George Wesley Bellows

After 19 years, Thomas French Fine Art and the Bellows Family Trust have decided to end our representation. Exclusively, from 2001 until mid 2019 we were the agents for the family of Geoege Bellows. With close to 20 years of expertise, Thomas remains one of the foremost authorities on Bellows. Should you have interest in Bellow's prints or drawings we have substancial holdings and access to the family lithographs. The Bellows Family Trust holds original lithographs and drawings created by George Wesley Bellows and left in the artist's studio at the time of his unexpected early death in 1925. All of the George Bellows' original lithographs were printed by the artist or under his direct supervision. There are no posthumous impressions of any of George Bellow's lithographs.

Born in Columbus, Ohio in 1882, Bellows' love of drawing was established early as he was forbidden to play outside on Sundays but allowed to draw while his mother read aloud from the Bible. After attending The Ohio State University, Bellows moved to New York City in 1904 to study painting.

In New York, Bellows quickly fell under the spell of the charismatic teacher and leader of the Ashcan school, Robert Henri. Bellows was still a relative newcomer to New York when Henri and his followers staged their famous exhibition of "The Eight" at the Macbeth Gallery, and consequently he was not included. But in spirit his work belongs with that display.

Introduced to fine art lithography by Albert Sterner in 1916, Bellows was also one of the country's greatest printmakers, who exploited the technique of lithography to make prints that are as fresh and natural-looking as a charcoal sketch. In executing these designs, George Bellows worked closely with the great printer Bolton Brown, who along with George Miller ranks as one of the two most significant American lithographers of the 20^th century.

Sadly, George Bellows died of appendicitis, at the height of his fame and artistic prowess, at the early age of forty-three. Later that year a great memorial exhibition of his work was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. At the opening, Bellows' teacher, Robert Henri squired his widow, Emma, through the opening, and when it was over he turned to her in tears. "I always gave him my most severe criticism," he commented, "because I thought he was my best pupil. Now I am sure of it."

Please visit our other website: www.georgebellows.com.

For more information about George Wesley Bellows, visit the artist's page.