Dabo, the eldest of three brothers (he also had five sisters), was possibly born inParis, France[11][12] but recently available documents state he was born inSaverne.[8] His fatherIgnace Scott Dabo was a professor ofaesthetics and aclassical scholar, who moved the family toDetroit,Michigan in 1870 to escape theFranco-Prussian War.[13][14] He supplemented Leon's formal education withLatin,French, and drawing. After his father's death in 1883, the Dabo family moved toNew York City, whereupon he found a job as an architectural designer, working to support the family so that his younger brother Scott, who was considered the talented one, could focus on his art.[9] He then became a student ofJohn LaFarge, and the two of them would remain close friends until LaFarge's death. When Dabo decided to pursue studies inParis, LaFarge wrote letters of introduction, enabling Dabo to meetPierre Puvis de Chavannes, who would become his mentor, and to gain entry to theÉcole nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs. He also studied part-time at theAcadémie Colarossi and theÉcole des Beaux-Arts. AlthoughImpressionism was gaining hold at this time, Dabo did not find that movement to his taste.[15]
While in London, Dabo met Mary Jane "Jennie" Ford, they married in 1889 and the couple had two children: Madeleine Helen (b. 1891) and Leon Ford "George" (b. 1892),[1][17] Leon and Jennie would separate in the 1920s. After Jennie's death in 1945, Dabo officially married his "wife" since the 1930s, Stephanie Ofenthal.
Evening on the Hudson (1909), oil on canvas. This painting won a prize from theNational Arts Club.Leon Dabo in his Brooklyn studio, ca. 1910, from theArchives of American Art
As Dabo's success grew, it was met with by jealousy on the part of Scott. By all accounts, Leon consistently championed his brother's work and the two of them often exhibited together. He even heldpower of attorney to act as Scott's representative with prospective buyers in Europe. When Scott went to study in Paris in 1902, Leon wrote letters of introduction on his behalf. However, reviews in the press were usually more favorable to Leon, buyers were more interested in Leon's work, and it sold for more as well. Finally at one point, the youngest brother Louis returned from Europe with a new power of attorney statement placing himself in charge of Scott's work, charging that Leon had imitated Scott's style, undermined him with buyers, and misappropriated the proceeds from the sales of Scott's work. Although the Dabo sisters sided with Louis and Scott, Leon simply refuted the charges andThe New York Times did not put much stock into Louis' statements.[19][20]
Aligning himself with the insurgents of the art world, Dabo participated in the "Exhibition of Contemporary Art" at theNational Arts Club in 1908.[21] Later that year he showed with theAllied Artists' Association, a newly organized artist group in London mounting non-juried exhibitions.[22] In 1909 he curated and participated in an art exhibition for theRand School of Social Science[23] and in 1910, he participated in the "Exhibition of Independent Artists" held by members of theAshcan School.[24] In that same year Dabo became the leader ofThe Pastellists, a somewhat radical artist exhibition society.[25] He was an initial exhibitor at theMacDowell Club in their non-juried exhibitions, the brainchild of the Ashcan School'sRobert Henri.[26] A charter member of theAssociation of American Painters and Sculptors,[27] Dabo was a principal organizer of the International Exhibition of Modern Art in 1913, better known as theArmory Show. He hosted several of its earliest meetings in his studio,[18] but he was back in Europe before the show opened.[28]
Silver Light Hudson River (1911), oil on canvas.Brooklyn Museum.
DuringWorld War I, themultilingual Dabo went to France and offered his services to Prime MinisterGeorges Clemenceau. He ended up serving as an officer in the French and British Armies successively and exposed a number of German spies, using his ear for dialect and accent. He even played the role of spy once, going behind German lines to gain information.[5] For the U.S., he was part of a commission that investigated alleged atrocities that happened in France during the course of the war, and reported that they were indeed true.[29] He was commissioned as a captain in theUnited States Army and served as an interpreter for theAmerican Expeditionary Force[30] as well as anaide-de-camp to Major GeneralMark L. Hersey of the4th Infantry Division.[31]
After the war, his artistic output decreased. He began to feel that American men had become toomaterialistic, but women, he felt, were of a more spiritual nature, and could "save" art from indifference. As a result, he became a popular lecturer, often speaking to as many as fifteen women's clubs a month on art all around the country.[5]
In the 1920s, he taught and painted in various artists' colonies in theLitchfield Hills ofConnecticut. Starting in 1933, he began to exhibit flower paintings and pastels, a departure from the landscapes with which he had become associated. They were well received, withThe New York Times saying the works were "a distinct contribution to be associated with the flower harmonies ofOdilon Redon and ofFantin-Latour."[30]
In 1937, he returned to France and established a studio there, where he painted French landscapes. With war approaching, Dabo helped artists such asWalter Sickert andFernand Léger transport their works out of the country to avoid their beingconfiscated. He escaped theGerman occupation of France in late 1940, through Portugal. After the war, he returned to France in 1948 and painted more landscapes, most notably ofMontagne Sainte-Victoire. These paintings were highly received and he was invited to exhibit them at the "Painters of Mont Ste. Victoire: Tribute toCézanne" show in 1951. That year, he returned to the United States for the last time.[18]
Dabo died in Manhattan in 1960 at the age of 96. He is buried inLong Island National Cemetery. Today his works are still getting attention and praise. A great deal of interest has been made on his late modern landscapes and floral still life.
^The year and location of his birth varies widely. Contemporaneous sources state he was born inDetroit in 1868,[1] in 1869,[2] in 1870,[3] or inGrosse Pointe in 1874.[4] A 1931Time article even states that he was born into aFrench Canadian family.[5] His tombstone even has 1868 carved on it.[6] In recent years some research has stated that he was born in Paris in 1865.[7] Yet in France, a genealogical and research association known as ARFIDO, has indexed the individuals from the Alsace Lorraine region who claimed French nationality in 1872. Leon's father, Ignace Schott, and his four eldest children declared their French citizenship on July 24, 1872.[8]
^abHamersly, Lewis Randolph; Leonard, John W.; Mohr, William Frederick; Knox, Herman Warren; Holmes, Frank R.; Downs, Winfield Scott (1907).Who's who in New York (City and State). L. R. Hamersly Co. p. 371.
^"Dabo, Leon".New International Encyclopedia. Vol. 6. Dodd, Mead. 1914. p. 428.
