“The Sailor-Painter: Charles Robert Patterson”

Join us as we host an informative program on America's “Sailor-Painter,” Charles Robert Patterson, the subject of the popular exhibition Saving our Ships currently on view in the Art Museum.

Robert Lloyd Webb, author of the new biography Sailor-Painter: The Uncommon Life of Charles Robert Patterson and guest curator of this exhibit, will lead an insightful discussion on the life and work of this accomplished maritime artist. Mr. Webb is past curator of Maritime History at the Kendall Whaling Museum and former curator of the Maine Maritime Museum. He has researched and installed exhibitions for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Vancouver Maritime Museum. His other books include: On the Northwest: Commercial Whaling in the Pacific Northwest 1790 – 1967 and Ring the Banjar!: the Banjo in America From Folklore to Factory. Born in England in 1878, Patterson crossed the seven seas under sail then burst on the New York art scene in the early 1920s, simultaneously with the “ship-lovers” movement. Patterson’s unique combination of experience and academic art training soon made his reputation as the “Sailor-Painter.” His accurate depictions of merchant sailing vessels, ancient and modern warships and yachts sold in prestigious galleries in New York, Boston and Chicago, some commanding more than $1,000 each in 1925. Many were featured in national magazines and corporate advertising. During the 1930s he created the two mural-paintings that hold pride-of-place in Memorial Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy. Following the seated program, Mr. Webb will be available to lead a gallery visit. Registration deadline: September 15