Ralph Wormeley Curtis

Ralph Wormeley Curtis (August 28, 1854, Boston - February 4, 1922, Beaulieu-sur-Mer) was an American painter and graphic artist in the Impressionist style. He spent most of his life in Europe, where he was a close associate of his distant cousin, John Singer Sargent, and James McNeill Whistler. He painted in a variety of genres, but was known mostly for landscapes and urban scenes; especially of Venice.

His father was the prominent lawyer and banker, Daniel Sargent Curtis. He spent much of his childhood in the affluent village of Chestnut Hill. After attending some preparatory academies, he studied law at Harvard University where, in 1876, he was one of the co-founders of The Harvard Lampoon.

Whistler at a Party

Upon graduating, he convinced his parents to let him study art. He began at the Académie Julian in Paris, where he studied with Gustave Boulanger, Jules-Joseph Lefebvre and the history painter, Joseph-Nicolas Robert-Fleury. Upon completing his work there, he found a position in the studios of Carolus-Duran. It was there he first met John Singer Sargent, who would not only become a close friend, but also have a significant influence on his style.

In 1878, his parents moved to Europe; spending some time in Rome, where he paid them a visit and took more painting lessons. Eventually, they would settle in Venice; buying the Palazzo Barbaro, which would become a cultural meeting place. One of their frequent guests was James McNeill Whistler, who would also become Curtis' friend and influence his style. Meanwhile, he opened his own studio in Paris. In 1880, he and Sargent visited the Netherlands to copy the works of Frans Hals and mingled with the art colony in Scheveningen.

From 1881 through 1893, he was a regular exhibitor at the Salon and, in 1889, received Honorable Mention at the Exposition Universelle. He also had showings at the Royal Academy of Arts, the Grosvenor Gallery and the Manchester Art Gallery. He apparently made little money from his paintings, however; relying on his family's wealth for support.

In 1897, he married Lisa de Wolfe Colt of Providence, who was related to the Colt firearms family. After the birth of their daughter, Sylvia, they moved to Beaulieu-sur-Mer, where they had two more children. He died there in 1922.