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{{short description|American impressionist painter and art collector (1894–1985)}}
'''Marjorie Acker Phillips''' (1894 [[Bourbon, Indiana]] –1985) was a [[Washington, D.C.]] based artist and the niece of artists [[Gifford Beal|Gifford]] and [[Reynolds Beal]].
{{Infobox artist
⚫
| name = Marjorie Acker Phillips
| image = Marjorie Acker Phillips.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Marjorie Acker Phillips, ca. 1920
| birth_name = Marjorie Acker
| birth_date = {{birth date |1895|10|25|}}
| birth_place = [[Bourbon, Indiana]]
| death_date = {{death date and age |1985|6|19|1895|10|25|}}
| death_place =
| nationality = American
| known_for = Painting
| training = Art Students League
| movement = Impressionism
| notable_works =
| patrons =
| awards =
⚫
}}
'''Marjorie Acker Phillips''' (October 25, 1894 – June 19, 1985) was an American [[Impressionist]] painter and [[art collector]]. She co-founded the [[Phillips Collection]] with her husband, [[Duncan Phillips (art collector)|Duncan Phillips]].<ref name=Fowler>{{cite news|last=Fowler|first=Glenn|title=Marjorie Acker Phillips dies; co-founder of art collection|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/21/arts/marjorie-acker-phillips-dies-co-founder-of-art-collection.html|work=Arts|date=21 June 1985 |publisher=The New York Times|accessdate=8 December 2013}}</ref>


==Early life and education==
She grew up in [[Ossining (town), New York|Ossining, New York]].
She studied at the [[Art Students League]] from 1915 to 1918 with [[Kenneth Hayes Miller]], [[Boardman Robinson]], and Gifford Beal.<ref>http://www.askart.com/askart/p/marjorie_acker_phillips/marjorie_acker_phillips.aspx</ref>
She was married to [[Duncan Phillips (art collector)|Duncan Phillips]] in October 1921.
She was the associate director, and then director of [[The Phillips Collection]] from 1925 until her retirement in 1972 when her son Laughlin took over.


She was born Marjorie Acker in [[Bourbon, Indiana]].<ref name=Fowler/> She was the sister to six other siblings.<ref name=HHC/> Her parents were [[Charles Ernest Acker]] and Alice Beal.<ref name=TWL>{{cite web|title=Collection|url=http://findingaid.winterthur.org/html/HTML_Finding_Aids/col0632.htm|work=The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera|publisher=The Winterthur Library|accessdate=8 December 2013}}</ref> She was raised in [[Ossining (town), New York|Ossining, New York]]. Phillips started drawing as a child. Her uncles were [[Reynolds Beal]] and [[Gifford Beal]]. Both men noticed Phillips artistic ability and suggested she pursue art as a career path. She began attending the [[Art Students League]] in 1915 and graduated in 1918.<ref name=HHC/> She studied under [[Boardman Robinson]].<ref name=TPC>{{cite web|title=Marjorie Acker Phillips (1894-1985)|url=http://www.phillipscollection.org/research/american_art/bios/phillips_m-bio.htm|work=Biography|publisher=The Phillips Collection|accessdate=8 December 2013}}</ref>
Her best known piece is ''Night Baseball'' painted in 1951, showing Joe DiMaggio at bat against the Washington Senators.

==Mid-life and career==

<blockquote>''Marjorie Phillips has the unmistakable style of the born painter.'' – [[Duncan Phillips (art collector)|Duncan Phillips]]<ref name=TPC/></blockquote>

Phillips is quoted as stating that she "didn't want to paint depressing pictures." She painted primarily landscapes and still life works.<ref name=Fowler/><ref name=TPC/> Despite living a [[socialite]] lifestyle alongside her husband, Phillips made the effort to paint every morning in her [[Washington, D.C.]], studio.<ref name=Fowler/>

===Fine art, family and the Phillips Collection===

She attended an art exhibition for [[Duncan Phillips (art collector)|Duncan Phillips]] at the [[Century Association]] in January, 1921. She met Duncan, and the two married in October of that year.<ref name=Fowler/><ref name=HHC/><ref name=TPC/> Duncan was an [[art collector]], and the couple expanded their collecting. Phillips moved to Washington, D.C., and into Duncan's [[Dupont Circle]] mansion.<ref name=Fowler/> Duncan's mother also lived at the mansion.<ref name=TWL/> Phillips gave birth to her first child with Duncan, Mary Marjorie.<ref name="Rathbone2002">{{cite book|author=Eliza E. Rathbone|title=Art Beyond Isms: Masterworks from El Greco to Picasso in the Phillips Collection|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RpilL3H32uIC&pg=PA140|year=2002|publisher=Third Millennium Information Ltd|isbn=978-1-903942-08-6|pages=140–145}}</ref>

While visiting [[France]] in 1923, Phillips became interested in [[Impressionism]]. She found inspiration in the work of [[Pierre-Auguste Renoir]] and [[Paul Cézanne]]. She didn't only find inspiration in their work, but the couple began collecting their work. During that 1923 trip, they purchased Renoir's ''Luncheon of the Boating Party'' for $125,000.<ref name=TPC/> In 1924, their second and final child, Laughlin, is born.<ref name="Rathbone2002"/>

