Ben Shute watercolors for First National Bank of Atlanta

Collection

Collection number: ahc.VIS444

Scope and Contents

This collection includes copies of watercolors of a variety of locations around Atlanta, including the First National Bank of Atlanta, the commissioner of the work; Georgia Capitol; Grady Memorial Hospital; Piedmont Park; Emory University; Peachtree Street; Muse's Department Store; First Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia; and the Lockheed Martin in Marietta, Georgia. Also included are interleaving pages for each painting with descriptive information. Please note this collection contains outdated language that some may find offensive in reference to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Dates

1959

Creator

First National Bank of Atlanta (Organization)
Shute, Ben (Benjamin Edgar), 1905-1986 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

This material is protected by copyright law. (Title 17, U.S. Code) Permission for use must be cleared through the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center. Licensing agreement may be required.

Biographical / Historical

Benjamin Edgar “Ben” Shute (1905-1986) was born in Altoona, Wisconsin, to Edgar R. Shute (1854-1913) and Johanna M. Shute (1884-?). He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1922 to 1928. After he graduated he took a position teaching art in Atlanta, Georgia, at the High Museum School of Art (later the Atlanta Art Institute then the Atlanta College of Art) in 1928. He also helped found the new iteration of the Atlanta College of Art, and he later served as the director of the High Museum from 1948 to 1951. He also helped establish the Atlanta Art Association's Southeastern Annual Exhibition in 1945, which he chaired until 1961. He is known mainly for his landscape paintings, mostly done in ink, watercolor, and casein. In 1985 he was awarded the Georgia Governor’s Award in the Arts.

Shute was married twice, first to Nell Choate Shute (1896-1966), who was also a watercolor landscape artist. His second wife was artist Keenan Wade Ranson Shute (1919-1993). Shute’s art has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Art institute of Chicago, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D. C., and the Brooklyn Museum in Brooklyn, New York. The High Museum in Atlanta and the Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, South Carolina, also have permanent collections of his art. Ben and Keenan Shute also held joint exhibitions in 1965 and 1969 at the Columbus Museum in Columbus, Georgia.

Extent

1 item(s) (12 watercolor prints, 12 interleaving pages, and one booklet enclosure)

Language

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

This collection is arranged alphabetically by titles supplied by staff.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, 1971

Bias in Description

As archivists, we acknowledge our role as stewards of information. We choose how individuals and organizations are represented and described in our archives. We are not neutral, and bias is reflected in our descriptions, which may not accurately convey the racist or offensive aspects of collection materials. Archivists make mistakes and might use poor judgment. In working with this collection, we often re-use language used by the former owners of the material. This language provides context but often includes bias and prejudices reflective of the time in which it was created. The Kenan Research Center’s work is ongoing to implement reparative language where Library of Congress subject terms are inaccurate and obsolete.

Kenan Research Center welcomes feedback and questions regarding our archival descriptions. If you encounter harmful, offensive, or insensitive terminology or descriptions, please let us know by emailing reference@atlantahistorycenter.com. Your comments are essential to our work to create inclusive and thoughtful description.

Content Advisory

This collection contains original unedited versions of all content. Some material may contain depictions of violence, offensive language, or negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. There may be instances of racist language and depictions. These items are presesnted as part of the historical record for the purpose of education and research. The viewpoints expressed in this collection do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of the Atlanta History Center or any of its officers, agents, employees, or volunteers.