1860 - 1943
MacEwen studied briefly at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; but in 1877 he went to Munich where he matriculated at the Royal Academy and studied under the American painter Frank Duveneck. In the following decade, he was in Paris where he continued his studies at the Academie Julian under Tony Robert-Fleury and in the atelier of Fernand Cormon. He also spent much of his time in Holland and soon became known for his genre paintings of Dutch villagers. While he made many visits home to Chicago over the years, he did not return permanently to America until World War II.
He was represented in several of the National Academy's annual exhibitions between 1903, the year in which he was elected ANA, and 1909. In 1904, he showed a self-portrait which was subsequently accepted by the Academy as his diploma presentation (NAD minutes, January 4, 1904). After 1909, he did not send a work to the Academy again until the winter exhibition of 1919; but the work he showed, The Painter, won the Thomas R. Proctor Prize that year. Subsequently, at the Academy's annual meeting of 1920, McEwen was nominated for full membership in the Academy. Unfortunately, he did not receive the required number of votes (24) for election and in October, he resigned his associate membership in the Academy, undoubtedly in reaction to his failure to acheive NA status.
To add insult to injury, MacEwen's self-portrait disappeared from the Academy's collection several decades later.
He was represented in several of the National Academy's annual exhibitions between 1903, the year in which he was elected ANA, and 1909. In 1904, he showed a self-portrait which was subsequently accepted by the Academy as his diploma presentation (NAD minutes, January 4, 1904). After 1909, he did not send a work to the Academy again until the winter exhibition of 1919; but the work he showed, The Painter, won the Thomas R. Proctor Prize that year. Subsequently, at the Academy's annual meeting of 1920, McEwen was nominated for full membership in the Academy. Unfortunately, he did not receive the required number of votes (24) for election and in October, he resigned his associate membership in the Academy, undoubtedly in reaction to his failure to acheive NA status.
To add insult to injury, MacEwen's self-portrait disappeared from the Academy's collection several decades later.
