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Grover, Oliver D.
| Last Name: | Grover |
|---|---|
| First Name: | Oliver D. |
| Dates: |
*1861 (Date of Birth)
*14.2.1927 (Date of Death)
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| Biography/History: | Oliver D. Grover was born in Earlville, Illinois in 1861. He was the son of Alonzo Jackson and Octavia E. Grover. His early interest in painting was stimulated by the visit of a portrait painter to the family home during his boyhood. In 1876 the Grover family moved to Chicago. Oliver attended the Universtiy of Chicago, 1877-1879. On Saturdays and holidays he took art instruction at the Academy of Design. European study commenced in Munich, where Grover studied at the Royal Acadmey, 1879 -- 1880. he continued his studies at the Duveneck School in Florence, 1880 - 1884 and in Paris, 1884-1886. He worked with Boulanger and with Jean Paul Laurens while completing his studies in Paris. Returning to Chicago in 1887, Grover began teaching at the Art Institute of Chicago. In the same year he was maried to Louise Rolshoven of Detroit. Grover's early works included murals for the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893, and murals for the National Bank Building. In addition, Grover executed mural decorations for the James Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford, Conneticut in 1897 and for the Timothy B. Blackstone Memorial Library, Chicago, in 1903. Grover's accomplishments as an artist seem to have been appreciated by critics even during the early stages of his career. In 1892, he was awarded the 1st Yerks Prize for painting "Thy Will Be Done," Chicago. He received silver and bronze medals at the St. louis Expostition, 1904, the Kahn prize, Chicago, 1913, a silver medal at the Panama P.I. Exposition, San Francisco, 1915 and a gold medal from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1918. Grover was active in artist's organizations in Chicago, where he served for a time as president of the Chicago Society of Artists and as president of the Society of Western Artists. He was also a member of the National Society of Mural Painters and the Municipal Art League of Chicago. After a distinguished career as a popular and prominent Chicago artist, Oliver D. Grover died on February 14, 1927. The mural decoration for the two Blackstone libraries may still be seen. The Art Institute of Chicago retains two paintings by Grover, both of which are in storage. Several of Grover's works may still be seen on the walls of the Union League Club of Chicago. (Information taken from a Biographical Sketch of Oliver Dennett Grover) |
| Related Objects: |
2509.1 (Painting, Italian Peasant Girl, Late 19th Century)
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