Joseph Clinton Devillis
American painter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joseph Clinton Devillis (aka De Villis) (1878–1912) was an African American artist[1] from Brooklyn, New York who primarily painted landscapes and seascapes.
Joseph Clinton Devillis | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1878 Brooklyn, New York |
| Died | 1912 (aged 33–34) |
| Education | Adelphi University |
| Spouse | Grace Devillis |
Devillis enlisted in the United States Navy in 1894 (with pad and pencils in hand).[2] Upon visiting Europe he used his shore leave to study the masterpieces in the Louvre, Luxembourg and the galleries of London.[3] An Apprentice First Class on Dewey's USS Olympia, in 1898 he was a signal man at the Battle of Manila Bay.[4]
In 1901 he left the Navy and returned to New York where he was one of few African American Art students in New York at the time.[5] He studied at the Adelphi College between 1907 and 1912, joining the Adelphi Sketch Club.[2]
Devillis was also an active member of the Nazarene Congregational Church in Brooklyn where he was a Deacon and the Treasurer.[2] He died of pneumonia in 1912 at the age of 33.[2] His work was posthumously displayed at the New York Public Library in 1921 and formed part of the A.A. Schomburg Collection there.[6]
