George Ault
1891-1948

George Copeland Ault was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1891. The son of a print-manufacturer, he began his art studies at an early age, upon the relocation of his family to London for business. Taking classes at both the Slade and St. John’s Wood Schools of Art, Ault was heavily influenced by the European avant-garde paintings he saw on his frequent sojourns to the museums of London and Paris. In 1911, Ault returned to the United States, first settling in New York City and then by 1938 in Woodstock, New York.

Ault’s early works were primarily geometric urban landscapes, often depicting the skyline of New York City. His first professional gallery show in 1920 was well received by art critics and the public.  In 1921, the Society of Independent Artists recognized him by including his painting A New York Skyline in their exhibition “Our Choice of Independents.” Ault’s style gradually evolved toward Precisionism, in which he painted his subjects in flattened, clearly delineated shapes, which he ordered into compositions offering a variety of perspectives.  Ault is often associated with artists Charles Sheeler (who coined the term Precisionism) and Charles Demuth.