Sold at Auction: Arthur Garfield Dove

(b Canandaigua, NY, 1880; d Center-Port, Long Island, 1946 NY) American Painter. Arthur Dove was born into a wealthy family in upstate New York. His parents never approved of his artistic aspirations but, after completing his undergraduate degree at Cornell University, Dove moved to New York City to work as a commercial illustrator. In 1907 Dove moved to Paris, where he remained for some months, also traveling to Spain and Italy. There he was introduced to new styles of painting and to lifelong friend and fellow artist Alfred Henry Maurer. When Dove returned to the United States, Maurer put him in touch with Alfred Stieglitz, a photographer and gallery owner. Stieglitz would become an important influence and a great friend to Dove. It was Stieglitz who pushed Dove to create what are often viewed as the first truly abstract paintings in America. Dissatisfied with city life, Dove moved to a farm in Connecticut. After splitting with his wife, he then spent seven years traveling on a houseboat with Helen Torr, another artist, who would become Dove’s second wife. Though plagued by poor health and financial difficulties Dove weathered the Great Depression and spent the latter part of his life in a cottage on Long Island, where he continued to produce work until his death.