Philip Guston (1913 - 1980)

Artist. He is remembered for his neo-expressionism in painting, abandoning the so-called “pure abstraction” of abstract expressionism in favor of more cartoonish renderings of various personal symbols and objects. He was born to Ukrainian-Jewish parents who escaped persecution when they emigrated from Odessa, Ukraine to Montreal, Canada. The family moved to Los Angeles, California when […]

Oswaldo Guayasamín (1919 - 1999)

Painter. He was born in Quito, Ecuador. In 1942, he made his first exhibition in his hometown. He is best remembered for his murals in cities such as Quito, Madrid, Paris and Sao Paulo, influenced by the painters Orozco and Picasso. His paintings were exhibited all around the world. Among others “La Época de la […]

Raphael Guastavino (1970 - 1908)

Architect. He was educated as an architect in Barcelona, graduating in 1872 from the Escuela de Arquitectura. After establishing himself as an architect he designed homes and factories for wealthy industrialist in the region of Catalin, Spain. In 1881 he came with his son to the United States settling in New York City, and by […]

Rafael Guastavino (1842 - 1908)

Builder and architect who created Grant’s Tomb, the Great Hall at Ellis Island, Grand Central Station, Carnegie Hall, and Biltmore, among many others.  (bio by: S. Donaldson)  Family links:  Children:  Rafael Guastavino Expósito (1872 – 1950)* *Calculated relationship

Isaac Grünewald (1889 - 1946)

Artist. A prolific Swedish expressionist painter, he emerged as a leader of the Swedish modernist artists from 1910 until his death. Born in Stockholm, Sweden to Jewish parents, he studied at a prominent Swedish art school as a teenager. At age 19, he moved to Paris, France to further study with artist Henri Matisse. The […]

Matthias Grunewald (1970 - 1528)

Painter. A master of the late German Gothic period, celebrated for his multi-panel Isenheim Altarpiece (1510 to 1516), with its incomparable depictions of Christ’s Crucifixion and Resurrection. Accounts of Grunewald’s  life are scanty and contradictory. From 1501 to 1521 he had a workshop in Seligenstadt; he died in Halle sometime between 1528 and 1532. Of […]

Carl A. Grubert, Jr (1911 - 1979)

Cartoonist. He was the creator of the comic strip “The Berrys”,  which ran nationally from 1942 to 1974. A 1934 graduate of the University of Wisconsin, he previously worked in advertising in Chicago before turning to writing comic strips. During World War II he served with the United States Navy.  (bio by: K)

George Grosz (1893 - 1959)

Arist. A German painter and graphic artist, he was a founding member of the German Dada Group with artists such as Max Ernst, Kurt Schwitters and Otto Dix. After studying art in Dresden and Berlin, Grosz began contributing cartoons to different newspapers. During the 1st World War he tried to commit suicide, after then he […]

Sidney Gross (1921 - 1969)

Noted Artist. His works have been in many solo exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Academy of Design. He is represented in the collections of the museums such as the Corcoran Gallery, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. He developed a range of styles, from realism in the 1930s, and […]

Milt Gross (1895 - 1953)

Cartoonist, Author, Animator. In his heyday he was called “America’s Great Yiddish Humorist”, famed for the inventive dialect and Jewish sensibility of his zany comic strips and books. His gift for the absurd was epitomized in the series “Banana Oil” (1923 to 1930), “Count Screwloose from Tooloose” (1929 to 1935), and “That’s My Pop!” (1935 […]

Antoine Gros (1771 - 1835)

Artist. A prolific French history and neoclassical painter, he is remembered for his battle scenes and portraits of notable European nobility and military figures. Born Antoine-Jean Gros in Paris, France, his father was a miniature painter. He displayed artistic talent at an early age and in 1785 he studied under the tutelage of French artist […]

Walter Gropius (1883 - 1969)

Architect,  Educator.  Walter Adolph Gropius was born in Berlin in 1883. He worked and taught in the United States from 1937 until 1969, becoming a naturalized citizen in 1944. Gropius was an early exponent of the international style, defined by glass curtain walls, cubic blocks, and unsupported corners. This became a landmark of modern architecture. […]

Jan Groover (1943 - 2012)

Photographer. She used her old-style camera to turn common household objects into works of art. Raised in Plainfield, New Jersey, she originally studied painting and after earning her undergraduate degree from New York’s Pratt Institute in 1965 worked as an art teacher in her hometown before receiving a Master of Fine Arts from Ohio State […]

Juan Gris (1887 - 1927)

Artist.  He was one of the outstanding figures of Cubism,  along with Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.  Gris developed a personal interpretation of this style,  called “Synthetic Cubism”,  in which the objects of his paintings are more clearly defined and brightly colored.  He often used elements of collage in his works.  Most of them are […]

Walter Burley Griffin (1876 - 1937)

