Lot 142
Titled verso and dated 1938. James Dexter Havens (19001960) was a printmaker and painter in Rochester, New York, who is considered part of the color woodblock revival in America. His works are in many public & private collections and museums nationwide to include: The Library of Congress, Washington, DC, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, Rochester Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY, Albright Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, The Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY, Pasadena Art Museum, Pasadena, CA, and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. and Strong National Museum of Play. A founding member of the Print Club of Rochester, Havens designed its logo which is still in use. Havens was the son of James S. Havens, a former congressman and legal counsel at George Eastman's Kodak. Artistic as a child, young Jim was stricken with childhood diabetes (diabetes mellitus) at age fourteen. Though ill, he still managed to complete high school and three years at the University of Rochester. At the age of twenty-two, on the verge of death, he became the first person in the United States to receive the new drug insulin. Insulin therapy dramatically improved the quality of his life and he finished studying art at the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute (later Rochester Institute of Technology). Havens continued to study printmaking, first with Troy Kinney, and later at the famous Woodbury school in Ogunquit, Maine. His works are typically landscape and nature scenes characterized by minute detail and careful design. One author claimed he "strove to depict the dynamic, yet often unseen, processes of nature." In 1951 he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate Academician. Havens died at the age of 60, from cancer. Among his most staunch admirers was Elliott P. Joslin, who came to be one of the United State's greatest authorities on diabetes. From 1918-1921, Havens studied at the University of Rochester, NY (non-graduate due to diabetic illness), and from 1918-1926, insulin therapy had dramatically improved the quality of his life and he was able to complete coursework at the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute (known today as the Rochester Institute of Technology, RIT), in Henrietta, NY, under Alling MacKaye Clements (American, 1891-1957). He also took summer classes for about eight years at the Charles H. Woodbury (American, 1864-1940) Summer School in Ogunquit, ME (circa 1935-1942), and studied privately with Thomas Fogerty (American, 1873-1938) for etching, Troy Sylvanus Kinney (American, 1871-1938), John Edward Costigan (American, 1888-1972), and Grant Tyson Reynard (American, 1887-1968). After his studies, Havens and Alling Clements became best friends and often painted together at least once a week on various outings. The two artists were so close that, when Alling died in 1957, Havens stated, "Half of me is gone." Please ask specific questions on details, condition, and shipping prior to bidding, ALL ITEMS ARE SOLD AS IS, and the bidder will be responsible for payment. We box and ship what we can to keep costs low, and use USPS and UPS. Large items, extremely fragile, and high value items will be packed by UPS. Quotes available on request
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Dimensions:
- 14" x 10" and 17.75" x 13-5/8" framed Condition:
- Excellent Condition with no repairs on the canvas board
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