Albert Pinkham Ryder
(1847-1917)

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Albert Pinkham Ryder was an American painter best known for his expressive landscapes and seascapes. Ryder was born in the whaling town of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Little is known of his childhood except that his coastal town may have been a source of inspiration for his paintings. His family moved to New York City around 1867 after Ryder's elder brother had opened a restaurant and the successful Hotel Albert. Ryder lived and painted in the hotel for many years, which was subsequently named in his honor.

Ryder received his first painting instruction from William E. Marshall before starting at the National Academy of Design a couple of years later. Ryder began exhibiting at the Academy and became a member of the more radical Society of American Artists. Ryder painted alongside Julian Alden Weir, Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Robert Swain Gifford.

Ryder’s early work is described as Tonalist in style and commonly depicting pastoral landscapes. As he progressed in his career, Ryder’s work became more descriptive, sometimes referencing opera and literature. Ryder’s work has a dreamlike quality filled with abstracted forms applied with layers of paint that took years to dry. Many of Ryder’s paintings appear with large cracks today because he often painted into wet varnish.

Over time Ryder’s paintings have continued to increase in value. It was seldom that Ryder signed his paintings and many fakes have been reproduced. Ryder’s original paintings are in museums and private collections across the country. Do you think you own a painting by Albert Pinkham Ryder? Contact us. We are the Albert Pinkham Ryder experts.