art.wikisort.org - Artist

Joseph Clinton Devillis (aka De Villis) (1878–1912) was an African American artist[1] from Brooklyn, New York who primarily painted landscapes and seascapes.

Joseph Clinton Devillis
Born	1878 Brooklyn, New York
Died	1912(1912-00-00) (aged 33–34)
Nationality	American
Education	Adelphi University
Spouse(s)	Grace Devillis

Devillis enlisted in the United States Navy in 1894 (with pad and pencils in hand).[2] Upon visiting Europe he used his shore leave to study the masterpieces in the Louvre, Luxembourg and the galleries of London.[3] An Apprentice First Class on Dewey's USS Olympia, in 1898 he was a signal man at the Battle of Manila Bay.[4]

In 1901 he left the Navy and returned to New York where he was one of few African American Art students in New York at the time.[5] He studied at the Adelphi College between 1907 and 1912, joining the Adelphi Sketch Club.[2]

Devillis was also an active member of the Nazarene Congregational Church in Brooklyn where he was a Deacon and the Treasurer.[2] He died of pneumonia in 1912 at the age of 33.[2] His work was posthumously displayed at the New York Public Library in 1921 and formed part of the A.A. Schomburg Collection there.[6]

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