Author Description

Wolfs is proud to present “The Dean”, an exhibition of over 200 works by the prolific Cleveland school master frank N. Wilcox (1887 - 1964). By dividing the catalog into sections representing important periods in Wilcox’s development, one begins to see and understand the entire picture of this remarkable artist’s life. a major subject that Wilcox consistently returns to is Brecksville, where he spent much of his childhood and a good deal of his adult life visiting his family’s farms. one of Wilcox’s paternal ancestors, Josiah Wilcox, a veteran of the revolutionary War, was the first of his name to settle in Brecksville in 1816. Brecksville is not simply a place that Wilcox visited and painted, but it recalls a deep-rooted ancestral history and heritage for the artist. Wilcox also spent much time in europe, on the Maine Coast and Canada, all over america and the southwest. Throughout the catalog, excerpts from Wilcox’s autobiography and his manuscript, Out in Brecksville, help to illuminate different times and places bringing his paintings to life. The fortuitous existence of these important texts by Wilcox proved a valuable opportunity for Wilcox to speak to his own works, nearly a century later. Considering Wolfs’ close connection with the Cleveland school and having held the exhibition, “Cleveland: a Cultural Center,” last summer, it is gratifying to fully focus on just one of the Cleveland school’s most important figures. The diversity, condition, and overall quality of this artist’s estate is excellent. With Wilcox’s forty- four year tenure at the Cleveland school, he did not need to sell substantial portions of his works. Thankfully, Wilcox’s collection, tucked away in basement cupboards and boxes, passing from his daughter to his grandson, remains filled with a trove of spectacular unseen watercolors, oils and prints.