Art Students League of Los Angeles

The League grew out of the life classes taught by landscape painter Hanson Puthuff in his L.A. studio. Puthuff and Los Angeles Times art critic Antony Anderson co-founded the League on April 18, 1906. The school offered three-day-a-week morning classes for women (taught by Anderson) and three-day-a-week evening classes for men (taught by Puthuff). Walter Hedges bought out Puthuff's share in the League in 1907, and became the school's second director. Hedges had been a student of painter Robert Henri, and embraced Henri's philosophy that an artist should paint scenes of contemporary life, capturing its energy through the use of bold color and vigorous brushwork. In a diplomatic gesture, Hedges invited the Painters' Club to hold its meetings and exhibitions at the League. The Painters' Club reorganized as the California Art Club in 1909, and (grudgingly) evolved into admitting women. Slinkard was a dynamic teacher and extremely popular with the students. MacDonald-Wright Following a period of slow decline, He moved the school to new quarters at the Lyceum Theatre, and professionalized its curriculum. They founded an Art Students League in the internment camp, where Okubo taught until their release in September 1945. Post-war revival The Art Students League of Los Angeles was revived after the war under the directorship of alumnus Fred Sexton. He reopened the school in 1949, in the same space at the Lyceum Theatre that had been its home from 1924 to 1942. It was financially unsuccessful, even after he moved classes to his private studio, and the school closed in 1953. ==Directors==

• Hanson Duvall Puthuff, 1906–1907 • Warren Hedges, 1907–1910 • Charles C. Christadoro, 1910–1911 • Rex Slinkard, 1911–1913 • Carl Sprinchorn, 1913–1914 • Valentine J. Costello, 1914–1923 • Stanton Macdonald-Wright, 1923–1932 • James Redmond, 1932–1938 • Donald Totten, 1938–1940 • Benji Okubo, 1940–1942 • Fred Sexton, 1949–1953 ==Notable alumni==

• Mabel Alvarez (1891–1985) • Carl Anderson (1903–1989) • Lauren Barton • Ben Berlin (1895–1989) • Nick Brigante (became a League instructor) • Conrad Buff (1890–1970, 1886–1975) • Pruett Carter (1891–1955) • Herman Cherry (1909–1992) • Mary Campbell Craig • Bert Cressey (1883–1944) • Hideo Date (1907–2005) (became a League instructor) • Boris Deutsch (1892–1978) (became a League instructor) • Helena Dunlap (1876–1955) • Louisa Etcheverry • Earl Freeman • Harwell Hamilton Harris (1903–1990) • Sam Hyde Harris (1889–1977) • William von Herwig (1901–1947) • John Huston (1906–1987) • Dorothy Jeakins (1914–1995) • Albert Henry King (became a League instructor) • Stanton Macdonald-Wright (1890–1973) (became a League instructor and director) • Arthur Millier (1893–1975) • Lawrence Murphy (1872–1947) • Archie Musick (1902–1978) • Kinichi Nakanishi • Benji Okubo (1904–1975) (became a League instructor and director) • Edith H. Osborne • James Redmond (became a League instructor and director) • Everett Richardson (1876–1953) • Paul Sample (1896–1974) • Earnford Sconhoft (became a League instructor) • Margaret Scott (born 1947) • Fred Sexton (1907–1995) (became a League instructor and director) • Gwain Noot Sexton (1909–2007; formerly Gwain Harriet Noot) • Rex Slinkard (1887–1918) (became a League instructor and director) • Donald R. Smith (1909–?) • Carl Sprinchorn (1887–1971) (became a League instructor and director) • Frank L. Stevens • Donald Totten (1903–1967) (became a League instructor and director) • Carl Winter (1906–1966) ==References==