Arthur Garfield Dove
American, 1880-1946
Person TypeIndividual
BiographyArthur Dove was born in upstate New York. After studying at Cornell University, he visited France between 1908 and 1909, where he absorbed the influence of new styles of abstract painting before returning home. Upon his arrival in New York City, he connected with progressive artists associated with photographer Alfred Stieglitz's "291" Gallery, where his first solo exhibition was held in 1912. Dove preferred to live outside of the city and spent most of the 1920s living on a boat on the Long Island Sound with his partner, painter Helen Torr (1886–1967). During that time, Dove produced a number of collages made of found materials, and developed his characteristic abstract painting style of irregular shapes, expanding outwards in bright graduated colors. While living on a boat, he was able to paint the dynamic landscape subjects he favored, such as the Smart Museum's Harbor in Light.