In 1930, the couple had collected so much artwork that they had to leave the mansion, with the art, and move into a nearby house in the [[Foxhall (Washington, D.C.)|Foxhall]] neighborhood.<ref name=Fowler/> The house was named "Dunmarlin".<ref name=TWL/> The couple had a summer home in [[Ebensburg, Pennsylvania]]. It was called [[Ormsby Lodge|Ormsby Lodge and Carriage House.]]<ref name=TWL/><ref name=Miller>{{cite web|last=Miller|first=Eric|title=The Country Home of Mega-Collector Duncan Phillips|date=29 November 2012 |url=http://www.urbanartantiques.com/2012/the-country-home-of-mega-collector-duncan-phillips/|publisher=Urban Antiques|accessdate=8 December 2013}}</ref> Duncan died in 1966. In total, the couple had collected over 2,500 works of art, many which were on display at the museum. After his death, Phillips, who served as Associate Director of the Phillips Collection, became Director.<ref name=Fowler/> Her work was also part of the [[Art competitions at the 1932 Summer Olympics#Painting|painting event]] in the [[Art competitions at the 1932 Summer Olympics|art competition]] at the [[1932 Summer Olympics]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/921592 |title=Marjorie Phillips |work=Olympedia |accessdate=August 2, 2020}}</ref>

==Later life and legacy==

In 1971 she curated a retrospective about Paul Cézanne and published the book, ''Duncan Phillips and His Collection''.<ref name="JamesJames">{{cite book|author1=Edward T. James|author2=Janet Wilson James|author3=Paul S. Boyer |title=Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary|year=2004|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WSaMu4F06AQC&pg=PA513|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-01488-6|page=513}}</ref> Phillips retired in 1972. Her son, [[Laughlin Phillips]], became Director of the Phillips Collection.<ref name=Fowler/>

Phillips donated a piece of property in [[Martha's Vineyard]] to the Sheriff's Meadow Foundation in 1980. The property, which became a [[nature conservancy]], was named Phillips Preserve.<ref name=SMF>{{cite web|title=Phillips Preserve|url=http://www.sheriffsmeadow.org/sheriffs-meadow-property-detail.php?did=15|work=Properties|publisher=Sheriff's Meadow Foundation|accessdate=8 December 2013}}</ref>
She died in 1985 of [[pulmonary failure]].<ref name=Fowler/>

The Phillips family papers are held in the collection of the [[Heinz History Center]].<ref name=HHC>{{cite web|title=Phillips Family Papers|url=http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=hswpead;rgn=main;view=text;didno=US-QQS-mss797|work=Heinz History Center|publisher=Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania|accessdate=8 December 2013}}</ref> The [[Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library]] has a holding of archival materials of Phillips'.<ref name=TWL/>

==Major exhibitions==

*Solo show, 1925, Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.<ref name="Rathbone2002"/>

==Major collections==

*''Strawberry Picnic'', ca. 1924, Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.<ref name=USDS>{{cite web|title=Marjorie Phillips|url=http://art.state.gov/artistdetail.aspx?id=102528|work=Artists|publisher=United States Department of State|accessdate=8 December 2013}}</ref>
*''Bohemian Glass Vase'', 1939, [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]], Boston, Massachusetts<ref name=MFAB>{{cite web|title=Bohemian Glass Vase|url=http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/bohemian-glass-vase-32770|work=Collections|publisher=Museum of Fine Arts Boston|accessdate=8 December 2013}}</ref>

==Further reading==

;Works by Marjorie Acker Phillips
*''Duncan Phillips and His Collection''. New York: W W Norton & Co (1982). {{ISBN|0393016080}}
*''Marjorie Phillips and Her Paintings''. Sylvia Partridge (1985). {{ISBN|0393022900}}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


⚫
{{Authority control}}
==External links==
* [http://www.phillipscollection.org/about/history/marjorie.aspx Biography] (The Phillips Collection)
* [http://www.phillipscollection.org/research/american_art/bios/phillips_m-bio.htm Biography] (Adapted from ''The Eye of Duncan Phillips'', Yale University Press, 1999)
* [http://www.phillipscollection.org/research/american_art/collection/collection-artist_nr.htm Sample of her works] (American Art)


⚫
{{Authority control|VIAF=8469234}}

{{Persondata
⚫
| NAME = Phillips, Marjorie Acker
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Artist
| DATE OF BIRTH = 1894
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH = 1985
| PLACE OF DEATH =
⚫
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Marjorie Acker}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Marjorie Acker}}
[[Category:1894 births]]
[[Category:1894 births]]
[[Category:1985 deaths]]
[[Category:1985 deaths]]
⚫
[[Category:American artists]]
[[Category:Directors of museums in the United States]]
[[Category:Directors of museums in the United States]]
[[Category:Artists from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:American women museum directors]]
[[Category:American women painters]]
[[Category:Painters from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:20th-century American painters]]

[[Category:Art Students League of New York alumni]]

