Richard E. Miller

Internationally successful and highly decorated second-generation American Impressionist known for dynamic figural paintings, unifying defined contours and linearity with vibrant colors and fresh brushwork.

I. Biography

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Richard E. Miller began his studies in artistic practice at St. Louis School of Fine Arts. In 1898, he moved to Paris to attend the Académie Julian where he had earned a scholarship, receiving instruction from Jean-Paul Laurens and Benjamin Constant. Miller remained in Paris for over twenty years, teaching at Ecole Colarossi and summer classes in Giverny and St. Jean du Doight, Britanny. His work quickly gained recognition in Paris, earning him gold medals in the 1900 and 1904 Salon exhibitions.

Miller demonstrated great range across his paintings, executing portraits that highlight the techniques from his academic training, as well as scenes along Parisian boulevards and women in vibrant interiors and gardens, indicative of his experimentation with impressionist approaches. Due to his practice of painting in the French countryside in conjunction with his training at the Académie Julian, he “could adapt impressionist principles and mould them according to his particular genius.”¹ Thus, while he embraced Impressionism through his vivid palette and lively handling of the brush, he continued to ground his works, figures in particular, with rich modeling and strong geometric linearity. In Paris, Miller socialized with other American artists influenced by French Impressionism, Frederick Frieseke, Lawton Parker, Guy Rose, Edmund Greacen, and Karl Anderson, together exhibiting as “The Giverny Group” in 1909 to early 1910.

During World War I, Miller returned to America, traveling around the country and exhibiting his paintings. He then spent time living in Pasadena, California and teaching at the Stickney Memorial School of Art before settling on the east coast in Provincetown, Massachusetts in 1918. In 1919 and 1921, he was commissioned by the Missouri Capitol Commission Board to paint four murals and design a stain-glass window to adorn the Capitol’s Senate Chamber. He continued to teach painting in Provincetown and was a founder of the artists’ colony as well as director of the CWA, art project for Cape Cod during the Great Depression.

Following his death in 1943, a memorial exhibition at the St. Louis Artists’ Guild was organized in 1957. Throughout his artistic career he received many awards and prizes, including a French Legion Medal in 1908, and earned membership into the National Academy of Design and the Salmagundi Club. Miller’s works have been acquired by institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Luxembourg Gallery in Paris.

II. Chronology

• 1875 Born on March 22 in St. Louis, Missouri
• 1893–97 Attends St. Louis School of Fine Arts (Washington University)
• 1898–1901 Attends Académie Julian in Paris, studying under Jean-Paul Laurens and Benjamin Constant
• 1900 Exhibits in the Paris Salon and earns a Gold Medal for At Her Devotions
• 1904 Again earns a Gold Medal at the Paris Salon
• 1907 Marries Harriet Adams in London on November 6
• 1908 Awarded a French Legion Medal of Honor
• 1911–1915 Exhibits paintings both in America and Europe, receiving awards for many of his works
• 1913 Elected as an Associate in the National Academy for Chinese Statuette
• 1916 Returns to America and teaches at the Stickney Memorial School of Art in Pasadena, CA
• 1918 Moves across the country to settle in Provincetown, MA, teaching painting and serving as director of the CWA, art project for Cape Cod
• 1919–1921 Is commissioned to paint murals and design a stain-glass window in the Missouri State Capitol Senate Chamber
• 1928–1939 Continues to exhibit his work and earn prizes at institutions across the country
• 1943 Dies in St. Augustine, FL on January 23

III. Collections

• Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
• Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA
• Cincinnati Museum, Cincinnati, OH
• City Art Museum, St. Louis, MO
• Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI
• Joslyn Museum of Fine Arts, Omaha, NE
• The Luxembourg, Paris, France
• Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
• Modern Art Gallery of Venice, Venice, Italy
• Musée du Petit Palais, Paris, France
• Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
• Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
• Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp, Belgium
• Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH

