Louisa Winslow Robins (American, 1898-1962) painter, muralist and illustrator, worked in oil, gouache, watercolor and pastel. She was born Louisa Winslow Cogswell on August 28, 1898, in Dedham, MA. Largely self-taught as an artist, Robins briefly studied with Ashcan painter, George Luks (American, 1967-1933) during the summers in Connecticut beginning in 1918. She later studied for two years at the Buffalo Fine Academy (formerly the Albright Art School) in Buffalo, NY, graduating in 1930. She worked as a painter and illustrator for most of her career in various locations such as Massachusetts, New York City, Long Island, Buffalo and Connecticut. Signatures and name variants include: Louisa Robins, Louisa W. Robins or L.W. Robins and sometimes mis-listed as Louisa Robbins or Louise Winslow Robins.
Louisa Married Navy Lt. Thomas Robins, III "Jr.", (1896-1977) on March 16, 1918. The couple had three daughters: Mary van Rensselaer Robins, Louisa Winslow Robins, and Anne Davis Robins. The Robins were prominent members of Buffalo Society with family ties to the prominent Roosevelt and Goodyear families. The couple traveled the world and Louisa painted and sketched everywhere they went. They also maintained a summer home in Long Island.
From the early 1930s, Louisa maintained a studio at 1100 Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo, which was part of the Albright Art School and site of the old Art Students' League of Buffalo. She, along with the well-known painter, Edwin Dickenson (American, 1891-1978) also served as part-time teachers in Anna Kimball's painting class. In addition, Louisa also taught classes two times a week at 455 Franklin Street, once the home of Rt. Rev. John H. Vincent (1832-1920), a founding co-member of the Chautauqua Institution. Louisa was acting chairman of the Womens' Advisory Committee of the Albright Art Gallery as well as participated in the founding of the Room of Contemporary Art at the gallery. She was also acting chairman of the "Art in Industry" exhibition in 1932 at the Albright, a unique achievement in the city, as well as chairman of the art committee at the Garrett Club of Buffalo and chairman of the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy. Her work vacillated between representational, expressionism and cubism.
As a Buffalo socialite and artist, Louisa was friends with many Buffalo artists, including her close friend, Martha Hamlin Visser't Hooft (American, 1906-1994) who often accompanied Louisa on various trips and adventures. On one particular excursion in 1935, Louisa and Martha traveled to Mexico for two weeks by bus and train and in the suburbs of Mexico City they were introduced to the famous artist and muralist, Diego Rivera (Mexican, 1886-1957). The Albright Art Gallery (now the Buffalo AKG Art Museum) has one of her award-winning Mexican paintings in their collection painted after that trip titled, "Outside the Campo-Santo on "All Souls' Day" in Guanajuato, 1936.”
From the early 1930s-1960, Louisa actively exhibited in and around Buffalo with several solo and group exhibitions, as well as other exhibitions nationwide. She was an early exhibiting member with the Buffalo Society of Artists before the forming of the new secessionist Patteran Art Society of Buffalo in 1933, where she was co-founding member of, and with whom she actively exhibited with at the Albright Art Gallery in Buffalo over the course of her career.
Louisa and Tom enjoyed the post WWII years, and in 1952 the family moved, settling on Delafield Island in Darien, CT. Louisa continued to paint and became an exhibiting member of the Silvermine Art Guild, New Canaan, CT and the New Haven Paint & Clay Club, New Haven, CT. During that time, she still continued to exhibit work in Buffalo.
Louisa Robins died at her home in Darien, CT on July 11, 1962 at the age of 63 after a brief illness. Her memorial service was held at St. Luke's Episcopal Chapel in Darien, CT and she was interred in Cypress Cemetery, Old Saybrook, CT. As patrons of the arts, Louisa and her husband had gifted at least 14 works of art to the Albright Art Gallery's permanent collection of Pre-Columbian sculpture and ornaments (1959-1961), with some additional bequeaths made by her husband 'in memory of his wife', after her passing. In 1978, Louisa's daughters, Mary and Anne (Mrs. Julien D. McKee and Mrs. Evan W. Thomas IL respectively), donated a collection of biographical materials, correspondence, photographs, printed material, a mixed-media scrapbook and travel writings to the Smithsonian Archives of American Art.
