Hugh Henry Breckenridge | Biography | Hollis Taggart Galleries

Hugh Henry Breckenridge (1870-1937)

Born in Leesburg, Virginia on October 6, 1870, Breckenridge, the son of a cabinetmaker, showed an early interest in art. After working for two years for his tuition, Breckenridge enrolled in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1887. With the help of a travel scholarship, Breckenridge set off for Paris in 1892, where he studied at the Académie Julian, toured museums and galleries, and found inspiration in Impressionism. Upon his return to the United States in 1893, Breckenridge’s canvases reflected his absorption of Impressionist color and free brushwork.

Back in Philadelphia, Breckenridge taught at the Springside School for girls and at the Academy, where he accepted the post of Secretary of the Faculty in 1894. Breckenridge held these positions for the rest of his career, and beginning in 1900, he also taught at the Darby Summer School of Painting, which he co-founded with colleague Thomas Anshutz.

A second trip to Europe in 1909 broadened Breckenridge’s awareness of Post-Impressionism, Matisse and the Fauves. In 1912 Breckenridge shared a New York studio with Arthur B. Carles, where they both painted still lifes of the same objects, inspired by Cézanne’s sense of structure and Matisse’s use of color. He later experimented with cubism, which led him to pure abstraction and non-objective compositions. Breckenridge worked simultaneously in different styles, bringing Impressionist color theories to bear on abstract designs.

Consistently in demand as a portrait painter, Breckenridge exhibited regularly to critical acclaim and was a member of numerous prominent art organizations, including the National Academy of Design in New York, the Art Alliance, and the Arts Club of Philadelphia. Breckenridge died in 1937.