Irving Ramsay Wiles, N.A., 1861-1948: Portraits and Pictures, 1899-1948

AT BIRTH FEW COULD HAVE POSSIBLY known that another member of the Wiles family, a boy named Irving, would grow up to become a noted American artist.  Like his father, the Hudson River school painter Lemuel M. Wiles, Irving Ramsay Wiles honed his craft through hard work, studying under such luminaries as Carolus Duran in Paris and in New York City under William Merritt Chase at the Art Students League.  He would repay these debts by teaching himself, both at the League and privately.

His career would encompass nearly all mediums and by the early 20th century he would achieve a notoriety that today is reserved only for stars of stage and screen. During his own lifetime he would again and again be featured in art exhibitions both in America and around the world.  Today, paintings by Irving Wiles grace the walls of the most important museums in the nation, including the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Irving Ramsay Wiles, N.A. 1861-1948: Portraits and Pictures, 1899-1948, explores the career of Irving Wiles, allowing an in depth examination of his life and work through his own personal record book. Hundreds of entries from this book document a wide variety of canvas sizes, landscape subjects, and wealthy patrons that helped him earn a comfortable living following the dawn of the 20th century. For the first time this book provides a comprehensive resource on the artist along with a detailed biography. Over four hundred works listed and organized by date, size, and subject, make Irving Ramsay Wiles, N.A. 1861-1948: Portraits and Pictures, 1899-1948, a must for collectors, dealers, historians, and all others interested in the career of this famous American painter.