Louisa Robins' artwork can be found in many museum and public collections across the country to include: The Buffalo AKG Art Museum (Previously the Albright-Knox Art Gallery); The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), NYC; The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT; The permanent collection of the New Haven Paint & Clay Club, New Haven, CT; Seymour H. Knox, Buffalo, NY; Anson Conger Goodyear, Buffalo, NY; Dr. & Mrs. Henry Ten Eyck Perry, Buffalo, NY; Mrs. Max Becker, Buffalo, NY; and the Edwin J. Weiss Collection, Buffalo, NY.
Exhibitions:
1930- Graduated from the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy and also exhibited in their concurrent group show (Prize, Honorable Mention in Portraits), Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY.
1931 - November, “23rd Annual Thumb Box Exhibition of The Buffalo Society of Artists”, Albright Art Gallery.
1933- January-February, group show sponsored by the Buffalo Society of Artists, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. March, “Criticism Contest”, Buffalo Society of Artists, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) NYC. March, “Annual Exhibition of the Buffalo Society of Artists”. April, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. May, ‘Flower Mart Exhibition’, in the Timberlake Studio, Buffalo, NY. November 15-30, Solo show, Carl Bredemeier Gallery, Buffalo, NY. November-December, The Patteran Society of Buffalo, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. The Buffalo Fine Arts Academy at the Albright Art Gallery, “Annual Exhibition at Buffalo by Artists of Western New York”
1934- May, ‘Flower Mart Exhibition’, in the Timberlake Studio, Buffalo, NY. The Patteran Society of Buffalo, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY.
1935- March, The Patteran Society of Buffalo, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. April 1-20, Carl Bredemeier Gallery, 31 paintings and drawings, Buffalo, NY. November, The Patteran Society of Buffalo, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY.
1936- The Patteran Society of Buffalo (Purchase Prize), for the painting “Outside the Campo-Santo All Souls’ Day in Guanajuato”, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. Albright Art Gallery (Prize), Buffalo, NY. Art Institute of Chicago (Prize), Chicago, IL, 1936.
1937- January, The Junior League of Buffalo, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. May, The Garrett Club of Buffalo, NY.
1938- January 17-29, first New York solo exhibition of still lifes, landscapes and figurative work, Marie Sterner Galleries, 9 East 57th Street, NYC. January-February, Solo exhibition, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. February, Bredemeier Galleries, Buffalo, NY. February, “Western New York Exhibition”, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. October 29-December, “Great Lakes Biennial Exhibition” traveling group exhibition, (2nd Honorable Mention $50), Albright Art Gallery, then onto Rochester, NY for December, 1938, then onto Toronto, Canada through January, 1939, then Toledo, Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee. November, Group show, Riverside Museum, NYC by the Patteran Society of Buffalo, for the painting “Dining Room in Bermuda”.
1939- January, Selections from the permanent collection, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. Group show, (Prize, Best Picture), “Western New York Exhibition”, for the painting titled, “Zulu and Pickanin”, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. The Patteran Society of Buffalo, for the painting “Lotte Lehmann at the Consistory”, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. Fall, The Patteran Society of Buffalo, NY. The Buffalo Fine Arts Academy at the Albright Art Gallery, “Annual Exhibition at Buffalo by Artists of Western New York”, Buffalo, NY.
1939-1940- April-May, New York World’s Fair, NYC. February-May, Golden Gate International Exposition, San Francisco, CA.
1940- November, Garrett Club of Buffalo, NY. November/December, Buffalo Museum of Science, “Art Week”, Buffalo, NY. Group show (Prize), “American Painting and Sculpture”, for the painting untitled-‘African Woman and Her Baby’, Art Institute of Chicago, IL. Albright Art Gallery (Prize), Buffalo, NY.
