| Raphael Beck |
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Raphael Beck (American, 1858-1947) artist, painter, illustrator and teacher from Western New York was known for his works in oil, watercolors, large murals, landscapes, stained glass window designs, etchings, portraits, miniatures and life-masks of historical figures. His work was often referred to as realistic and impressionistic, sometimes combining the two styles.
Raphael earned international distinction for winning first-prizes with his designs of the official emblems for the Pan-American Exposition (1901), the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1903) and the Lewis and Clark Exposition (1905, honorary diploma). The record of these three first-prizes from international expositions is unparalleled.
Raphael, the oldest of eight children, was the son of painter-sculptor Augustus Beck (American, 1831-1915). Augustus Beck was known for his bas-relief at the interior foot of the Washington Monument (featuring Hippocrates refusing bribes from the Persians), and for commission work at the White House, Washington, DC.
Chronology:
1858- Born November 16, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He was named after the great Italian high-renaissance painter Raphael (Raffaello) Sanzio (Italian, 1483-1520).
1878- After studying under his father for several years, Raphael traveled to Munich and studied at the Art Academy under the landscape artist, Paul Weber (German-born American, 1823-1916) and Frank Duveneck (American, 1848-1919). He later studied under Leon Baschet at the Academie Julian, Paris, as well as at the Harrisburg Institute.
Circa 1880- Moved back to the United States and immediately began work for the Capitol Building in Harrisburg, PA. He painted a series of murals which were later destroyed in a fire along with the buildings. He settled in Lockport, NY and opened a studio on the top floor of the Calumet Building, 52 West Chippewa Street, Buffalo, NY which he maintained for over 30 years. He later had another studio at 479 Willow Street, Lockport, NY, where he taught until 1946.
1892- Exhibited at the National Academy of Design, NYC.
1898- Painted the portrait of Buffalo Mayor, the Hon. Edgar B. Jewett who (served from 1895-97).
1899- Designed and won first-prize, out of 400 design submissions, the Pan-American Exposition official emblem which was used for the 1901 exposition in Buffalo, NY.
Circa 1900- Opened a school for artists in Buffalo, NY.
1901- January 23rd, won a $100 prize for the corporate seal design of the Natural Food Co., Niagara Falls, NY. He also sketched and soon after, painted the last known portrait of President William McKinley during his speech at the Pan-Am Exposition in Buffalo, NY, before his assassination there in September of that same year.
1902- The President McKinley portrait is hung in the Senate Chamber of the Capitol Building, Washington, DC.
1903- Designed and won first-prize for his Louisiana Purchase Exposition official emblem design, St. Louis, MI.
1905- Designed and won first-prize along with honorary diploma, for his Lewis & Clark Exposition official emblem design, Portland, OR.
Circa 1905-06- Painted the portrait of Buffalo Mayor, the Hon. Erastus C. Knight (served from 1902-05).
Circa 1907- January, exhibited at the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy at the Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY (now the Albright-Knox Art Gallery).
1947- May 29th, died from a heart attack at the age of 88. Besides his wife, he left behind a son and a daughter. He is buried at the Lockport Glenwood Cemetery, Lockport, NY.
1961- November 4th, the Niagara County Historical Society opened their new auditorium & museum gallery and had a memorial exhibit of thirty paintings, in various media by Beck.
1981- February 13th, the Kenan Center, Lockport, NY, exhibited 66 paintings and drawings of Beck’s portraits, landscapes and still-lifes. The exhibit also included 10 works by his father, brother, sister and former teacher Paul Weber of the Art Academy in Munich, Germany.
1983- The New York State Council of the Arts awarded a grant for the restoration and conservation of Beck’s President McKinley portrait. A window was added to the reverse side of the painting so that the inscription by Beck could be read: “This portrait of Wm. McKinley was painted from sketches and notes made on the spot Sept. 5, 1901. It was begun a few days after he was shot.” It was signed, Raphael Beck, Buffalo, N.Y., Jan. 16, 1902.
1986- Beck’s President McKinley portrait was placed, in its original massive frame in the Buffalo Historical Society building (the former New York State Pavilion, and only remaining building left from the Pan American Exposition).
Beck painted throughout Western New York, the United States, England, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, France, Holland & Italy.
Other Prizes: Second-prize for his design of the City of New York emblem.
Memberships: The Buffalo Society of Artists.
Murals: The Capitol Building (destroyed circa 1880), Harrisburg, PA; the Elk’s Club (later the Mar’s Hotel, “Justice” and “The Flight of the Elk”, circa 1906), Buffalo, NY; the Lyceum Theatre (1909), Rochester, NY; the North Park Theatre (5 panels in dome and 1 above stage, 1920), Buffalo, NY; the Buffalo Lodge B.P.O.E., Buffalo, NY; the Temple of the Buffalo Consistory A.A.S.R. (Murals, Frescos and 16 Panels, “History of Dance”, 1924), Buffalo, NY; the Grosvenor Library (“Dissertation to a Roast Pig”, 1925, later moved to Central Library Building in Lafayette Square and restored in 1967), Buffalo, NY; the Lockport Exchange Trust Company (“The Opening of the Erie Canal, October 26th, 1825”, completed in 1928, and later donated in 1970 to the Niagara County Historical Society who loaned it to the Lockport High School, and was later moved to the Erie Canal Discovery Center, 2005), Lockport, NY; the Cataract Theatre (French explorer “Rene de LaSalle” and “Father Louis Hennepin”), Niagara Falls, NY; the Strand theatre, Niagara Falls, NY; the Buffalo State Teachers College, Buffalo, NY; and St. Mary’s Church, Lockport, NY.
Permanent Displays: the Buffalo Historical Society, Buffalo, NY; the Erie County Central Library, Buffalo, NY; the Niagara County Historical Society (“Marquis de Lafayette” portrait from death-mask, and others), Lockport, NY; stained-glass windows at the Masonic Home, Utica, NY; stained-glass windows at the First Presbyterian Church (1909), Rochester, NY; and the 1st Presbyterian Church (“Jesus Christ and Pontius Pilate”), Lockport, NY.
For additional information on this artist or for other examples of his works, please visit the AskArt link
(Rewritten & compiled chronologically by Mark Strong of Meibohm Fine Arts, Inc., East Aurora, NY. Sources: From exhibit catalog with photo, Raphael Beck, with permission and courtesy of Elaine Harrigan, the Kenan Center, Inc. Lockport, NY, 1981 by Terrence Higginson, Art Director. The Arts Journal, article by Alan Parnell. New York Alive, September/October by Ruth Stahl, 1987. The Union-Sun and Journal, obituary, May 29, 1947. The Lockport Union-Sun, January 23rd, 1901. A Collection of Pictures, exhibit catalog, Buffalo Fine Arts Academy Albright Art Gallery, January, 1907. The Wayward Muse: A Historical Survey of Painting in Buffalo, by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Susan Krane, Curator, 1987. Who was Who in American Art, 1999.)
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