Elizabeth Grandin painting

by Dr. Lori Verderame

Elizabeth Grandin (American, 1889-1970) was born in Clinton, New Jersey in 1889. By 1905, Grandin prepared to study at prestigious Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY but instead, she decided to pursue an education in art. She made painting her chosen career.

Grandin studied painting with William Merrit Chase in New York from 1905-1906. By the end of 1906, Grandin had met Chase’s colleague, the realist artist, Robert Henri.
Elizabeth Grandin signature
As the progenitor of the modernist art group known as The Eight or The Ashcan School, Robert Henri took Elizabeth Grandin under his wing and taught her the intricacies of the New York art scene. In addition to his art instruction, it is well documented that Elizabeth Grandin (and her mother) served as a model for many of Henri’s most important paintings. She also took private art lessons from Robert Henri in the early decades of the 1900s in New York.

How to Identify an Elizabeth Grandin painting

Elizabeth Grandin’s paintings show many similarities to Robert Henri’s paintings and other works of American realist art in the early 1900s. Her color palette is predominantly earth tones in keeping with realism. Her compositions capture movement via active brushwork and use of color.

Grandin developed into a successful artist painting seascapes, portraits, and landscapes in the traditional modernist style. She was included in the circle of The Eight and painted with the famed American modernists Everett Shinn, George Bellows, John Sloan, among others. Elizabeth Grandin’s works are included in major museum and private collections worldwide.

Request an online appraisal of your Elizabeth Grandin work of art from Dr. Lori.