Alice Pike Barney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alice Pike Barney
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Self-Portrait in Repose, 1895
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Alice Pike
January 14, 1857 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
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| Died | October 12, 1931 (aged 74) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Painting |
| Spouse(s) | Albert Clifford Barney Christian Hemmick |
Alice Pike Barney (born Alice Pike; 1857–1931) was an American painter. She was known for her art and for helping to make Washington, D.C. a hub for the arts. Alice had two daughters: Natalie Clifford Barney, who was a writer, and Laura Clifford Barney, who was also a writer and followed the Baháʼí Faith.
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Alice's Early Life and Family
Alice Pike Barney was born in 1857. Her father, Samuel Napthali Pike, made a lot of money selling whiskey. He was also a big supporter of the arts. In Cincinnati, Ohio, he built a famous place called Pike's Opera House.
Alice's father was from a German Jewish family. Her mother was of French descent. In 1866, Alice's family moved to New York City. There, her father built another important building, which later became the Grand Opera House.
Alice was the youngest of four children. She was the only one who truly loved art and culture like her father. As a child, she was very good at singing and playing the piano.
When Alice was 17, she got engaged to a famous explorer named Henry Morton Stanley. He was 33, and Alice's mother thought he was too old for her. She made them wait to get married. While Henry was on a three-year trip in Africa, Alice married Albert Clifford Barney instead. Albert's family was wealthy and made railway cars.
In 1882, Alice and her family stayed at a hotel in New York. Oscar Wilde, a famous writer, was giving talks there. He spent a day with Alice and her daughter Natalie on the beach. Their talk inspired Alice to become a serious artist, even though her husband did not approve.
Alice's Art Studies
In 1887, Alice went to Paris. Her two daughters were attending a French boarding school there. While in Paris, Alice studied painting with a teacher named Carolus-Duran.
She returned to Paris in 1896. This time, she took her daughter Laura for medical treatment. Alice continued her art studies with Carolus-Duran. She also took lessons from a Spanish painter named Claudio Castelucho.
In 1898, a famous artist named James Abbott McNeill Whistler opened his own art school. Alice was one of his first students. Whistler soon stopped teaching, and the school closed. However, he had a big impact on Alice's art style.
In 1899, Alice started hosting art gatherings, called a salon, at her home in Paris. Many Symbolist painters, like Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer and John White Alexander, visited her salon. Her own paintings began to show a Symbolist influence.
Natalie, Alice's daughter, wrote a small book of French poems. Alice was happy to draw pictures for the book. Alice did not fully understand the meaning of the poems. Her husband, Albert, found out about the book from a newspaper. He was very upset. He quickly went to Paris and bought all the remaining copies of the book. He also destroyed the printing plates. Albert insisted that Alice and Natalie return home with him.
Albert's health worsened, and he passed away in 1902.
Later Life and Legacy
Alice Pike Barney had her own art shows at important galleries, including the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Later in her life, she invented and patented new machines. She also wrote and performed in plays and an opera. Alice worked hard to support the arts in Washington, D.C. Many of her paintings are now kept at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Around 1900, she became a follower of the Baháʼí Faith.
In 1911, when Alice was 53, she married Christian Hemmick. He was 23 years old and the son of an ambassador. Alice had painted Christian's sister before. Their marriage gained attention from newspapers around the world. They divorced by 1920.
Images for kids
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Waterlily, 1900, was one of Barney's illustrations for her daughter's chapbook. The model was Barney's niece Ellen Goin.
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Self-Portrait with Palette, 1906
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Alice Pike Barney, around 1920.
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The Alice Pike Barney Studio House (now the Embassy of Latvia) is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Medusa, 1892 (model: Laura Clifford Barney)
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Lucifer, 1902 (model Natalie Clifford Barney)
See also
In Spanish: Alice Pike Barney para niños