Architect. Walter Burley Griffin was an American architect and landscape architect who was influenced by the Chicago-based Prairie School.  He achieved his greatest professional and public fame and recognition for his role in designing Australia’s capital city, Canberra.  In 1911, the Australian government announced an international competition to design the new capital city, and on […]

Elmer Grey (1872 - 1963)

American Architect, Artist. Grey, who designed many noted landmarks in Southern California, is credited with being a pioneer in the development of the new American architecture in the early 20th century. Grey, who did not attend college, worked as an apprentice for a Milwaukee architectural firm from 1887 to 1899. He eventually moved to California […]

Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725 - 1805)

French Artist.  A painter of primarily portraits, genre scenes, and history painting, he was born in Tournus, Burgundy, France and was inspired at a young age to pursue a career in art.  His father agreed for him to be tutored in Lyon, France and later he went to Paris, France and studied at the Royal […]

Clemens Gretter (1904 - 1988)

Acclaimed Artist, Illustrator. He started as a “ghost illustrator” for Robert Ripley of “Ripley’s Believe it or Not” fame. He also did illustrations for a number of clients including Sears and Robuck, Otis Elevator, and illustrated a number of the “Hardy Boys” book covers. He eventually created his own column “In This World” and was […]

Horatio Greenough (1805 - 1852)

Sculptor. Born in Boston, Greenough showed his interest in art at a young age and was informally trained by acquaintances. After graduating from Phillips Academy, he went to Harvard, where he was mentored by painter Washington Allston before graduating in 1821. Greenough was especially interested in antiquity and traveled to Rome, Florence, and other parts […]

Henry Mather Greene (1870 - 1954)

Architect during the Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20th century. Working with his brother, Charles, they designed what came to be known as “ultimate bungalows”, the most famous of these being the Gamble House in Pasadena, CA. They designed not only the house, but also the furniture, light fixtures, carpets, picture frames, linens […]

Charles Sumner Greene (1867 - 1957)

Architect during the Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20th century. Working with his brother, Henry, they designed what came to be known as “ultimate bungalows”, the most famous of these being the Gamble House in Pasadena, California. (bio by: Dear Jayne)  Family links:  Parents:  Thomas Sumner Greene (1842 – 1931)  Lelia Ariana Mather […]

Kate Greenaway (1846 - 1901)

Illustrator of child and adult books. The daughter of John Greenaway, a draftsman and wood engraver, Kate Greenaway grew up in various residences, including a farmhouse in Nottinghamshire, and studied art in various places, including London. She began to exhibit drawings in 1868, and her first published illustrations appeared in such magazines as Little Folks. […]

William Curtis Green (1875 - 1960)

Architect whose most famous building is the luxurious Dorchester Hotel in London. (bio by: David Conway)

Henry Peters Gray (1819 - 1877)

Artist. While still a young man he developed an interest in art and showed great skill in his technique. He became a student of renown artist Daniel Huntington, accompanying Huntington to Europe in 1838 to continue his studies. During that time he visited the great art centers of Europe including Milan, Rome and Florence in […]

Harold Lincoln Gray (1894 - 1968)

Cartoonist. Created the cartoon comic strip, “Little Orphan Annie” on August 24, 1924. The story was about a 12 year old red-headed orphan and her pals, including millionaire, Daddy Warbucks. The comic strip ran in over 400 newspapers and would later be the subject of films, stage plays, books and music. The Broadway version of […]

Michael Graves (1934 - 2015)

Designer and Architect. Graves was a pioneering figure in postmodernism in the 1980s and ’90s. In 1958, he earned a degree in architecture from the University of Cincinnati, then enrolled at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. After finishing at Harvard and spending two years at the American Academy in Rome, he joined the Princeton University […]

José Grau (1914 - 1998)

Illustrator, Comic Book Artist. He was born in Valencia, Spain. He was a pioneer in narrative techniques in the Spanish comics. He began his career in 1932 in the children magazine KKO. But during Spanish Civil War, he was forced to exile and was confined to the concentration camp of Saint-Cyprien in France. In 1940, […]

Eugenio Granell (1912 - 2001)

Painter. Born in Galicia, Spain, Granell was considered the last Spanish surrealist. During the Spanish Civil War, Granell was forced into exile and lived in the Dominican Republic and in Los Angeles before setting in New York in 1957. There he was associated with the Phases Movement, and his works were influenced by the nature […]

Robert Graham (1938 - 2008)

Sculptor. Working in bronze, he created many well known pieces that are installed in public spaces throughout the United States. His first major commission is perhaps his most famous: the “Olympic Gateway” at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum created to commemorate the 1984 Olympic Games. The piece was controversial at the time because it features […]

Francisco Goya (1746 - 1828)

Painter. He was born in a small village of Fuendetodos, in the northeastern Spanish province of Aragon. His family moved to Zaragoza when Francisco was 4 years old. In 1773 he married Josefa Bayeu, who was with the royal court. In 1775 Goya made 9 tapestries, for King Charles III. Many times Goya attempted to […]