Known as “the Dean of Artists,” Frank Wilcox, was a graduate of the Cleveland School of Art in 1910 and began his legendary teaching career at the Institute in 1913. As a student of Henry Keller, and a teacher to Charles Burchfield, Clarence Carter, Carl Gaertner, and Paul Travis, among others, Wilcox grew to become one of the foremost leaders in the development of the Cleveland School.
This exhibition includes the debut of his masterful modern watercolors from the 1920’s and 1930’s. Fortunately, these works were discovered while working with the Wilcox estate and the grandson of the artist. He provided us with uninhibited access to dusty boxes and cupboards filled with paintings and ephemera, until now, unseen for decades. The deep cobalt and shimmering emeralds Wilcox used in this group of seascapes and landscapes remain as vibrant as the day they were painted. In addition, the estate has shared a cache of dramatic early oils and stunning watercolors executed throughout Europe and North America.