| Facts/Data
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Birth
1868 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Death
1929 (Governor's Island, New York)
Lived/Active
Pennsylvania/New York
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sculptor-portrait bust, figure
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Categories of Interest
San Francisco Panama-Pacific Exhibition 1915
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This biography from the Archives of AskART:
|  Edmond Thomas Quinn, A. N. A. (1868 - 1929). Sculptor and painter.
Quinn was born in Philadelphia, PA in 1868 and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts as well as under famous American painter Thomas Eakins (1844-1916) and in Paris under Jean Antoine Injalbert (1845-1933).
Quinn showed great promise as a sculptor, and was soon exhibiting regularly at the National Academy of Design (1891), the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (1891), and the Art Institute of Chicago (1895). In 1920 he was selected to participate in the National Sculpture Society's exhibition held at the Worcester Museum of Fine Arts, along with such luminaries as Daniel Chester French and Solon H. Borglum.
Further exhibitions and awards followed. He exhibited at the National Arts Club in 1912, and in 1913 the Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired a sculpture by Quinn of a nymph for their permanent collection. In 1915 he was awarded the Silver Medal at the Pan Pacific Exposition held in San Francisco.
In addition to museum shows, his works were shown at some of the more important New York City art galleries, including at the prestigious Knoedler Galleries. A show of his work was installed there in 1919 and received rave reviews, including from one member of the art world who stated "The artist works in a remarkably engaging way, recording subtleties of expression that play like rippling water over the rock structure of the human head."
Many commissions followed, and in 1920 Quinn was elected as an Associate Academician at the National Academy of Design in New York City. Soon after this he joined with the "New Society of Artists," participating in a formal exhibition at the Gimpel & Wildenstein Galleries in November of 1920. There he displayed a number of portrait busts and figures.
In 1921 Quinn was elected as a Director of the Municipal Art Society of New York, and participated in the well received third annual show of the "New Society of Artists," along with such notable associates as Joseph Pennell, Reynolds Beal, William Glackens, and Robert Henri. 1923 saw his participation in the huge National Sculpture Society's Exhibition in New York City.
Quinn received an important commission in 1925-26 for the creation of bronze busts of Edwin Booth and James Kent for the New York University Hall of Fame, which were both unveiled in May of 1926. He was also given the commission for a bust of composer Victor Herbert to be erected in Central Park later that year.
In March of 1927, Marie Sterner Galleries gave Quinn a show at their 9 East 57th Street location. Quinn was a good friend of Marie (the noted art dealer) and Albert Sterner (the noted painter), both of whom he had depicted in bronze in the teens.
In 1928 Quinn created another bust for the Hall of Fame, this time of fellow artist, James McNeil Whistler. Later that June, he showed with fellow artists, including Edwin H. Blashfield and Walt Kuhn, at the Grand Central Art Galleries "Founders' Exhibition."
But even with all his successes, Quinn was unhappy. In 1929 he attempted suicide by drinking poison, but was saved by an alert police officer. His condition improved slightly, but he never fully recovered. He was found dead, drowned, in the bay off of Governors Island, on September 9, 1929. He was 60 years old.
Quinn was a member of the National Academy of Design (Associate), The Architectural League, the Newport Art Association, New Society of Artists, National Sculpture Society, National Institute of Arts and Letters, New York City Art Commission, and the Art Committee Association. Quinn exhibited regularly for over 30 years at both the PAFA (1891-1930) and the Art Institute of Chicago (1895-1928).
Some of the noted Americans Quinn depicted include: Cass Gilbert, Francis Wilson, Edwin Markham, Clayton Hamilton, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Edgar Allen Poe, Edwin Booth as Hamlet, Walt Whitman, Henry Clay, Brander Matthews, James McNeil Whistler, James Stephens, Victor Herbert, James Kent, Albert Sterner, and Marie Sterner.
His work is held in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, Brooklyn Borough Hall, Kings Mountain Battle Monument, Poe Park, Pittsburgh Athletic Club, Vicksburg National Military Park, Gramercy Park, New York University, Williamsport, PA (John Howard Statue), New Rochelle, NY (WWI Monument), and at many other institutions.
Written and submitted March 2004 by Geoffrey K. Fleming, Director, Southold Historical Society, Southold, New York
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