William H. Clapp

William H. Clapp RCA (October 29, 1879 - April 21, 1954) was an American painter and art curator. He was a member of the Society of Six in Oakland, California, and an Impressionist landscape painter. He was also the curator of the Oakland Art Gallery.

William H. Clapp
Born	October 29, 1879 Montreal, Canada
Died	April 21, 1954 Oakland, California, U.S.
Education	Académie Julian Académie de la Grande Chaumière Académie Colarossi
Occupation	Painter
Spouse(s)	Gertrude Clapp

Life

Clapp was born on October 29, 1879 in Montreal, Canada.[1][2] He was born a U.S. citizen as both his parents were American.[2] He was trained by William Brymner in Montreal, and he spent four years in Paris, France, where he attended the Académie Julian, the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and the Académie Colarossi, and he was introduced to Fauvism.[1][3]

Clapp became an Impressionist landscape painter in Europe.[4] He painted Spanish and French landscapes while living in Belgium and Spain from 1906 to 1909.[1] After exhibiting his work in Montreal, he moved to Oakland, California, where he co-founded the Society of Six with Selden Connor Gile, August Gay, Maurice Logan, Louis Siegriest, and Bernard von Eichman, and he wrote their manifesto.[5][4] From 1918 to 1952, he curated the Oakland Art Gallery, where he sold their paintings.[3][5] Clapp was a member of the Canadian Art Club and the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.[1][3]

Clapp resided in Piedmont, California with his wife Gertrude. He died on April 21, 1954 in Oakland, California, at age 74.[3] His artwork can be seen at the Smithsonian American Art Museum[2] and the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec.[6]

References

1. Boas, Nancy (1998). The Society of Six: California Colorists. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. pp. 45–51. ISBN 9780520210554. OCLC 35762633.
2. "William Henry Clapp". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
3. "William H. Clapp, Oakland Art Museum Curator, Dies". Oakland Tribune. April 21, 1954. p. 37. Retrieved April 24, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Newman, Joyce (August 21, 2008). "Early 20th-century artists inspired by California's colors". Reno Gazette-Journal. Reno, Nevada. p. 22. Retrieved April 24, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Ballew Neff, Emily (2006). The Modern West: American Landscapes, 1890-1950. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. p. 112. ISBN 9780300114485. OCLC 185403849.
6. "William Henry Clapp". www.collections.mnbaq.org. Retrieved January 18, 2020.

Further reading

• Jeppson, Lawrence (1900). William Henry Clapp: American Genius of Impressionism Rediscovered. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian. OCLC 904372210.

Note: the author, Lawrence Jeppson, lived 1926–2019[1] and the publication date given for the book has somehow been misdated at the source (Smithsonian Libraries).

• Prakash, A.K. (2015). Impressionism in Canada: A Journey of Rediscovery. Stuttgart: Arnoldsche Art Publishers. pp. 526–553. ISBN 978-3-89790-427-9.

Notes

1. "Lawrence Jeppson - Obituary - Published in Deseret News October 15, 2019". www.legacy.com. Legacy.com and Deseret News. Retrieved April 22, 2020.