Nelson H. White was born in New London, Connecticut in 1932. White has been surrounded by art and artists from the time he was born. He received his earliest art instruction from his grandfather, Henry Cooke White (1861-1952) and his father Nelson Cooke White (1900-1989), both important American artists. The family lived in Waterford, Connecticut and the elder White had been an early member of the art colony in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Known for his paintings of the Connecticut landscape and shoreline, Henry Cooke White became a teacher to his son, Nelson Cooke White. Living with his parents at the Florence Griswold house in Old Lyme, he met some of the most important and influential artists of the day, Childe Hassam, Will Howe Foote and Harry Hoffman.
Later, Nelson White's father began to take his family to summer on Shelter Island and became friendly with many of the artists of the Peconic colony such as Irving Wiles, an important American impressionist. After graduating from the Tabor Academy in Marion, Massachusetts in 1951, Nelson H. White began to study at Mitchell College in Connecticut but left to pursue studies in the violin, musical theory and composition. At this time, he began to spend more time studying art with his father and grandfather. By 1955, Nelson H. White had decided to devote himself to a career as a painter and traveled to Florence, Italy to become an apprentice to Pietro Annigoni, the world-renowned Florentine master. Within two years, the young White had won two awards for his work. While in Florence he also studied with the great Italian teacher, Nerina Simi. Today, White divides his time between the United States and Florence. White is still actively involved with studies at The Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy.
Although he has received instruction from some very important artists, White's work is highly individual. He paints with great spirit. Upon seeing his work one quickly senses White’s great love for nature and the outdoors. Through his eyes we are able to view and interpret nature in an intimate manner. Whether Nelson H. White is painting the Connecticut shore, a beach in Italy, a pond on Shelter Island or the hills of Vermont, he allows the observer to view a soft, yet dramatic side of nature. His ability to use color, coupled with rich brush work and a graduation of light, air and atmosphere allows one to enjoy a certain mood which is clearly conveyed in White's paintings. It is a mood that leaves us with a lasting impression.
White has shown his work in numerous galleries across the globe since the 1950s, from the United States all the way to Italy and Russia. White's first museum restrospective was in the New Britain Museum of American Art in July 2012. His work can be found in many private and public collections, as well as several museums.
Art Education
- 1999- present The Florence Academy of Art, Florence, Italy
- 1956-1987 Student of Ms. Nerina Simi, Florence Italy
- 1955-1980 Apprentice to Pietro Annigoni, Florence, Italy abd studied watercolor painting with Ogden Pleissner
Museum Collections
- Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut
- New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT
- Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme, Connecticut
- Lyman Allyn Museum, New London, Connecticut
Corporate Collections
- Pfizer Corporation
- Fleet Bank
Awards
- Biennale Internazionale Career Award 2003
- 2023 - Inside Out - Grenning Gallery - Two Man Show
- 2023 - Breeze & Brine - Grenning Gallery, Group Show
- 2022 - Life Saturated - Grenning Gallery, Group Show
- 2021 - Grenning Gallery, Solo Show
- 2020 - California Dreaming - Grenning Gallery, Group Show
- 2019 - Thick & Wet - Grenning Gallery, Group Show
- 2019 - Painting Locally, Grenning Gallery, Group Show
- 2018 - Grenning Gallery - Group Show
- 2017 Grenning Gallery, Solo Show
- 2014 Grenning Gallery, Group Show, Summer Landscapes
- 2013 Grenning Gallery, Group Show, Immerse Yourself
- 2012 New Britain Museum of American Art, Scenic Spirit
- 2011 Florence Academy of Art, Alumnae Exhibit & W. H. Patterson, London, The Summer Collection
- 2010 Nelson H. White Solo Show, Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY
- 2009 W. H. Patterson Gallery, London, Florence Academy of Art Alumni Show & Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY, Group Show
- 2008 Centro Francescano Internationale, Massa, Italy, Group Show / W. H. Patterson Gallery, London, Florence Academy of Art Alumni Show / Cooley Gallery, Old Lyme, CT, All Paintings Great and Small, Group Show
- 2007 Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY, Studio Selects / W. H. Patterson Gallery, London, Florence Academy of Art Alumni Show / Cooley Gallery, Old Lyme, CT, All Paintings Great and Small, Group Show Brigham Gallery, Florence Academy of Art Alumni Exhibition, Nantucket, MA
- 2006 W. H. Patterson Gallery, London, Florence Academy of Art Alumni Show / Brigham Gallery/Florence Academy of Art Alumni Show, Nantucket, MA
- 2005 Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY, Shifting Sands / Florence Academy of Art Alumni Show, Florence, Italy
- 2005 - 2011 Maritime Gallery at Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT, International Maritime Art Exhibition
- 2004 Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY, By the Sea, By the Lovely Sea
- 2003 Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY, Two person show with Urban Larsson / Hirschl and Adler Galleries, NYC / Panorama Museum, Germany, Realism Revisited,
- 2002 Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY, Local Landscapes & Unique Florals
- 2001 Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY, Sumptuous Still Lifes & Lush Landscapes / The New Masters Show General Electric Headquarters, Fairfield, CT / Museum of Maritime History, New London, CT, Whites of Waterford / Flinn Gallery, Greenwich, CT, Three Generations of Whites
- 2000 Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY, Solo Show
- 1998-99 Grenning Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY, Group Shows
- 1997 Feathers Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
- 1992 Kolomenskoy Museum, Moscow, Russia
- 1990 Hammer Gallery, New York, NY, Solo Show
- 1985 Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme, CT
- 1964 Lyman Allyn Museum, New London, CT
- Lyme Art Association, Old Lyme, CT
- Mystic Maritime Gallery, Mystic, CT
- Valardi Gallery, La Spezia, Italy
- Incontro Gallery, Cremona, Italy
Although he has received instruction from some very important artists, Whites work is highly individual. White paints with great spirit. When one sees his work one quickly senses he has a great love for nature and the outdoors. Through his eyes we are able to view and interpret nature in an intimate manner. Whether Nelson H. White is painting the Connecticut shore, a beach in Italy, a pond on Shelter Island or the hills of Vermont, he allows the observer to view a soft, yet dramatic side of nature. His ability to use color, coupled with rich brush work and a graduation of light, air and atmosphere allows one to enjoy a certain mood which is clearly conveyed in Whites paintings. It is a mood that leaves us with a lasting impression.
It is with great pleasure that are hosting the first major retrospective show of Nelson H. "Beebe" White (b. 1932, Waterford, CT). Since 1997, I've been lucky enough to make an annual pilgrimage to White's studio, in Italy or to his family compound in Waterford. In those several hours together, we'd go through the stacks of paintings, and to this art dealer's frustration, I would be denied access to some of the best works. "Beebe", smartly, held back. These primo paintings have acted as his ambassadors at museums and special cultural events over the years, as they represent his finest works across a broad spectrum of subject matter. Miraculously, on our recent trip to his home, nestled in the family compound at White's Point in Waterford, he allowed me to select each and every gem that we came across! The catalogue is a supersized version of our normal publication because there were so many important paintings to illustrate.
