Jules André Smith
Dublin Core
Title
Jules André Smith
Alternative Title
J. André Smith
Subject
Smith, J. André (Jules André), 1880-1959
Artists--Florida
Art--Southern States
Printmaking
Printmakers--United States
Drawing--United States
Maitland (Fla.)
Maitland Art Center
Description
Jules André Smith sitting in the courtyard outside his art studio on the Research Studio campus (now the Maitland Art Center) around the 1940s or 1950s.
Born in 1880 to American parents in Hong Kong, raised in New York and Connecticut, and educated at Cornell University, J. André Smith worked for several years as an architect, never giving up on his first love of art. His early passion was printmaking, specifically etching. In 1915, he was awarded a gold medal at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, California. During World War I, Smith continued to work in both drawing and printmaking, selected as one of eight artists by the U.S. government to go to France in 1918 to record military activities. He would later publish those works in a book titled In France with the American Expeditionary Forces.
While travelling to Miami in the 1930s, Smith made an unplanned stop in Maitland, Florida. Having experienced a stunning sunset on nearby Lake Sybelia, he decided to travel no further and would go on to build his winter home and studio here, which is now the Maitland Art Center. Frustrated and disappointed with the area’s lack of support for contemporary art, Smith began plans for a residential "Lab-Gallery" that would encourage artistic exploration and experimentation in a sheltered studio environment. The studio compound, later known as The Research Studio, was the winter residence of prominent American artists such as Ralston Crawford, David Burlick, Ernest Roth, Milton Avery, Arnold Blanch, Doris Lee, and Hal McIntosh. André Smith’s vision continued to thrive for over two decades under the generous financial support from his patron, philanthropist Mary Curtis Bok. Smith’s legacy is alive and well today at the Art & History Museum’s Maitland Art Center through its residency programs and exhibitions.
Born in 1880 to American parents in Hong Kong, raised in New York and Connecticut, and educated at Cornell University, J. André Smith worked for several years as an architect, never giving up on his first love of art. His early passion was printmaking, specifically etching. In 1915, he was awarded a gold medal at the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, California. During World War I, Smith continued to work in both drawing and printmaking, selected as one of eight artists by the U.S. government to go to France in 1918 to record military activities. He would later publish those works in a book titled In France with the American Expeditionary Forces.
While travelling to Miami in the 1930s, Smith made an unplanned stop in Maitland, Florida. Having experienced a stunning sunset on nearby Lake Sybelia, he decided to travel no further and would go on to build his winter home and studio here, which is now the Maitland Art Center. Frustrated and disappointed with the area’s lack of support for contemporary art, Smith began plans for a residential "Lab-Gallery" that would encourage artistic exploration and experimentation in a sheltered studio environment. The studio compound, later known as The Research Studio, was the winter residence of prominent American artists such as Ralston Crawford, David Burlick, Ernest Roth, Milton Avery, Arnold Blanch, Doris Lee, and Hal McIntosh. André Smith’s vision continued to thrive for over two decades under the generous financial support from his patron, philanthropist Mary Curtis Bok. Smith’s legacy is alive and well today at the Art & History Museum’s Maitland Art Center through its residency programs and exhibitions.
Source
Original black and white photograph: Maitland Historical Museum, Art & History Museums - Maitland, Maitland, Florida.
Date Created
ca. 1880-1959
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original black and white photograph.
Is Part Of
Maitland Historical Museum, Art & History Museums - Maitland, Maitland, Florida.
Art Legends of Orange County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Format
image/jpg
Extent
246 KB
Medium
1 black and white photograph
Language
eng
Type
Still Image
Coverage
British Hong Kong
Hamburg, Germany
New York City, New York
Stony Creek, Branford, Connecticut
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
France
Research Studio, Maitland, Florida
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by the Maitland Historical Museum, Art & History Museums - Maitland and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.
Contributing Project
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
Source Repository
External Reference
Brotemarkle, Ben. "Florida Frontiers 'Jules Andr้ฉ Smith and the Maitland Art Center'." Florida Today, May 13, 2014. https://myfloridahistory.org/frontiers/article/16.
Palm, Matthew J. "Maitland Art Center exhibits focus on founder Andre Smith." The Orlando Sentinel, July 1, 2013. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-07-01/entertainment/os-maitland-art-center-andre-smith-20130625_1_maitland-art-center-central-floridians-recent-acquisitions.
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
1 black and white photograph
Collection
Citation
“Jules André Smith,” RICHES, accessed April 27, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/5342.