1941- Spring, State Fair Exhibition (First Top Prize of $300), Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts, Syracuse, NY for the painting “Zululand”. Art Institute of Chicago, IL. Garrett Club, The Edwin J. Weiss Collection, Buffalo, NY.
1942- October, solo show at the J.N. Adam’s Galleries, Buffalo, NY. November-December, The J.N. Adam’s Galleries, “Invitational”, Fifth Floor Galleries, in observance of the 10th Anniversary of American Art Week.
1943- January, group show of 32 paintings by various artists to help stimulate war bonds and stamps in various movie theaters in Buffalo, NY. Fall, The Patteran Society of Buffalo, NY.
1944- January, The Patteran Society of Buffalo, at the Riverside Museum, NYC. Spring, The Patteran Society of Buffalo, NY. June, Grand Central Galleries, NYC. November, “Western New York Exhibition”, Albright Art Gallery. Fall, The Patteran Society of Buffalo, for the painting “Torpedoed”, Buffalo, NY. November, solo show, Bonestell Gallery, NYC. Winter, “Pittsburgh International Exhibition”, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA.
1945- Spring, The Patteran Society of Buffalo, NY. Summer, The Patteran Society of Buffalo, NY. Fall, The Patteran Society of Buffalo, NY. “Western New York Exhibition”, Buffalo, NY. Traveling Exhibition by 25 Buffalo Artists, Albright Art Gallery, then onto Cleveland, OH and Milwaukie, WI. October, annual exhibition at the Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, PA.
1946- March-April, solo show, Bonestell Gallery, NYC. October, “Third Annual Exhibition : Paintings of the Year”, sponsored by the Pepsi Cola Company, Buffalo, NY. October, group show, “50th Founder’s Day Exhibition: Painting in the United States, 1946”, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, PA.
1947- The Patteran Society of Buffalo, NY. March, “Paintings of the Year” Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts, sponsored by Pepsi Cola, Syracuse, NY. March, “Western New York Exhibition”, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. October, Ferargil Gallery, NYC.
1948- November, Garrett Club of Buffalo, NY.
1949- “Western New York Exhibition”, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. “Pittsburgh International Exhibition”, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA.
1950- January, Ferargil Gallery, NYC. March, Terry Art Institute Gallery, Miami Beach, FL.
1950s- New Haven Paint & Clay Club, New Haven, CT.
1951- “Picture Loan Library Show”, of the Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY.
1952- March-April, Solo show, Little Gallery of the Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. October, “International Biennial Exhibition”, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, PA.
1953- April, Ferargil Gallery, NYC.
1954- October, Leonid Kipnis Gallery, Westport, CT.
1957- Duveen-Graham Galleries, NYC.
1959- February, “Western New York Exhibition”, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY.
1960- November 15-December 6, “Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings by Louisa W. Robins”, Carl Bredemeier Gallery, Buffalo, NY.
1965- January, Posthumous exhibition of works by the late Louisa W. Robins, sponsored by the chairman of the Art Committee, Mrs. Peter V.R. Lapey, in the clubhouse of the Garrett Club of Buffalo, NY.
1987- “The Wayward Muse: A Historical Survey of Painting in Buffalo” held at the Burchfield Center, Buffalo, NY for the large oil painting titled, “Outside the Campo-Santo on “All Souls’ Day” in Guanajuato, 1936” (45” x 32”).
1965- January, The Garrett Club of Buffalo, NY.
2009-2010- October-January, “In Good Company: Figurative Drawings from the Collection”, Albright Knox Art Gallery, “Girl Playing the Piano” undated, Buffalo, NY.
Exhibited Other: The F.A.R. Gallery, NYC; Connecticut, Florida, California, Oregon.
Memberships & Associations: Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, Buffalo, NY; Exhibited early with the Buffalo Society of Artists, Buffalo, NY; Founding member of the Patteran Society (Chairman of the Exhibition Committee), Buffalo, NY, (1933); Life Member, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY; New Haven Paint & Clay Club, New Haven, CT; Silvermine Guild of Artists, New Canaan, CT (1950); Junior League of NYC; Board member of the Buffalo Chapter of The Netherlands-America Foundation, Buffalo, NY, 1936; One of the directors of The Memorial Center & Urban League of Buffalo, NY; and Cedarhurst Dramatic Club, NY.
