This biography from the Archives of AskART:
|  A sculptor and painter, William Harper was the "first African-American artist to achieve significant critical success at the Art Institute of Chicago's annual juried exhibition." (Kennedy 119). Chicago newspapers provided much coverage of this event, describing his career as "meteoric" when in 1905, he won a blue ribbon from the Municipal Art League for their exhibition at the Institute. Tragically, Harper died in Mexico City at age thirty six from tuberculosis, and a memorial exhibition of sixty of his works was held at the Art Institute.
Harper began studies at the Art Institute in 1895, paying his enrollment by working as a janitor and night watchman. He graduated in 1901 and then went to France where from 1903 to 1905, he studied at the Academie Julian. He also painted in the French countryside with William Wendt and Charles Francis Browne.
In 1907 and 1908, he was again in France and studied with African-American painter Henry Ossawa Tanner, who was an American expatriate and very selective about his students. From Tanner, it is thought that Harper learned to use heavy impasto. However light and atmosphere in many of his paintings show influence of the Barbizon School painters such as Henri Rousseau and Constant Tryon.
Harper was a member of the Chicago Society of Artists and the Western Art Association.
Sources include:
Elizabeth Kennedy, "Chicago Modern 1993-1945"
Peter Falk, "Who Was Who in American Art" |
These Notes from AskART represent the beginning of a possible future biography for this artist. Please click here if you wish to help in its development:
|  Resident of San Francisco in 1939-40. | Source:
Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940"
City Directory. | | Nearly 20,000 biographies can be found in Artists in California 1786-1940 by Edan Hughes and is available for sale ($150). For a full book description and order information please click here. |
| ** If you discover credit omissions or have additional information to add, please let us know at registrar@AskART.com. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
William Harper is also mentioned in these AskART essays:
Black American Artists
|