DeWitt McClellan Lockman
1870-1957

A New York native, Lockman established himself in both America and in Europe as a talented painter of landscapes, genre scenes, historical events and most significantly, portraits.

Lockman began painting at the early age of four and continued to be self-taught until, as a teenager, he received instruction from James N. Beard, Nathan Bickford and William Sartain.
Several distinctions were given extremely early in Lockman’s career, such as the youngest artist to exhibit at the National Academy and as one of the youngest artists to exhibit in Paris. Lockman continued his studies abroad in Paris from 1891-1892 and in Holland from 1901-1902.

Lockman held numerous prominent positions throughout his career; as full Academician to the National Academy in 1917, Founder and Vice-President of the National Association of Portrait Painters (1912-1925) and President (1925-1957), President of the Allied Artists of America (1945-1946), President of the National Academy of Design (1949-1950), trustee of the New York Historical Society (1925-1957), Secretary of the Committee (1929- 1957), Chairman of the Society’s Committee on Fine Arts (1930-1948), and Treasurer of the American Artists Committee of One Hundred La Fraternite des Artistes, Paris France (1915-1919). He also served the School Art League of New York and the Metropolitan Museum of Art as trustee, as Director of the Municipal Art Society (1933-1935) and as board member of the American Artists Professional League.

Awards and medals Lockman received for his talent and commitment include; the Panama-Pacific International Exposition Silver Medal (1915), the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Lippincott Prize (1918), La Fraternite des Artistes Gold Plaque for Officer of Soldier-Artistes Relief Fund, the National Academy of Design Isaac N. Maynard Portrait Prize (1922), and Gold Medals from the New York Historical Society (1933), the Allied Artists of America (1936), the Hudson Valley Art Association (1957), and the University of Tampa (1957).

Lockman’s work has been widely collected by institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Academy of Design, New York Historical Society, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Portland Museum of Art, Newport Historical Society, West Point Military Academy, and Yale University.