Arthur Grover Rider

Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1886, Arthur Grover Rider received his early training at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. In his student years he painted for the Chicago Lyric Opera and later traveled to Europe. While living in London, he painted for the London Opera at Covent Garden. 

He further studied at Académies de la Grande-Chaumiére and Colarossi in Paris, and exhibited there at the George Petite Galleries. For nine summers he painted in Spain and it was there that he met Joaquin Sorolla who greatly influenced his work. They painted together on the Valencian Beach, and when Sorolla died in 1923, Rider was an integral part of the funeral cortége. While in Spain, Rider's works were exhibited at the court of Valencia.