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William Cotton Art

American, 1880-1958

William Cotton was born in Stockton, New Jersey and his birth date has been given as both 1880 and 1885, but likely is 1880 because that is what he listed in his entries in Who's Who in American Art of 1947 and 1953. Cotton painted portraits, wrote two Broadway plays and in his day was one of the best-known caricaturists in the country. He studied at the Cowles Art School in Boston and the Académie Julian in Paris. A portrait painter, he founded the National Association of Portrait Painters. Cotton exhibited at the National Academy of Design in New York, the Corcoran Art Gallery in Washington, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the St. Louis Art Museum and The Carnegie Institute. Cotton was among several American artists invited by the French Government to exhibit at the Luxembourg Museum. He worked for Vanity Fair from 1931–36 as an illustrator. Eleanor Roosevelt called his drawing of her for Vanity Fair. From 1932 on, he was one of the illustrators of the department of the New Yorker magazine. His covers and illustrations, especially for early years at the New Yorker, contributed to the definition of that era. Cotton also painted mural decorations for New York City theaters such as the Capitol, Apollo, Times Square and Selwyn theaters. As a playwright he wrote Andrew Takes A Wife and in 1931, The Bride the Sun Shines On which starred Henry Hull and Dorothy Gish on Broadway. A painter, illustrator and cartoonist, Cotton depicted portraits and figures and did magazine illustrations including for The New Yorker. He was also a muralist and cartoonist and his murals are in theatres in New York City as well as in the Hotel Gibson in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Easton's Beach in Newport, Rhode Island. Exhibition venues included the National Academy of Design, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Pennsylvania Academy and the Corcoran Gallery.

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Standing Nude, Pastel, Figure, Illustrator for Vanity Fair and the New Yorker
By William Cotton
Located in Wiscasset, ME
William Henry Cotton was born in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1880. He studied painting with Joseph DeCamp and Andreas Anderson at the Cowles Art School in Boston, and then at the Académie Julian in Paris with Jean-Paul Laurens. Cotton was a founder of the National Association of Portrait Painters and a member of the Newport Art Association. He exhibited at the National Academy of Design, New York City; the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Saint Louis Art Museum. He was among a number of American artists invited by the government of France to exhibit at the Musée du Luxembourg. After a successful career as a portrait painter, Cotton worked for Vanity Fair from 1931 to 1936 as an illustrator. Eleanor Roosevelt called his drawing of her for Vanity Fair, "her favorite character picture." Beginning in 1932, he was an illustrator for the New Yorker. In 1931 the New York Repertory Company produced a comedy Cotton wrote, "The Bride the Sun Shines On." He also painted mural decorations for New York City theaters...
Category

Early 20th Century Impressionist William Cotton Art

Materials

Pastel

Secretary Hull,
By William Cotton
Located in Concord, MA
WILLIAM COTTON (1880-1958) Secretary Hull, 1934 Pastel on paperboard 12 x 9 inches (sight) Signed at upper right: W. COTTON PROVENANCE Private Dealer, Massachusetts BROCK & CO., Concord, Massachusetts, 2017 EXHIBITED The Art Institute of Chicago, 16th International Exhibition of Water Colors – 1937, no. 216, as Secretary Hull. Note: This pastel depicts Secretary of State Cordell Hull, who was FDR's Secretary of State from 1933-1944 (the longest serving Secretary of State in U.S. history) and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in creating the United Nations. The portrait was reproduced on a March 1934 Vanity Fair cover...
Category

1930s American Modern William Cotton Art

Materials

Illustration Board, Pastel

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William Cotton art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic William Cotton art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by William Cotton in board, crayon, illustration board and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 1930s and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large William Cotton art, so small editions measuring 9 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Abraham Walkowitz, Florence E. Nosworthy, and Jan Matulka. William Cotton art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $8,500 and tops out at $8,500, while the average work can sell for $8,500.

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