Emile Albert Gruppe

Impressionist painter known for his depictions of Cape Ann in Gloucester, Massachusetts

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I. Biography

Born in Rochester, New York, to Helen and Charles P. Gruppe, Emile Albert Gruppe spent his early years in Holland with his father, an internationally recognized painter with the Hague School of art and dealer of Dutch paintings to American collectors. The family permanently moved back to the United States in 1913, anticipating the political turmoil in Europe that preceded World War I. In 1914, Gruppe enrolled in classes at the National Academy of Design and took additional courses at the Art Students’ League in Woodstock, New York. In 1917, Gruppe continued his studies at La Grande Chaumière in Paris. His time in Paris was cut short by the war, and he joined the United States Navy, training at Pelham Bay Naval Training Station on Rodman’s Neck in the Bronx, New York. The war ended only a few months after he enlisted, and he immediately returned to his painting career.

During his studies, Gruppe became associated with George Bridgman, Charles Chapman, Richard Miller, and John F. Carlson, with whom he would, in 1942, establish the Gruppe Summer School in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Gruppe was a founding member of the Rockport Art Association in 1921, summering there often. A prolific painter, Gruppe captured the autumnal and wintry landscapes of New England and maritime port scenes along Massachusetts’ coasts. Inspired by American and French Impressionism, Gruppe’s paintings feature expressive brushstrokes and vibrant colors, while capturing characteristic elements of the New England region. Gruppe kept a studio in Carnegie Hall in New York City for a long time but eventually moved to Gloucester, where he lived until his death. There, he bought a one-room schoolhouse in 1929, transforming it into his new studio.

Gruppe gained national recognition for his paintings. In 1933, the city of Gloucester gifted then-President Franklin Roosevelt with a Gruppe painting of the Gertrude L. Thebaud, a famous and fast fishing schooner. Gruppe won the prestigious Ranger Fund Purchase Prize, administered by the National Academy of Design, twice, in 1949 and 1953, ensuring that his works would be collected by major American institutions. During his lifetime, Gruppe exhibited at the National Academy of Design, where he held membership, the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts, the Rockport Art Association, and the North Shore Arts Association, where a retrospective of his work was held in 1997.

Later in life, Gruppe spent his winters in Naples, Florida, where he painted tropical scenes and exhibited them at nearby galleries. Continuing his enthusiasm for teaching the next generation, Gruppe wrote three books on painting: Gruppe on Painting (1976), Brushwork (1977), and Gruppe on Color (1979). Gruppe passed away in 1978 in Gloucester, Massachusetts. His son, Robert Gruppe, continued his father and grandfather’s legacy of painting. Emile Albert Gruppe’s paintings can be seen in the permanent collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, the New Britain Museum of American Art, the White House, and many others.

II. Chronology

• 1896 Born to Helen and Charles P. Gruppe in Rochester, New York
• 1900s Lives in Holland while his father, Charles, paints
• 1913 Family returns to the United States during political turmoil in Europe preceding WWI
• 1914–1918 Studies at the National Academy of Design and Art Students’ League
• 1917 Studies briefly at the La Grande Chaumière in Paris
• 1918 Joins the U.S. Navy
• 1920s Moves to Gloucester, Massachusetts
• 1927 Exhibits oil paintings at the Akron Art Museum, Ohio, one of his first solo shows
• 1942 Founds the Gloucester School of Painting with his mentor John Fabian Carlson
• 1944 His son, Robert Gruppe, is born
• 1949 Wins the Ranger Fund Purchase Prize
• 1978 Passes away at the age of 81.

