its history the Grand Central Art Galleries regularly held exhibitions large and small. Whether events were free or admission was charged, they helped to publicize the Galleries as well as advance the cause of the arts they championed. March 23, 1923: "Exhibition of Paintings and Sculptures Contributed by the Founders of the Galleries." The Grand Central Art Galleries' opening exhibition featured 170 works, including Sargent's The Artist Sketching, Daffodils by Charles W. Hawthorne, Leslie Buswell by Cecilia Beaux, and Mr. Alleyne Ireland by Ernest Ipsen. Sculpture included Spirit of Life by Daniel Chester French, Summer's Freeze by Herbert Adams, Diana by Robert Aitken, and Roosevelt by Frederic MacMonnies.