American painter Stuart Davis was born in Philadelphia, PA, but is known for the work completed after moving to New York City. From the time Davis moved to the city in his late teens, New York was the main subject of his art.
In 1909, while in New York, he studied with artist Robert Henri. In 1918 he even worked as a cartographer for US Army Intelligence.
Davis was an early Jazz enthusiast, and many note the correlation between the vibrant patterns of his artwork and the exciting jazz tempos of the day. In the 1920's the influence of Cubism became more apparent in his art. Over the years Davis became a strong advocate of abstract art. His work now appears in major museum collections such as The Museum of Modern Art, NY and The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
