Inness, Jr. was born in Paris, France to the 19th century American painter George Inness. He was raised on the East Coast of the United States. He often accompanied his father to Europe where he influenced by another European artist. One is French artist Léon Bonnat where he began his career as a magazine illustrator and painter of bucolic and hunting scenes. Following his father’s death in 1894, Inness, Jr. undertook formal study in France at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, eventually opening a studio in Paris, creating paintings in the academic style and becoming an Officer in the Académie des Beaux Arts, a rare distinction for an American.
Inness, Jr. returned to the United States in 1900, splitting his time between Cragsmoor, New York and Tarpon Springs, Florida. He enjoyed recognition at home and abroad throughout his lifetime and his works can be found in the collections of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, New Jersey’s Montclair Art Museum and the Cici and Hyatt Brown Museum of Art in Daytona Beach. Many of his works can also be found in private collections, including an extensive collection of his most significant paintings housed at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Tarpon Springs.
Inness Manor, located in Tarpon Springs, FL, became an important artist colony, emblematic of the artist’s status as an arts leader, advocate and philanthropist. Because of the legacy of Inness, Jr. and his wife, Julia, Tarpon Springs is often referred to as City of the Arts. Inness, Jr.’s contributions to the cultural development within the Tarpon Springs community are unmatched.
Bio credits: Florida Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture
