This biography from the Archives of AskART:
|  Known for portraits and still lifes, New York City painter Raymond Neilson had well-known portrait subjects such as Admiral William Halsey; Dr. Francis Blake, Dean of the Yale Medical School; and World War II hero Brigadeer General Frederick Castle. He also did a portrait of Hayley Lever, fellow Academician at the National Academy of Design. Many of the portraits were done for Civic Organizations and presented at ceremonies commemorating the subject of the portrait.
Neilson won many awards for his painting including exhibition prizes at the Paris Salon, the Panama-Pacific Exposition of 1915, the National Academy of Design, and the Salmagundi Club. Other exhibition venues included the New York Worlds's Fair of 1939, Carnegie Institute, and Grand Central Art Galleries.
Neilson was born in New York City and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1905. However, in 1908 he gave up a Navy career to follow his art, but he was reinstated during World War I and served overseas as an aide to Admiral William Sims. Then he studied at the Art Students League in New York, in Paris, and at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
Source:
Artist's Obituary in the "New York Times", March 2, 1964, Courtesy of Frances J. Hamilton, whose brother was a friend of Neilson's daughter and who owns a portrait by the artist. |
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 Santa Barbara in 1922. | 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. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Raymond Neilson is also mentioned in these AskART essays:
San Francisco Panama-Pacific Exhibition 1915
|
|
|