Arthur Dove

Arthur Dove: A Reassessment offers a fresh look at the art, life and literature of seminal American modernist painter Arthur Dove (1880–1946). It also introduces Dove’s long-forgotten biographer Suzanne Mullett Smith, who worked with Alfred Stieglitz and the artist from 1943 to 1944 assembling a chronicle of Dove’s art and life as well as a catalogue raisonné. By examining previously unpublished material, this volume explores the differences between Dove’s public and private personas, especially the development of his art while living in Westport, Connecticut, from 1910 to 1920; his successful career as a chicken farmer; his complex relationship with his family; and the impact of his Christian background on some of his best-known works. This lavishly designed volume offers a fresh reexamination of Dove that is sure to become essential reading for scholars and fans alike.

Arthur Dove (1880–1946) is often considered the first American abstract painter. After graduating from Cornell University, he became a well-known commercial illustrator in New York, working for Harper's Magazine and The Saturday Evening Post. In 1910 he exhibited at Stieglitz’s 291 gallery as part of the show Younger American Painters. Dove’s most consistent supporter was Duncan Phillips, founder of the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, which now holds the majority of Dove’s work. His final home, now known as the Arthur Dove-Helen Torr Cottage in Centerport, Long Island, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.