IV. Exhibitions

• 1900 Paris Salon, Paris, France (also in 1901, 1903-1914)
•  Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, NY
•  Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL (also 1901, 1903-1904, 1910, 1914-1915, 1917-1918, 1922-1925, 1928, 1930, 1939)
• 1902 Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA (also 1905, 1908-1913)
• 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, St. Louis, MO
• 1905 Liège International Exhibition, Liège, Belgium
• Lewis and Clark Exposition, Portland, OR
• 1908 Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp, Belgium
• 1909 Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy (also 1924)
• St. Louis Society of Artists, St. Louis, MO (also 1910)
• National Academy of Design, New York, NY (also 1912-1920, 1923, 1934, 1943)
• 1910 Madison Gallery, New York, NY
• City Art Museum, St. Louis, MO (also 1911-1915, 1922-1924, 1928)
• Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (also 1912-1941)
• Carnegie Museum of Art (also 1911, 1913-1914, 1920-1926)
• 1911 Galerie Devambez, Paris, France
• 1912 The Macbeth Gallery, New York, NY (also in 1913-1914, 1915, 1917, 1920)
• Cincinnati Museum, Cincinnati, OH (also in 1913-1920, 1926-1927)
• 1914 Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York
• Anglo-American Exposition, London, England
• 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, San Francisco, CA
• 1919 M. Knoedler & Co., New York, NY
• Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH (also 1920, 1939)
• 1920 Boston Art Club, Boston, MA
• Reinhardt Galleries, New York, NY
• Milch Galleries, New York, NY
• 1921 Provincetown Art Association (also 1922-1924, 1926-1935, 1941-1942)
• 1924 Grand Central Art Galleries, New York, NY (also 1925-1930, 1937-1942)
• 1926 Sesqui-Centennial International Exposition, Philadelphia, PA
• 1933 Allied Artists of America Exhibition, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY
• 1934 National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Canada
• 1957 St. Louis Artists Guild, St. Louis, MO
• 1997 Jordan-Volpe Gallery, New York, NY

V. Memberships

• Paris Salon, Gold Medal 1900, Gold Medal 1904
• Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, NY, Bronze Medal 1900
• Exposition, St. Louis, MO, Silver Medal 1904
• Liège Exhibition, Belgium, Medal 1905
• Exhibition, Portland, OR, Medal 1905
• French Legion of Honor Medal, 1908
• Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA, Temple Gold Medal 1911
• National Academy of Design, New York, NY, Associate 1913, Thomas B. Clarke Prize 1914, Member 1915
• Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, Potter Palmer Gold Medal 1914
• Panama-Pacific Exposition, San Francisco, CA, Gold Medal of Honor 1915
• Modern Art Society, California, Member 1916
• Salmagundi Club, New York, NY, Member 1922
• Grand Central Art Galleries, New York, NY, Walter L. Clark Prize 1928
• Allied Artists of America Exhibition, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY, Gold Medal 1933

VI. Notes

1. Richard Emil Miller (1875–1943) (Hôtel de Ventes de Bayeux, 1991).

VII. Suggested Resources

• Ball, Robert, and Max W. Gottschalk. Richard E. Miller, N.A.: An Impression and an Appreciation. Longmire Fund, 1968.
• Boyle, Richard J. American Impressionism. New York Graphic Society, 1974.
• Gerdts, William H. American Impressionism. Abbeville Press, 1984.
• Gerdts, William H., and Will South. California Impressionism. Abbeville Press Publishers, 1998.
• Kane, Marie Lousie. A Bright Oasis: The Paintings of Richard E. Miller. The Jordan-Volpe Gallery, 1997.
• Praeto, Robert R., and Sandra L. Langer. Impressionism and Post-impressionism: Transformations in the Modern American Mode 1885–1945. Grand Central Art Galleries, Inc, 1988.
• Richard Emil Miller (1875–1943). Hôtel de Ventes de Bayeux, 1991.
• Thompson, Wallace. “Richard Miller—A Parisian-American Artist.” Fine Arts Journal 27 (1912): 709-714.