William Merritt Chase
American, 1849-1916
William Merritt Chase was born in Williamsburg, Indiana, and raised in Indianapolis, where he initially worked in his father’s business before pursuing a formal education in art. He trained at the National Academy of Design in New York and continued his studies at the Royal Academy in Munich, where he absorbed the rigorous techniques of European academic painting.
Returning to the United States in the 1870s, Chase quickly established himself as a leader in American painting. Known for his remarkable versatility, he produced portraits, still lifes, interiors, and sunlit landscapes that reflected his fluency in both academic and Impressionist styles. His elegant portraits of women and intimate domestic scenes revealed a distinctly modern approach.
Chase was equally influential as a teacher. He held posts at the Art Students League of New York and founded the Chase School of Art, which later became Parsons School of Design. In 1891, he established the Shinnecock Hills Summer School of Art on Long Island, one of the first plein-air programs in the United States. His dedication to teaching helped shape a generation of American artists and contributed to the rise of professional art education in the country. Throughout his life, Chase exhibited widely and was deeply engaged with the evolving art world both in America and abroad. His legacy continues through the rich body of work he left behind and through his lasting impact on the direction of American art at the turn of the 20th century.