Cecilia Beaux

One of the most admired portraitists of her generation, Cecilia Beaux was heralded by fellow artist William Merritt Chase as “not only the greatest living woman painter, but the best that has ever lived.” Beaux studied art in Paris from 1888 to 1889 and showed her work internationally, but her permanent residence remained in the United States, where she painted friends, family members, and numerous luminaries. In 1895, she became the first woman hired to teach full-time at the renowned Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Among many other accolades, Beaux was among the first U.S. artists invited to contribute a self-portrait to the Uffizi Galleries in Florence (1924), and she received a lifetime achievement award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (1942). She once remarked, “When I attempt anything, I have a passionate determination to overcome every obstacle.” Beaux’s determination and self-confidence come through in this self-portrait.