Rockwell Kent

Rockwell Kent became one of the most iconic Modern American painters of the early Twentieth Century. Born in Tarrytown, New York in 1882, he studied with Arthur Wesley Dow at the Art Student’s League in New York, with William Merritt Chase in Shinnecock, Long Island and with Robert Henri at the New York School of Art.

In 1930, Kent gained international acclaim for his popular illustrations of Herman Melville's classic American novel, “Moby Dick” commissioned by Lakeside Press and published by R.R. Donnelley and Sons. Kent was an outspoken pacifist, and his affinity with Communism and Leftist politics unfortunately brought him under investigation in the 1950s by Sen. Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Kent was subsequently blacklisted from commercial ventures and his art was shunned from national galleries and museums during that time period. Today, Kent is recognized a Modern American master. His paintings can be found in numerous museums and collections worldwide. Kent died in Plattsburgh, NY in 1971.