[[Category:20th-century American women painters]]
{{US-painter-1890s-stub}}
[[Category:People from Dupont Circle]]
[[Category:Olympic competitors in art competitions]]
⚫
[[Category:American art collectors]]
[[Category:American women art collectors]]
[[Category:20th-century art collectors]]
[[Category:People from Marshall County, Indiana]]
[[Category:People from Ossining, New York]]
[[Category:Painters from Indiana]]
[[Category:Painters from New York City]]

Latest revision as of 02:53, 7 April 2024

Marjorie Acker Phillips
Marjorie Acker Phillips, ca. 1920
Born
Marjorie Acker

(1895-10-25)October 25, 1895
Bourbon, Indiana
DiedJune 19, 1985(1985-06-19) (aged 89)
NationalityAmerican
EducationArt Students League
Known forPainting
MovementImpressionism

Marjorie Acker Phillips (October 25, 1894 – June 19, 1985) was an American Impressionist painter and art collector. She co-founded the Phillips Collection with her husband, Duncan Phillips.[1]

Early life and education

[edit]

She was born Marjorie Acker in Bourbon, Indiana.[1] She was the sister to six other siblings.[2] Her parents were Charles Ernest Acker and Alice Beal.[3] She was raised in Ossining, New York. Phillips started drawing as a child. Her uncles were Reynolds Beal and Gifford Beal. Both men noticed Phillips artistic ability and suggested she pursue art as a career path. She began attending the Art Students League in 1915 and graduated in 1918.[2] She studied under Boardman Robinson.[4]

Mid-life and career

[edit]

Marjorie Phillips has the unmistakable style of the born painter. – Duncan Phillips[4]

Phillips is quoted as stating that she "didn't want to paint depressing pictures." She painted primarily landscapes and still life works.[1][4] Despite living a socialite lifestyle alongside her husband, Phillips made the effort to paint every morning in her Washington, D.C., studio.[1]

Fine art, family and the Phillips Collection

[edit]

She attended an art exhibition for Duncan Phillips at the Century Association in January, 1921. She met Duncan, and the two married in October of that year.[1][2][4] Duncan was an art collector, and the couple expanded their collecting. Phillips moved to Washington, D.C., and into Duncan's Dupont Circle mansion.[1] Duncan's mother also lived at the mansion.[3] Phillips gave birth to her first child with Duncan, Mary Marjorie.[5]

While visiting France in 1923, Phillips became interested in Impressionism. She found inspiration in the work of Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Cézanne. She didn't only find inspiration in their work, but the couple began collecting their work. During that 1923 trip, they purchased Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party for $125,000.[4] In 1924, their second and final child, Laughlin, is born.[5]

In 1930, the couple had collected so much artwork that they had to leave the mansion, with the art, and move into a nearby house in the Foxhall neighborhood.[1] The house was named "Dunmarlin".[3] The couple had a summer home in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania. It was called Ormsby Lodge and Carriage House.[3][6] Duncan died in 1966. In total, the couple had collected over 2,500 works of art, many which were on display at the museum. After his death, Phillips, who served as Associate Director of the Phillips Collection, became Director.[1] Her work was also part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics.[7]

Later life and legacy

[edit]

In 1971 she curated a retrospective about Paul Cézanne and published the book, Duncan Phillips and His Collection.[8] Phillips retired in 1972. Her son, Laughlin Phillips, became Director of the Phillips Collection.[1]

Phillips donated a piece of property in Martha's Vineyard to the Sheriff's Meadow Foundation in 1980. The property, which became a nature conservancy, was named Phillips Preserve.[9] She died in 1985 of pulmonary failure.[1]

The Phillips family papers are held in the collection of the Heinz History Center.[2] The Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library has a holding of archival materials of Phillips'.[3]

Major exhibitions

[edit]
  • Solo show, 1925, Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.[5]

Major collections

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]
Works by Marjorie Acker Phillips
  • Duncan Phillips and His Collection. New York: W W Norton & Co (1982). ISBN 0393016080
  • Marjorie Phillips and Her Paintings. Sylvia Partridge (1985). ISBN 0393022900

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Fowler, Glenn (21 June 1985). "Marjorie Acker Phillips dies; co-founder of art collection". Arts. The New York Times. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d "Phillips Family Papers". Heinz History Center. Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Collection". The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera. The Winterthur Library. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Marjorie Acker Phillips (1894-1985)". Biography. The Phillips Collection. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  5. ^ a b c Eliza E. Rathbone (2002). Art Beyond Isms: Masterworks from El Greco to Picasso in the Phillips Collection. Third Millennium Information Ltd. pp. 140–145. ISBN 978-1-903942-08-6.
  6. ^ Miller, Eric (29 November 2012). "The Country Home of Mega-Collector Duncan Phillips". Urban Antiques. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  7. ^ "Marjorie Phillips". Olympedia. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  8. ^ Edward T. James; Janet Wilson James; Paul S. Boyer (2004). Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary. Harvard University Press. p. 513. ISBN 978-0-674-01488-6.
  9. ^ "Phillips Preserve". Properties. Sheriff's Meadow Foundation. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  10. ^ "Marjorie Phillips". Artists. United States Department of State. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  11. ^ "Bohemian Glass Vase". Collections. Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
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