A B O U T

A B O U T   S A L M A G U N D I

Salmagundi [pronounced: sal-muh-guhn-dee] is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization created in 1871, by artists and patrons, to support one another and to encourage the advancement of art of all kinds.

The Salmagundi Club represents the best of fine art, with a distinguished legacy in representational traditions, counting among its distinguished members such icons as Thomas Moran (1837–1926), William Merritt Chase (1849–1916), Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933), Emil Carlsen (1848–1932), N.C. Wyeth (1882–1945), Childe Hassam (1859–1935), Winston Churchill (1874–1965), Edward Hopper (1883–1967), and Norman Rockwell (1894–1978).

Equally notable is the Club’s legacy of sculptors, which includes some of America’s most celebrated figures: Henry Kirke Brown (1814–1886), John Quincy Adams Ward (1830–1910), Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907), Daniel Chester French (1850–1931), Charles Henry Niehaus (1855–1935), Charles Grafly (1862–1929), and Henry Merwin Shrady (1871–1922).

Beyond painters and sculptors, the Club’s membership has embraced a wide spectrum of creative talent—artists, illustrators, architects, and musicians—among them John LaFarge (1835–1910), Elihu Vedder (1836–1923), Walter Shirlaw (1838–1909), Francis Davis Millet (1846–1912), Ralph Albert Blakelock (1847–1919), Charles Sprague Pearce (1851–1914), Howard Pyle (1853–1911), Stanford White (1853–1906), John Philip Sousa (1854–1932), Robert Frederick Blum (1857–1903), Charles Dana Gibson (1867–1944), Charles Webster Hawthorne (1879–1930),  Al Hirschfield (1903-2003), Tony Bennett (1926-2023 – who exhibited under his birth name, Anthony Benedetto), and more recently: Everett Raymond Kinstler (1926-2019) and Nelson Shanks (1937-2015).

The Club’s renown extended not only to its artists but also to its patrons, with luminaries such as Otto Kahn (1867–1934) and Robert Lehman (1891–1969) lending their support to its mission and legacy.

Today, the tradition continues. Salmagundi Club’s members, past and present, stand among the leading voices in fine art — embracing painting, sculpture, illustration, and other mediums that bridge historic traditions with new currents of expression.  Among these prominent artists are Jacob Collins, Max Ginsburg, Richard Schmid, Daniel E. Greene, Sherrie McGraw, Patricia Watwood, Jeremy Lipking, David A. Leffel, Christine Cornell, and many others. Their work ensures that the Salmagundi Club remains a vital force in the ongoing story of American art—bridging its historic legacy with the living practice of contemporary masters.

With an eye toward the future, the Club encourages young artists working in all forms of artistic expression to apply for our junior memberships and scholarships, offering opportunities to showcase their creativity in exhibitions.

Support of America’s military veterans and Coast Guard has continued to be an important part of the Club’s legacy. Salmagundi is the proud sponsors of COGAP, a group of approximately 250 professional artists from across the United States who volunteer time and talent to record the history of the Coast Guard and those that serve.

Beginning in 1917, the organization moved to its permanent home within its historic brownstone mansion located in Greenwich Village, New York, NY. The mansion hosts hundreds of yearly art exhibitions, painting demonstrations, lectures, concerts, group meetings, classes, workshops, fellow member organization exhibitions and art auctions. (See our events calendar.)

Salmagundi facilities include three club and rental galleries, a rare pre-dewey decimal library, an elegant period parlor for exhibitions and meetings, a members’ only restaurant and bar, a traditional press for monotype and some of the oldest and largest vintage pool tables in New York. All facilities are available for special events, fellow club exhibitions, artist gallery rentals, weddings, parties and other private rentals.

The Club’s art collection has been built by generous member donations and its purchase prize awards, amassing over 1,500 works of art which span its entire history. Exhibitions of the permanent collection and current living artists are always free to the general public and non-members year round. (See our list of current exhibitions.)

The Club has been working to digitize its vast archives and make them available to the public digitally online. The archives are currently not open to members or the public. The library is open to Club members.

Join us in celebrating art and supporting artists whose creativity in all its forms enriches culture and sparks inspiration for generations ahead. Apply to become a member today.