Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971

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Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971

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Kent, Rockwell, 1882-1971

Kent, Rockwell

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Kent, Rockwell

Kent, Rockwell (American painter, illustrator, and graphic artist, 1882-1971)

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Kent, Rockwell (American painter, illustrator, and graphic artist, 1882-1971)

Kent, Rokuell

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Kent, Rokuell

Kent, Roquell.

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Kent, Roquell.

Hogarth Junior 1882-1971

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Hogarth Junior 1882-1971

Kent, Rokuėll 1882-1971

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Kent, Rokuėll 1882-1971

Kent, Rock

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Kent, Rock

Hogarth Jr. 1882-1971

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Hogarth Jr. 1882-1971

קנט, רוקול

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קנט, רוקול

Hogarth, William Jr. 1882-1971

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Hogarth, William Jr. 1882-1971

Hogarth, William

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Hogarth, William

Hogarth, Jr

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Hogarth, Jr

קנט, רוקול 1882־1971

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קנט, רוקול 1882־1971

Kent, Rokuell, 1882-1971

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Kent, Rokuell, 1882-1971

Kent, Rokuèll.

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Kent, Rokuèll.

Hogarth, William, 1882-1971

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Hogarth, William, 1882-1971

Hogarth, William, Jr

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Hogarth, William, Jr

Hogarth.

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Hogarth.

Kent, Rokuėll

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Kent, Rokuėll

Hogarth Jr. William 1882-1971

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Hogarth Jr. William 1882-1971

Kent, Rockwell 1882-

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Kent, Rockwell 1882-

Kent, Rokuėll, 1882-1971

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Kent, Rokuėll, 1882-1971

Кент, Рокуэлл, 1882-1971

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Кент, Рокуэлл, 1882-1971

Kents, Rokvels, 1882-1971

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Kents, Rokvels, 1882-1971

Rockwell Kent

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Rockwell Kent

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Exist Dates

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1882-06-21

1882-06-21

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1971-03-13

1971-03-13

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Biographical History

Painter; New York, N.Y.

From the description of Rockwell Kent interview, 1957 Sept. 12. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 80242441

Painter, illustrator, writer, lecturer; Ausable Forks, New York.

From the description of Rockwell Kent letters to Robert T. Hatt, 1935-1936. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 122553040

In addition to being a successful painter, printmaker, illustrator, designer, and commercial artist, Kent pursued careers as a writer, professional lecturer, and dairy farmer. He travelled extensively, and was a political activist who supported the causes of organized labor, civil liberties, civil rights, anti-Fascism, and peace and friendship with the Soviet Union.

From the description of Oral history interview with Rockwell Kent, 1969 Feb. 26-27 [sound recording]. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 495595103 From the description of Rockwell Kent interviews, 1969 Feb. 26-Feb. 27. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 220183689

Rockwell Kent (1882-1971) was a landscapes, book prints and advertisements illustrator as well as a social reformer and activist for the working class.

From the description of Pat Alger collection of works by Rockwell Kent. [multimedia]. (Boston Public Library). WorldCat record id: 57636797

Artist.

From the description of Papers of Rockwell Kent [manuscript], 1914-1921, 1965. (University of Virginia). WorldCat record id: 647804940

BIOGHIST REQUIRED American artist, travel writer, and political activist.

From the guide to the Rockwell Kent Papers, ca.1885-1970., (Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library, )

Rockwell Kent was one of the leading illustrators and artists in America. He was a printmaker, illustrator, painter, lobsterman, ship's carpenter, and dairy farmer. He lived in Maine, Newfoundland, Alaska, Greenland, and the Adirondacks. Kent was born in Tarrytown Heights, New York in 1882. He studied art at the Horace Mann School in New York and architecture at Columbia University. He studied art with William Merritt Chase, Robert Henri, Kenneth Hayes Miller, and Abbot Thayer. His first one-man gallery show was in 1908. In the 1920s, Kent worked as a successful printmaker. By the 1930s, he reached the height of his popularity. In the 1940s, however, Kent's popularity declined. After Kent failed to find a repository for his collection, a body of work consisting of eighty paintings and 800 drawings, it was donated to the Soviet Union. Kent was the author of several books and a popular lecturer on his travels and art during the 1930s and 1940s. Throughout his life, he was a left-wing activist and was blacklisted by Joe McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). He was a member of the Socialist Party and a promoter of civil rights and civil liberties. Kent received the Lenin Peace Prize in 1967 and donated some of the proceeds to North Vietnam. He died in 1971.