III. Collections

• The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH
• Cape Ann Museum, Gloucester, MA
• deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, MA
• Hickory Museum of Art, NC
• John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, FL
• The Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, SC
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA
• Mead Art Museum, Amherst College, MA
• Montclair Art Museum, NJ
• New Britain Museum of American Art, CT
• New Haven Paint and Clay Permanent Collection, CT
• Oklahoma City Museum of Art, OK
• Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY
• The White House, Washington, D.C.
• The Witte Museum, San Antonio, TX
• Rochester Institute of Technology, NY
• Springville Museum of Art, UT
• Swope Art Museum, Terre Haute, IN

IV. Exhibitions

• 1913, 1915, 1920 Art Institute of Chicago, IL
• 1913–52 Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts, Hartford, CT
• 1916–38 National Academy of Design, New York, NY
• 1916–52 Salmagundi Club, New York, NY, prizes, 1941, 1953, 1958, 1959, 1967
• 1922–52 North Shore Art Association, Gloucester, MA, prizes, 1939, 1958
• 1925–52, 1956, 1957 Rockport Art Association, MA, prizes, 1956, 1957
• 1927 The Akron Art Museum, OH, solo exhibition¹
• 1928, 1946 Springville, UT, prizes, 1928, 1946
• 1933, 1935, 1936–52 New Haven Paint & Clay Club, CT, prizes, 1935, 1938, 1939, 1940
• 1933 Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH, solo exhibition²
• 1934–52 Allied Artists of America, New York, NY, prize, 1944
• 1939 Guilford, CT, prize
• 1939, 1946 Meriden Arts & Crafts, CT, prizes, 1939, 1946
• 1940 Bridgeport Art Association, CT, prize
• 1941 Ogunquit Art Club, ME, prize
• 1943 Jordan Marsh, Boston, MA, medal, prize
• 1944–52 Audubon Artists, New York, NY
• 1946, 1948, 1950–51 Findlay Gallery, Chicago
• 1948 Brodhead Gallery, Rochester, NY
• 1948, 1950 J.L. Hudson Gallery, Detroit, MI
• 1949 Champlain Valley Exhibition, Essex Junction, VT, prize
• 1950 Lieber Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
• 1952 Miami Beach Art Club, FL
• 1952 St. Augustine Art Association, FL, honorable mention
• 1953 Academic Artists Association, Springfield, MA, prize
• 1954 Ridge Art Gallery, Winter Haven, FL
• 1955 Hollywood, CA, prize
• 1961 Elliot Museum of Art, Fort Pierce, FL
• 1963 Florida Gulf Coast Art Center, Belleair, FL, solo exhibition
• 1963 Dolphin Gallery, Miami, FL, solo exhibition
• 1963 Fort Pierce Art Gallery, FL
• 1970 McNichols Gallery, Naples, FL
• 1997 North Shore Arts Association, Gloucester, MA, retrospective

V. Memberships

• Academic Artists, Springfield, MA
• Allied Artists of America
• Audubon Artists
• Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts
• Gloucester Society of Artists
• Grand Central Art Galleries
• Longboat Key Art Association
• Meriden Arts & Crafts
• New Haven Paint & Clay Club
• North Shore Art Association, 1929–78
• Northern Vermont Artists
• Rochester Art Association
• Rockport Art Association, founding member
• Salmagundi Club
• Sarasota Art Association
• St. Augustine Art Association

VI. Notes

1. Exhibition Records, Akron Art Museum Archives, https://ead.ohiolink.edu/xtf-ead/view?docId=ead/OhAkAM0001.xml;chunk.id=c01_1F;brand=default&csrt=4661242494276896802
2. Exhibition History, Currier Museum of Art, https://currierartlibrary.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/exhibition_history_web1.pdf

VII. Suggested Resources

• Falk, Peter. Who Was Who in American Art. Vol. 2, Sound View Press, 1999, pp. 1395–96.
• Frankel, Fred. “Gruppe, Emile Albert—Naples, Sarasota.” Artists of Old Florida. 2022. https://artistsofoldflorida.com/artist/gruppe-emile-albert-naples-sarasota/
• Gruppe, Emile Albert. Gruppe on Painting: Direct Techniques in Oil. Watson-Guptill Publications, 1976.
• Gruppe, Emile Albert. Brushwork: A Guide to Expressive Brushwork for Oil Painting. Watson-Guptill Publications, 1977.
• Gruppe, Emile Albert. Gruppe on Color: Using Expressive Color to Paint Nature. Watson-Guptill Publications, 1979.