Preserving Creative Spaces: Photographs of Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios

This photograph exhibition, from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios program, provides a glimpse into the places where 48 acclaimed American artists created their artwork. Each photograph gets to the core of the artist, and by seeing different artists side-by-side in their chosen surroundings, we are reminded that art is the product of an individual person, their unique personalities and experiences, and their aesthetic choices and creative talents.

The artists featured—painters, sculptors, graphic artists, furniture designers, and photographers—lived within a span of 150 years. The properties they inhabited range from photographer Alice Austen’s nineteenth-century picturesque homestead in Staten Island, NY, to furniture designer Sam Maloof’s twentieth century rustic residence and studio in Alta Loma, CA. In addition to documenting the living and working spaces that inspired these artists, the photographs provide intimate glances into the creative process. Some photos are candid shots of artists at work, while others represent posed portraits that reflect an artist’s carefully curated public persona.

This exhibition was made possible with support of the Henry Luce Foundation and the Wyeth Foundation for American Art, with additional support from the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens in West Palm Beach, FL. Printing and framing of images were supported in part by Sohn Fine Art, in Lenox, MA.