From the guide to the Rockwell Kent letters, 1955-1962, (University of Montana--Missoula Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library Archives and Special Collections)

Rockwell Kent and Carl Zigrosser met when Kent came to Columbia University to speak in late 1910. Zigrosser, then an undergraduate, was captivated by the adventurous lifestyle and forceful character of the artist, and a friendship ensued. A new element was added in 1919 with Zigrosser's employment as an art dealer at the Weyhe Gallery; Zigrosser's thorough, mild and intellectual nature made him an important element in the most productive 20 years of Kent's career. Their close and complex friendship endured until Kent's death in 1971.

From the description of Correspondence with Carl Zigrosser, 1911-1971, n.d. (University of Pennsylvania Library). WorldCat record id: 213465778

American artist, travel writer, and political activist.

From the description of Rockwell Kent papers, ca.1885-1970. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 320411375

Rockwell Kent (1882-1971) was a painter, printmaker, illustrator, designer, and commercial artist.

Kent also pursued careers as as a writer, professional lecturer, and dairy farmer. He travelled extensively, and was a political activist who supported the causes of organized labor, civil liberties, civil rights, anti-Fascism, and peace and friendship with the Soviet Union.

From the description of Rockwell Kent papers, [circa 1840]-1993 (bulk 1935-1961). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 301785647

Rockwell Kent (1882-1971) was a painter, printmaker, illustrator, designer, and commercial artist.

Kent also pursued careers as as a writer, professional lecturer, and dairy farmer. He travelled extensively, and was a political activist who supported the causes of organized labor, civil liberties, civil rights, anti-Fascism, and peace and friendship with the Soviet Union.

From the description of Rockwell Kent papers, [circa 1840]-1993, bulk 1935-1961. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 669910306

Painter, printmaker, illustrator, designer, and commercial artist.

Kent also pursued careers as as a writer, professional lecturer, and dairy farmer. He travelled extensively, and was a political activist who supported the causes of organized labor, civil liberties, civil rights, anti-Fascism, and peace and friendship with the Soviet Union.

From the description of Rockwell Kent papers, [ca. 1840]-1993 (bulk ca. 1935-1961). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 220176450

Rockwell Kent (1882-1971), an energetic and multitalented man, pursued many interests and careers during his very long and active life. At various times he was an architect, draftsman, carpenter, unskilled laborer, painter, illustrator, printmaker, commercial artist, designer, traveler/explorer, writer, professional lecturer, dairy farmer, and political activist.

While studying architecture at Columbia University, Kent enrolled in William Merritt Chase's summer school at Shinnecock Hills, Long Island. He then redirected his career ambitions toward painting and continued to study with Chase in New York. Kent spent a summer working and living with Abbott H. Thayer in Dublin, New Hampshire, and attended the New York School of Art, where Robert Henri and Kenneth Hayes Miller were his teachers.

Critically and financially, Kent was a successful artist. He was very well known for his illustration work--particularly limited editions of the classics, bookplates, and Christmas cards. He was a prolific printmaker, and his prints and paintings were acquired by many major museums and private collectors. During the post-World War II era, Kent's political sympathies resulted in the loss of commissions, and his adherence to artistic conservatism and outspoken opposition to modern art led to disfavor within art circles. After many years of declining reputation in this country and unsuccessful attempts to find a home for the Kent Collection, Kent gave his unsold paintings--the majority of his oeuvre--to the Soviet Union, where he continued to be immensely popular.

An avid traveler, Kent was especially fascinated by remote, Arctic lands and often stayed for extended periods of time to paint, write, and become acquainted with the local inhabitants. Between 1918 and 1935, he wrote and illustrated several popular books about his experiences in Alaska, Tierra del Fuego, and Greenland. In the 1930s and 1940s, Kent was much in demand as a lecturer, making several nationwide tours under the management of a professional lecture bureau; he spoke mainly about his travels, but among his standard lectures were some on "art for the people."

In 1927, Kent purchased Asgaard Farm at AuSable Forks, New York, in the Adirondacks, where he lived for the remainder of his life, operating a modern dairy farm on a modest scale for many years.

