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Jessie Benton Evans

Jessie Benton Evans (March 24, 1866 – 1954) was an artist known for depicting the Arizona landscape and supporter of the arts.

Biography

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Jessie Benton Steese was born in Uniontown, Ohio, on March 24, 1866, to Jacob and Amanda Steese.[1] She began studying painting as a child, beginning her official study at Oberlin College. She also made frequent trips to Europe, where she studied art.[1][2]

On August 12, 1886, Steese married Denver Evans, a fruit importer. She went on to earn a degree from the Chicago Art Institute in 1904, where she studied under William Merritt Chase, Albert Herter, Lawton S. Parker, and Frank Duveneck.[1][2] From 1905 to 1925, Benton exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago's annual exhibitions.[3]

For several years, Benton lived in Italy, where she studied under Vitore Zanetti Zilla in Venice.[2][3][4] In 1911 and 1912, she showed her art at the Paris Salon and the Paris Internationale.[1][5][3]

In 1911, for health reasons, the Evans family moved to Scottsdale, Arizona.[5][1] She built an Italian-style villa at the base of Camelback Mountain. Her home became a meeting place for artists of many disciplines. She held weekly salons to support the arts.[1] Evans painted oils and watercolors of the Southwestern landscape, showing her work in European and American venues.[5]

Evans's work was collected by many institutions.[3] Notably, the Santa Fe Railroad collected more works by Evans than any other woman.[6]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Jessie Benton Evans". AWHF. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  2. ^ a b c Berryman, Florence Seville (1929). "An Artist of the Salt River Valley". The American Magazine of Art. 20 (8): 450–455. ISSN 2151-254X. JSTOR 23931069.
  3. ^ a b c d "Evans, Jessie Benton", Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Oxford University Press, 2011-10-31, doi:10.1093/benz/9780199773787.article.b00060373, ISBN 978-0-19-977378-7, retrieved 2024-03-28
  4. ^ Fillmore, Gary (2012-10-24). Canyon Magic. Blue Coyote Gallery. ISBN 978-1-300-29849-6.
  5. ^ a b c Heller, Jules; Heller, Nancy G. (2013-12-19). North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-63882-5.
  6. ^ "Conversation with Board of Trustee – Dr. Betsy Fahlman – Western Spirit: Scottdale's Museum of the West". 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2024-03-28.