Edmund William Greacen

An American impressionist painter, Greacen also founded, ran, and taught at the Grand Central School of Art in New York. Born in New York to a successful businessman, Greacen graduated from New York University and traveled before he began studying art at the Art Students League and the New York School of Art. At the latter institution he was deeply influenced by William Merritt Chase. Travel abroad, including a stay at Giverny near Monet's home, developed his interest in plein air painting. Back in New York, he exhibited in the city's galleries and joined the Old Lyme Art Colony, and founded the Grand Central Art School. Greacen exhibited widely and won many awards. His papers are at the Smithsonian Institution's Archives of American Art.