As a young man, Kent met Rufus Weeks, became committed to social justice, and joined the Socialist Party. Throughout his life, he supported left-wing causes and was a member or officer of many organizations promoting world peace and harmonious relations with the Soviet Union, civil rights, civil liberties, antifascism, and organized labor. Kent was frequently featured as a celebrity sponsor or speaker at fund-raising events for these causes. In 1948, he ran unsuccessfully as the American Labor Party's candidate for Congress. Kent's unpopular political views eventually led to the dissolution of his dairy business, resulted in a summons to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee, and prompted the U.S. State Department to deny him a passport, an action that subsequently was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Kent wrote two autobiographies, This Is My Own (1940) and It's Me, O Lord (1955). In 1969, he was the subject of an oral history interview conducted by Paul Cummings for the Archives of American Art.

1882 born, Tarrytown, New York 1887 death of Rockwell Kent, Sr. 1894 1896 attended Cheshire Academy 1895 toured Europe with Aunt Jo 1896 attended Horace Mann School, New York City 1900 1902 studied architecture at Columbia University 1900 1902 attended William Merritt Chase's summer school, Shinnecock Hills, Long Island 1903 studied with William Merritt Chase, New York City 1904 first sale of a painting 1904 met Rufus Weeks and attended first Socialist meeting 1905 lived and worked with Abbott H. Thayer, Dublin, New Hampshire 1905 first painting trip to Monhegan Island, Maine 1907 first one-man show, Claussen Galleries, New York City 1908 marriage to Kathleen Whiting 1908 studied with Robert Henri 1908 joined Socialist Party 1909 birth of Rockwell, III 1910 ran Monhegan Summer School of Art 1910 first trip to Newfoundland 1910 helped to organize first Independent Exhibition 1911 birth of Kathleen 1912 moved to Winona, Minnesota 1913 birth of Clara 1914 settled in Newfoundland 1915 deported from Newfoundland 1915 birth of Barbara 1917 served as full-time organizer and administrator of Independent Exhibition 1918 1919 in Alaska with son Rocky 1919 purchased Egypt Farm, Arlington, Vermont 1919 incorporated self 1920 publication of Wilderness 1920 birth of Gordon 1922 traveled to Tierra del Fuego 1924 publication of Voyaging 1925 trip to France 1925 divorced from Kathleen 1926 marriage to Frances Lee 1926 traveled to Ireland 1927 purchased Asgaard Farm, AuSable, New York 1927 editor of Creative Art 1927 helped organize National Gallery of Contemporary Art, Washington, D.C. 1929 sailed to Greenland on Direction 1930 publication of N by E 1932 1933 returned to Greenland 1934 1935 final trip to Greenland 1935 publication of Salamina 1936 trip to Puerto Rico 1937 trip to Brazil 1937 1938 Post Office Department mural commission and controversy over Eskimo-language message interpreted as encouraging Puerto Rican independence 1939 divorced from Frances 1939 General Electric Co. mural commission for New York World's Fair 1940 publication of This Is My Own 1940 marriage to Shirley Johnstone (Sally) 1942 solo exhibition, Know and Defend America, at Wildenstein Galleries, New York City 1946 elected to Executive Committee of American Labor Party 1948 congressional candidate, American Labor Party 1948 transferred ownership of dairy to remaining employees after boycott resulting from support of Wallace for president 1949 attended World Congress for Peace, Paris 1950 1958 denied U.S. passport; lawsuit, appeals, and Supreme Court decision reinstating right to travel 1953 testified before House Un-American Activities Committee 1955 publication of It's Me, O Lord 1958 one-man show at Hermitage Museum, Leningrad 1959 publication of Of Men and Mountains 1960 gift of Kent Collection to Friendship House, Moscow 1960 exhibition at Pushkin Museum, Moscow 1963 publication of Greenland Journal 1966 elected to Academy of Arts of the USSR 1967 awarded Lenin Peace Prize, Moscow 1969 oral history interview, Archives of American Art 1969 home at Asgaard destroyed by fire; papers survived with some water and smoke damage 1969 first installment of Rockwell Kent Papers donated to Archives of American Art 1971 died, Plattsburgh, New York 1971 gift of additional Rockwell Kent Papers to Archives of American Art 1979 gift of textile samples to the Archives of American Art 1996 gift of additional Rockwell Kent Papers to Archives of American Art 2000 death of Sally [Shirley Johnstone] Kent Gorton 2000 previously sealed correspondence of wives Frances and Sally (Series 1) opened to researchers 2001 gift of additional Rockwell Kent papers to the Archives of American Art from the Estate of Sally Kent [Shirley Johnstone] Gorton From the guide to the Rockwell Kent papers, circa 1840-1993, bulk 1935-1961, (Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution)

Rockwell Kent (1882-1971) was an American artist and illustrator; both his work and his personal life were strongly influenced by his antipathy towards social injustice.

