American, 1861 - 1942
The son of a carriage manufacturer, Ralph Clarkson worked for the Boston publishing firm of James R. Osgood and Company before beginning his artistic career. From 1882 to 1884 he studied under Frank Crowninshield and Otto Grundman at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He was then in Paris, first at the Académie Julian under Gustav Boulanger and Jules-Joseph Lefevbre and later at William Dannat's studio. Clarkson returned to Hartford, Connecticut, in 1887, but soon established a studio in New York, where he remained until 1892. That year he returned to Europe, living two years in Paris and one in Italy. In 1896, the year after he returned to the United States, Clarkson settled in Chicago, where he worked as a portraitist.
Clarkson played an important role in the development of Chicago's artistic establishment. He taught painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His studio atop the Fine Arts Building was a well-known gathering place for artistic, literary, and theatrical notables of the day. The writers Henry B. Fuller and Hamlin Garland were frequent guests, while Isadora Duncan, Childe Hassam, and the art patron Isabella Stewart Gardner also visited. Art organizations such as the Cliff Dwellers (of which he was president in 1922-23), the Cordon, and the Municipal Art League also were founded there. Clarkson was president of the Chicago Society of Artists, the Art Commission of Chicago, and the Art Commission of the state of Illinois. Largely due to his urging, the 1913 Armory Show was brought to Chicago. In Oregon, Illinois, where he spent most summers, he helped found the Friends of American Art and Eagle's Nest Camp.
Clarkson played an important role in the development of Chicago's artistic establishment. He taught painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His studio atop the Fine Arts Building was a well-known gathering place for artistic, literary, and theatrical notables of the day. The writers Henry B. Fuller and Hamlin Garland were frequent guests, while Isadora Duncan, Childe Hassam, and the art patron Isabella Stewart Gardner also visited. Art organizations such as the Cliff Dwellers (of which he was president in 1922-23), the Cordon, and the Municipal Art League also were founded there. Clarkson was president of the Chicago Society of Artists, the Art Commission of Chicago, and the Art Commission of the state of Illinois. Largely due to his urging, the 1913 Armory Show was brought to Chicago. In Oregon, Illinois, where he spent most summers, he helped found the Friends of American Art and Eagle's Nest Camp.
