Born in Adelaide, Australia, Richard Hayley Lever began studying art as a child. Around the turn of the century, Lever used his inheritance from his grandfather to fund a trip to study in Europe. Lever went first to England, settling in the fishing village of Cornwall of St. Ives. In Cornwall, he became active with the local art colony and traveled and sketched throughout Europe.
It was during his travels that Lever met American artist, Ernest Lawson. In 1912, at Lawson's urging, Lever moved with his family to New York. Lever was immediately engrossed with his new surroundings, sketching all around the city. He then discovered the coast of New England and gained popularity in New York through his scenes of Marblehead and Gloucester, where he maintained a summer studio for almost twenty years. During the 1920's, he traveled throughout New England as well as the Canadian Maritime provinces producing the marine paintings he is best known for today.
He was granted shows at prominent New York galleries and won several awards in major exhibitions. Lever was elected membership in the National Academy and was honored with a lifetime membership to the National Arts Club. He taught still life painting and life classes at the Art Student's League of New York between 1919 and 1931. Lever also served as the Director of the Studio Art Club in Mount Vernon, New York. Additionally, he held membership with the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts; American Painters and Engravers; Royal British Artists, London; Royal West of England Academy; Royal Institute of Oil Painters; New Society of Artists; and the Woodstock Art Association.
His success faded with the Great Depression, when the troubled economy, coupled with dwindling public interest in his manner of painting, forced the artist to sell his home in Caldwell, New Jersey. Lever managed to survive through teaching private lessons but never regained the financial stability he had enjoyed during the 1920's.
Exhibited: Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Annual Exhibition, 1913-1932, 1940 (medal, 1917; gold medal, 1926); Corcoran Gallery Biennials, 1914-1941 (12 times); National Arts Club, 1914-1916, 1922, 1940 (prizes); Panama-Pacific International Exposition, 1915 (gold medal); National Academy of Design, 1914, 1936, 1938 (prizes); Philadelphia Watercolor Club, 1918 (prize); Sesqui-Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia, 1926 (prize); Society of Independent Artists, 1920; Salons of America, 1934; Whitney Museum of American Art, 1922-1946; Newark Art Club, 1936 (prize); Westchester Arts & Crafts, 1945 (prize); Art Institute of Chicago; Machbeth, Rehn, Ferargil, Daniels, French, & Company; Clayton Galleries; various New York City galleries
Works Held: Adelaide Art Museum, Australia; Antioch College; Baltimore Museum of Art; Brooklyn Museum; City Art Museum of St. Louis; Corcoran Gallery of Art; Dallas Museum of Fine Art; Des Moines Art Museum; Detroit Institute of Art; Duquesne Club, Pittsburgh; Fort Worth Museum of Art; Lincoln University, Nebraska; Little Rock Art Museum; Los Angeles Museum of Art; Memphis Art Museum; Montclair Art Museum; Museum of Modern Art; National Academy of Design; Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art; Perth Anboy Public Library, New Jersey; Phillips Memorial Gallery; Salt Lake City University Museum; Springville Art Association, Utah; Sydney Art Museum, Australia; Syracuse Museum of Fine Art; Telfair Academy; University of Nebraska; White House, Washington, D.C.; Whitney Museum of American Art; Woodstock Art Association
Further Reading: Hayley Lever, Carol Lowrey, Spanierman Gallery, New York: 2003.;
Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975: 400 Years of Artists in America, Vol. 1. Peter Hastings Falk, Georgia Kuchen and Veronica Roessler, eds.,Sound View Press, Madison, Connecticut, 1999. 3 Vols.
© David Cook Galleries, LLC
