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William Glackens and The Eight
Ira Glackens
This is an insider's book in the best sense: Ira Glackens writing the life of his father, the painter William Glackens, and the circle of American realists known as The Eight. Published in 1957, it doubles as memoir and art history, told with the warmth and firsthand detail only a son could bring. Around William Glackens gather Robert Henri, John Sloan, and the other rebels who broke with genteel academic taste to paint modern city life—the group later folded into the 'Ashcan School'—and whose landmark 1908 exhibition challenged the art establishment. Ira's account is affectionate and gossipy, rich in anecdote about a vivid bohemian world. It's not a detached scholarly study, and it's the better company for it. For anyone interested in American realism or the birth of a distinctly modern American art, it's a charming primary source.
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The author
Ira Glackens (1907–1990) was the son of the painter William Glackens and grew up inside the world of The Eight. He wrote this book as a devoted family chronicle, drawing on personal memory and access to his father's circle rather than archival distance.
The book
William Glackens and The Eight, published by Horizon Press in 1957, tells the story of William Glackens alongside the group of independent realists—Robert Henri, John Sloan, Everett Shinn, and others—who mounted the celebrated 1908 exhibition that defied the National Academy. It blends biography, memoir, and informal art history.
How it has aged
As scholarship it is partisan and anecdotal, and later historians have written more rigorous accounts. But as a firsthand window onto the Ashcan milieu it is invaluable and thoroughly enjoyable, still cited for its intimate detail.
For more context
The Eight and the Ashcan painters helped push American art toward everyday urban subjects, paving the way for the epochal 1913 Armory Show.
Sources
- Type
- Book
- Author / Maker
- Ira Glackens
- Publisher
- Horizon Press
- Place of publication
- New York
- Year
- 1957
- ISBN
- 0-8180-0139-9
- Format
- Hardcover
- Shelf
- Art
- Location
- Maine