Claude Flynn Howell (North Carolina, 1915-1997)
A native of Wilmington, North Carolina, Claude Howell’s artistic career spanned seven decades and culminated in international recognition of his place not only as an interpreter of the people and landscape of coastal North Carolina, but as an important contributor to 20th century American art. He began his art studies under Elisabeth Chant in Wilmington, NC but with the great Depression he took a job as a stenographer with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and stayed for over 20 years. His summers were spent in study at the most recognizable art school of Maine, Massachusetts and New York. He traveled to Paris with friend and fellow painter Robert Gwathmey. While he absorbed national and international trends, his real focus was the fishing boats and beach culture of his home town. As Wilmington grew and changed, his work reflected the shift from small town to affluent vacation destination. Howell is remembered as a prolific creator, as an educator, having founded and directed the art program at UNC-Wilmington and the first “Tarheel” to show his work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Information courtesy of Brunk Auctions, January 2017.