Born June 21, 1882 in Tarrytown Heights, New York, Kent studied architecture at Columbia University and painting with Robert Henri, William Merritt Chase, and Abbott H. Thayer (though he worked as a lobsterman, carpenter, contractor, and dairy farmer as well). In 1905 his first painting was shown at the National Academy of Design. In 1916 he set himself up as a corporation and sold shares to his friends to finance his passage to Alaska, where his oil paintings and drawings established his reputation.

Kent quickly became known as one of America's foremost illustrators, providing artwork for editions of Moby Dick, Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales, Leaves of Grass, and Faust, among others. In addition to painting, Kent produced wood engravings and lithographs and published several books of monologues and incidental writings. He wrote and illustrated several books based on his travels to Alaska, Tierra del Fuego and Greenland. Kent served as a consulting editor for The Colophon and edited a periodical devoted to contemporary trends, Creative Art . Later in life he wrote and illustrated two autobiographies, This Is My Own and It's Me, O Lord

Kent's strong antipathy towards social injustice influenced both his art and his personal life. He was one of many artists and intellectuals who protested the execution of Sacco and Vanzetti and he served as president of the International Workers Order, a Communist-affiliated, ethnically organized fraternal order. In 1938 the U.S. Post Office asked him to paint a mural in their headquarters in Washington, DC; Kent included (in Inuit dialect and in tiny letters) an antigovernment statement in the painting, which caused some consternation. In 1953 he refused to answer the accusation that he was a member of the Communist Party. As a consequence of his outspoken leftist beliefs, his reputation in the United States declined somewhat in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1960 Kent donated several hundred paintings and drawings to the Soviet Union, which responded by making him an honorary member of their academy of Fine Arts and awarding him the Lenin Peace Prize in 1967. Kent donated the prize money to the people of North Vietnam.

Rockwell Kent died March 13, 1971. The New York Times described him as "...a thoughtful, troublesome, profoundly independent, odd and kind man who made an imperishable contribution to the art of bookmaking in the United States."

(Sources: Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2002; World Authors 1900-1950, 1996 © The H. W. Wilson Company)

From the guide to the Rockwell Kent Collection, 1927, 1949, undated, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)

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External Related CPF

https://viaf.org/viaf/24685053

https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q114405

https://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n80026775

https://id.loc.gov/authorities/n80026775

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eng

Zyyy

Subjects

Art, Modern

Art, Modern

Activism and social reform

Art, American

Artists, American

Poets, American

Art

Art

Art

Art and state

Art and war

Artists

Arts

Authors

Authors

Book design

Bookplate designers

Bookplates

Civic Activism

Civil rights

Commercial art

Communism

Cubism

Dairy farms

Designer

Designers

Drawings

Federal aid to the arts

Fine Arts

Futurism (Art)

Graphic arts

Illustrated books

Illustration of books

Illustrators

Illustrators

Illustrators

Impressionism (Art)

Labor unions

Landscape painters

Muralists

Mural Painters

Mural painting and decoration

National characteristics, English

National characteristics, German

Painters

Painters

Painters

Political parties

Politics and culture

Printmaker

Radicalism in art

Sacco

Seal designers

World War, 1914-1918

World War, 1914-1918

World politics

World War, 1939-1945

World War, 1939-1945

Nationalities

Americans

Activities

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Artists

Authors, Anerican

Cartoonists

Engravers

Illustrator

Lithographers

Painter

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New York (State)

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New York

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Newfoundland and Labrador

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United States

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New York (State)

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United States

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United States

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Soviet Union

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United States

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Brigus (N.L.)

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Newfoundland and Labrador

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New York

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Alaska

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New York (State)

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Soviet Union

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United States

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New York (State)

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New York (State)

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Greenland

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<conventionDeclaration><citation>VIAF</citation></conventionDeclaration>

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17397288