Everett Shinn

1876-1953 American

Urban realism and theatrical murals

Painter, illustrator and decorator. A member of The Eight, Shinn created a significant body of work in murals for private homes as well as for theaters; he often depicted life in the slums, café society and theater events. Born in Woodstown, New Jersey, Everett Shinn was a painter, illustrator, and muralist best known for his theatrical and urban subjects. He spent the last decade of the nineteenth century studying art in Philadelphia, first at the Spring Garden Institute (1891–93), then with Thomas Anshutz at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where his work was exhibited in 1899, 1901, and 1902. Shinn also worked as an illustrator/​reporter for several newspapers and magazines in Philadelphia and New York, including the Philadelphia Press, New York World, Ainslee’s magazine, and Harper’s Weekly. Around 1900, Shinn’s interest turned to painting, and he became associated with the group of artists known as the Ashcan School. He continued his work as an illustrator, but also received two important mural commissions: one for the Stuyvesant Theatre in New York City in 1907, and another for City Hall in Trenton, New Jersey, in 1911. Shinn’s interest in theater led to work as an art director on films such as Sam Goldwyn’s Polly of the Circus (1917). Among the many institutions where Shinn exhibited his paintings and drawings were the Whitney Museum of American Art (1937) and the Art Institute of Chicago (1939), which awarded him the Waston F. Blair Prize at the 18th Annual Watercolor Exhibition. He was a member of the National Academy of Design and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.