Adam E. Albright

Adam Emory Albright became nationally recognized for his vibrant paintings of young children depicted in pastoral, rural surroundings. Born in 1862 in Monroe, WI, Albright studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts (which later became the Art Institute of Chicago) and at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts under Thomas Eakins. He traveled to Europe in the 1880s, where he continued his painting studies in Munich with Karl von Marr and in Paris with Benjamin-Constant at the Académie Julian. From 1887-88, he studied at the Académie Roland in Paris.

After his return to the United States, Albright settled in the Chicago area, and established studios in Winnetka, and later Warrenville, IL. These venues were largely rural farmlands at the time and provided the artist with the open countryside he preferred in his paintings. Albright had three sons, including twins Malvin, who became a sculptor, and Ivan, who became the one of the most prominent Chicago Modern artists of Twentieth Century. (Ivan was commissioned by MGM to create the famed portrait from the film, "The Picture of Dorian Gray"). As young children, his sons were often depicted as subjects in Albright's paintings.

In 1924, Albright acquired a vacant church building on Second Street in Warrenville. He and his two sons operated the Albright Gallery of Painting and Sculpture. In 1981, the building was acquired by the City and after extensive renovations, was converted into the Albright Studio Museum by the Warrenville Historical Society.

Adam Albright achieved considerable success as a painter in his lifetime. He became a Fellow of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and a Member at the American Federation of Fine Arts, the Society of Western Artists, the American Watercolor Society and the Salmagundi Club in New York, among others. He became president of the Chicago Society of Artists in 1915, and was a member of the Chicago Galleries Association as well as the Association of Chicago Painters and Sculptors.

Albright's paintings were exhibited extensively throughout his career. His artwork was shown repeatedly at the important annual exhibitions at the Albright-Knox Gallery, The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, The Art Institute of Chicago and The Boston Arts Club among others. His work was included at the prestigious World's Columbian Exposition of Chicago in 1893 and the Panama-Pacific International Exhibition of San Francisco in 1915.

Adam Albright's paintings today are in numerous public museum collections, including The City Art Museum of St. Louis, The Toledo Museum of Art, The Illinois State Museum, The Union League Club of Chicago and The Boston Museum of Fine Art, among others. Albright died in 1957 at the age of 95.