Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725 - 1805)

French Artist.  A painter of primarily portraits, genre scenes, and history painting, he was born in Tournus, Burgundy, France and was inspired at a young age to pursue a career in art.  His father agreed for him to be tutored in Lyon, France and later he went to Paris, France and studied at the Royal […]

Clemens Gretter (1904 - 1988)

Acclaimed Artist, Illustrator. He started as a “ghost illustrator” for Robert Ripley of “Ripley’s Believe it or Not” fame. He also did illustrations for a number of clients including Sears and Robuck, Otis Elevator, and illustrated a number of the “Hardy Boys” book covers. He eventually created his own column “In This World” and was […]

Horatio Greenough (1805 - 1852)

Sculptor. Born in Boston, Greenough showed his interest in art at a young age and was informally trained by acquaintances. After graduating from Phillips Academy, he went to Harvard, where he was mentored by painter Washington Allston before graduating in 1821. Greenough was especially interested in antiquity and traveled to Rome, Florence, and other parts […]

Henry Mather Greene (1870 - 1954)

Architect during the Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20th century. Working with his brother, Charles, they designed what came to be known as “ultimate bungalows”, the most famous of these being the Gamble House in Pasadena, CA. They designed not only the house, but also the furniture, light fixtures, carpets, picture frames, linens […]

Charles Sumner Greene (1867 - 1957)

Architect during the Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20th century. Working with his brother, Henry, they designed what came to be known as “ultimate bungalows”, the most famous of these being the Gamble House in Pasadena, California. (bio by: Dear Jayne)  Family links:  Parents:  Thomas Sumner Greene (1842 – 1931)  Lelia Ariana Mather […]

Kate Greenaway (1846 - 1901)

Illustrator of child and adult books. The daughter of John Greenaway, a draftsman and wood engraver, Kate Greenaway grew up in various residences, including a farmhouse in Nottinghamshire, and studied art in various places, including London. She began to exhibit drawings in 1868, and her first published illustrations appeared in such magazines as Little Folks. […]

William Curtis Green (1875 - 1960)

Architect whose most famous building is the luxurious Dorchester Hotel in London. (bio by: David Conway)

Henry Peters Gray (1819 - 1877)

Artist. While still a young man he developed an interest in art and showed great skill in his technique. He became a student of renown artist Daniel Huntington, accompanying Huntington to Europe in 1838 to continue his studies. During that time he visited the great art centers of Europe including Milan, Rome and Florence in […]

Harold Lincoln Gray (1894 - 1968)

Cartoonist. Created the cartoon comic strip, “Little Orphan Annie” on August 24, 1924. The story was about a 12 year old red-headed orphan and her pals, including millionaire, Daddy Warbucks. The comic strip ran in over 400 newspapers and would later be the subject of films, stage plays, books and music. The Broadway version of […]

Michael Graves (1934 - 2015)

Designer and Architect. Graves was a pioneering figure in postmodernism in the 1980s and ’90s. In 1958, he earned a degree in architecture from the University of Cincinnati, then enrolled at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. After finishing at Harvard and spending two years at the American Academy in Rome, he joined the Princeton University […]

José Grau (1914 - 1998)

Illustrator, Comic Book Artist. He was born in Valencia, Spain. He was a pioneer in narrative techniques in the Spanish comics. He began his career in 1932 in the children magazine KKO. But during Spanish Civil War, he was forced to exile and was confined to the concentration camp of Saint-Cyprien in France. In 1940, […]

Eugenio Granell (1912 - 2001)

Painter. Born in Galicia, Spain, Granell was considered the last Spanish surrealist. During the Spanish Civil War, Granell was forced into exile and lived in the Dominican Republic and in Los Angeles before setting in New York in 1957. There he was associated with the Phases Movement, and his works were influenced by the nature […]

Robert Graham (1938 - 2008)

Sculptor. Working in bronze, he created many well known pieces that are installed in public spaces throughout the United States. His first major commission is perhaps his most famous: the “Olympic Gateway” at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum created to commemorate the 1984 Olympic Games. The piece was controversial at the time because it features […]

Francisco Goya (1746 - 1828)

Painter. He was born in a small village of Fuendetodos, in the northeastern Spanish province of Aragon. His family moved to Zaragoza when Francisco was 4 years old. In 1773 he married Josefa Bayeu, who was with the royal court. In 1775 Goya made 9 tapestries, for King Charles III. Many times Goya attempted to […]

Andrew Carrick Gow (1848 - 1920)

Painter. Best known for historical and military subjects. Born in London, where he studied at art school, he first exhibited at the Royal Academy at the age of 21. One of his pictures was then exhibited at the RA every year until his death. Elected as an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1881, he […]

Thomas Ridgeway Gould (1818 - 1881)

