This biography from the Archives of AskART:
|  Frank Drummond Allison (1883 – 1951)
A prominent early 20th century Canadian painter and draftsman, Frank Drummond Allison was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, lived there for much of his life and died there. He also lived in Montreal, Quebec (c.1900 – 1910); London, England (c.1916); and New York City (c.1919). In the 1920s he travelled extensively, visiting England, France, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Bermuda and Grenada. He returned to Saint John by about 1933, where he lived for the rest of his life. (1)
Allison’s primary mediums were watercolors and oils. His subjects included landscapes, street scenes, farms, forests, bridges, rocky coastlines, old buildings, ancient ruins, still lifes, genre and figures; the subject locations are from his local environs in Canada and the USA as well as from his travels abroad. His styles were Realism* and Impressionism*. AskART has some good illustrations.
His art education includes studies in Saint John (c.1897) under his aunt Florence Standen Kaye (2); studies in Montreal (c.1900 – 1915) under Wilfred Molson Barnes and Maurice Galbraith Cullen; and studies in Woodstock, New Jersey (c.1920s) under John F. Carlson. He also travelled in Europe with George Elmer Browne. (3)
Allison was a life member of the American Water Color Society* (1933); and, although he does not appear to have belonged to any other organizations, he exhibited frequently with the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts* between 1915 and 1941 and with the Art Association of Montreal (now – Montreal Museum of Fine Arts) between 1915 and 1939. His works were also in the Maritime Art Association* exhibition titled “Painting by Artists of the Maritime Provinces” (1935 – 1936).
Allison’s works have been shown in numerous group and solo exhibitions at prominent commercial galleries such as at the T. Eaton Company, Montreal (1933); Vanderbilt Gallery, New York City (1933); and the Babcock Gallery, New York City (1934); and they were included in the International Business Machines Corporation touring exhibition of their collection, which visited Toronto and Vancouver in 1940.
Posthumously, a traveling exhibition of forty of Allison’s watercolors, organized by the New Brunswick Museum, toured the Maritimes in 1985 and an exhibition of his oil paintings and watercolors was held at the University of New Brunswick Art Centre in 1986.
According to the Canadian Heritage Information Network* and individual museum websites, there are Frank Drummond Allison works in the permanent collections of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection (Kleinburg, Ontario), the New Brunswick Museum (Saint John), and the Owens Art Gallery (Sackville, N.B.).
Among his awards is the 1933 Jessie Dow Prize* for watercolor from the Art Association of Montreal.
Footnotes:
(1) Allison was the recipient of two inheritances in his life, one in the late 1920s and one in 1945, they allowed him to devote his entire time to painting. Source: Peter Buckland Gallery, Saint John, New Brunswick .
(2) We could not find much information on Florence Kaye; however, she did study art in London, England and at the Owens Art Institution, Saint John, New Brunswick (c.1886 – 1891). Sources: Peter Buckland Gallery, Saint John, NB and Fine Intentions: An Account of the Owens Art Institution in Saint John, New Brunswick 1884 – 1893 (1996), by Peter J. Larocque; University of New Brunswick (M.A. thesis – 146 pages).
(3) Please note: Other than Florence Kaye all artists mentioned in this biography have their own biography in AskART.
Sources:
A Dictionary of Canadian Artists (1974), by Colin S. MacDonald (see AskART book references)
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts: Exhibitions and Members, 1880 – 1979 (1981), by Evelyn de R. McMann (see AskART book references)
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts: Spring Exhibitions 1880 – 1970 (1988), by Evelyn de R. McMann (see AskART book references)
Art and Architecture in Canada (1991), by Loren R. Lerner and Mary F. Williamson (see AskART book references)
A to Z of Canadian Art: artists & art terms (1997), Blake McKendry (see AskART book references)
A Canadian Painter Abroad: The Sketchbooks of Frank Drummond Allison (1997), by Peter J. Larocque; New Brunswick Museum (see AskART book references)
Who Was Who in American Art, 1564 – 1975 (1999), by Peter Hastings Falk (see AskART book references)
The Collector's Dictionary of Canadian Artists at Auction (2001), by Anthony R. Westbridge and Diana L. Bodnar (see AskART book references)
Biographical Index of Artists in Canada (2003), by Evelyn de Rostaing McMann (see AskART book references)
Frank Drummond Allison, 1883 – 1951 University of New Brunswick Art Centre, two page exhibition catalogue dated 1986
Bermuda Online
Canadian Heritage Information Network*
Peter Buckland Gallery, Saint John, New Brunswick (website)
* For more in-depth information about these terms and others, see AskART.com Glossary http://www.askart.com/AskART/lists/Art_Definition.aspx.
Prepared and contributed by M.D. Silverbrooke.
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