Awards/Honors: Purchase Prize, The Patteran Society of Buffalo, for the painting “Outside the Campo-Santo All Souls’ Day in Guanajuato”, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, 1936; Prize, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, 1936; Prize, Art Institute of Chicago, IL, 1936; 2nd Honorable Mention, “Great Lakes Biennial Exhibition” traveling exhibition, Albright Art Gallery, October 29-December, 1938; Prize (Best Picture), “Western New York Exhibition”, for the painting titled, “Zulu and Pickanin”, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, 1939; Prize, “American Painting and Sculpture”, for the painting untitled-‘African Woman and Her Baby’, Art Institute of Chicago, IL, 1940; Prize, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, 1940; First Top Prize of $300, State Fair Exhibition, Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts, Syracuse, NY for the painting “Zululand”, 1941; and First Grand Prize, State Fair Exhibition, Syracuse, NY for the painting “Zululand”, spring, 1941.
Museum Collections: The Buffalo AKG Art Museum (Previously the Albright-Knox Art Gallery), for the large oil painting titled, “Outside the Campo-Santo on “All Souls Day” in Guanajuato, 1936” (45” x 32”), Buffalo, NY as well as “Girl Plating Piano” (pencil drawing on paper, undated), 11.75 x 16.75”, and at least fourteen gifts and co-gifts made to the gallery’s permanent collection 1959-1961 of Pre-Columbian sculpture and ornaments by Louisa and her husband Thomas, with some made by her husband in memory of his wife Louisa Winslow Robins after her passing; Three works, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), NYC, “Pink Teacups” (deaccessioned/sold); The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT; Louisa Robins’ daughters, Mary and Anne (Mrs. Julien D. McKee and Mrs. Evan W. Thomas II respectively), donated a collection of biographical materials, correspondence, photographs, printed material, a mixed-media scrapbook, and travel writings to the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, 1978; Smithsonian Institution Research Information System, Archives, Manuscripts, Photographs Catalog: Ferargil Galleries records, 1900-1963…Louisa Robins.
Public Collections: “Wild Blackberry Vine”, 1956, Permanent Collection of the New Haven Paint & Clay Club, New Haven, CT; Seymour H. Knox, Buffalo, NY; A Conger Goodyear, Buffalo, NY; Dr. & Mrs. Henry Ten Eyck Perry, Buffalo, NY; Mrs. Max Becker, Buffalo, NY; Edwin J. Weiss Collection, Buffalo, NY.
Publications: The Track of the Parsley, by Martha Hamlin Visser’t Hooft, colored folding chart with 3 B&W illustrations by Louisa W. Robins, 15 pgs., a typescript log of a voyage from Cold Spring Harbor to New London, Newport and Nantucket, aboard Thomas and Louise Robins’ yacht, “Typhoon”, 1935; Children’s Hospital Aid Association of Buffalo, NY, Children's Hospital Aid Association Cook Book, illustrated by Louisa W. Robins, 1936; Mumbo Jumbo Esquire: A Book About The Two Africas, frontispiece by Louisa W. Robins, D. Appleton-Century Co., NY 1941; Acapulco: A Portfolio of Little Paintings, by Louisa Robins, F.A.R. Gallery, Ltd. to 100 copies, 12 color plates (laid in) of silkscreen & pochoir printed by the Martha Berrien Studios, NYC, 1947; The Wayward Muse: A Historical Survey of Painting in Buffalo, exhibition catalog by Susan Krane, with contributions by William H. Gerdts and Helen Raye, Albright Know Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, 1987; Louisa Winslow Robins, by Barbara G. Clinkenbeard, self-published 1995; Various travel guides c1950s-60s written and illustrated by Louisa Robins, as well as articles written for travel publications to include countries like Mexico, Portugal and Spain.
(Compiled & written by Mark Strong of Meibohm Fine Arts, Inc., East Aurora, NY, 14052, meibohmfinearts.com)