Sculptor. For many years he worked in the dry goods business but when it failed he began as a professional sculptor, though he had very little formal training in that area. His specialties included portrait busts of prominent figures such as Governor John Andrew of Massachusetts and writer Ralph Waldo Emerson. Two of his best […]

Chester Gould (1900 - 1985)

Cartoonist. He is best known for creating the “Dick Tracy” cartoon strip. Born in Pawnee, Oklahoma, he spent 10 years working on various comic strips at the Chicago “Tribune”-New York “News” Syndicate under editor Joseph Medill Patterson before creating “Dick Tracy” in 1931. (Patterson shortened the first name from his original “Plainclothes Tracy” to the […]

Dina Gottliebova-Babbitt (1923 - 2009)

Artist,  Holocaust Survivor. She spent the last 35 years of her life attempting to claim paintings that she had done to buy the lives of herself and her mother in Auschwitz. Dina Gottlieb was an art student in Prague when she was arrested by the Nazis in 1942, and sent to a concentration camp. Eventually […]

William Goscombe John (1860 - 1952)

Sculptor.

Rene Goscinny (1926 - 1977)

Cartoonist and illustrator. Born in Paris, France in 1926, to a family of Jewish immigrants from Poland, his parents were Stanisław Simkha Gościnny, a chemical engineer from Warsaw, Poland, and Anna (Hanna) Bereśniak-Gościnna from Chodorków, a small village near Żytomierz in the Second Polish Republic, now Ukraine.  The Gościnnys moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, two […]

Stephen Goosson (1889 - 1973)

Motion Picture Art Director/Set Designer. Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Stephen was an architect in Detroit before starting his film career as art director for producer Lewis J. Selznick, and films for Fox Film Corporation such as New Movietone Follies of 1930. He eventually was hired by Columbia Pictures, where he served as supervising art […]

Julia Goodman (1812 - 1906)

A “granddaughter” of Sir Joshua Reynolds (she studied under one of his pupils), Goodman began by copying works of the old masters, but moved on to successful portrait painting. She exhibited at Royal Academy shows for 51 years before dying at the age of 94.   Family links:  Spouse:  Louis Goodman (1811 – 1876)*  Children: […]

Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue (1869 - 1924)

Architect. He designed the West Point Chapel, Los Angeles Public Library, National Academy of Sciences Building and the Nebraska State Capitol among many others. (bio by: Mark Mitchell)

Frederick Goodall (1822 - 1904)

Painter. Born in London, the second son of steel line engraver Edward Goodall. Two of his brothers, Edward Angelo and Walter, became well known watercolour artists, and a sister Eliza, exhibited at the Royal Academy under her married name of Wild. He received his education at the Wellington Road Academy. Frederick would spent his free […]

Manuel González Martí (1877 - 1972)

Artist. He was born in Valenica, Comunidad Valenciana. He developed a succesful career as illustrator, publisher, ceramist and essayist. He founded the magazines “Cascarrabies,” “Arte Moderno” and “Valencia Artística.” At young age, he worked as illustrator with the nickname Folchi. Later, he was a known investigator of the ceramic of Valencia, and the National Museum […]

Natalia Goncharova (1881 - 1962)

Painter, Theater Designer. A major figure of Russia’s pre-World War I avant-garde. Born in Negaevo, in the Tula Province, she was a descendant of poet Alexander Pushkin’s wife.  In 1898 she enrolled at the Moscow Art Academy as a sculpture student but switched to painting with the encouragement of artist Mikhail Larionov,  who became her […]

Leon Golub (1922 - 2004)

Artist who depicted war, torture and oppression in large-scale figurative paintings symbolizing the destructive nature of human ambition. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he earned a graduate degree from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1950; lived in Paris and then moved to New York in the 1960s. Taught at the School of Visual Arts in […]

Erno Goldfinger (1902 - 1987)

Architect. He was a key member of the architectural Modern Movement after he had moved to the United Kingdom. His name was also the inspiration for the name of ‘James Bond’s’ opponent in the 1959 book and later film “Goldfinger”. Erno Goldfinger was born in Budapest. In 1921 he moved to Paris after the collapse, […]

Stan Goldberg (1932 - 2014)

Comic Book Artist. He was legendary cartoonist best known for his “Archie” comic book character. In 1949, at age 16, he began his career as a staff colorist for Timely Comics and within two years became color department manager for Marvel Comics. With Marvel, he drew the Millie the Model titles, “Kathy”, “My Girl Pearl”, […]

Rube Goldberg (1883 - 1970)

Cartoonist.  His strips included “Boob McNutt” and “Foolish Questions”.  Best known for “Goldberg’s Inventions” – extremely roundabout ways to a simple end, using a chain of living and mechanical agents.  Won Pulitzer prize in 1948 for editorial cartooning. (bio by: Ginny M)  Family links:  Parents:  Max Goldberg (1851 – 1946)  Hannah Cohn Goldberg (1858 – […]