Notable Alumni of Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

David Guttenberg 1951–

Former Alaska state representative

David Lynch 1946–2025

Filmmaker and artist known for surrealist style

Also attended: American Film Institute Conservatory, George Washington University, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

Mary Cassatt 1844–1926

Impressionist painter and printmaker

Sibling: Alexander Cassatt (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute)

Thomas Eakins 1844–1916

Realist painter, photographer and art educator

Spouse: Susan Macdowell Eakins (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts)

Edwin Austin Abbey 1852–1911

Illustrator, painter and muralist

Also attended: Yale University

Cecilia Beaux 1855–1942

Portrait painter, first woman to teach at PAFA

Robert Henri 1865–1929

Painter and teacher

Spouse: Marjorie Organ (The New School)

Maxfield Parrish 1870–1966

Painter and illustrator

Also attended: Haverford College

Charles Sheeler 1883–1965

Precisionist painter and photographer

Also attended: University of the Arts

John Sloan 1871–1951

Painter, a founder of the Ashcan school

Spouse: Helen Farr Sloan (Weill Medical College of Cornell University)

John Marin 1870–1953

Early American modernist painter known for watercolors

Henry Ossawa Tanner 1859–1937

First African-American painter to gain international acclaim

William James Glackens 1870–1938

Realist painter and Ashcan School founder

Spouse: Edith Dimock (The New School)

Thomas Hill 1829–1908

Painter known for Yosemite Valley landscapes

Jessie Willcox Smith 1863–1935

Illustrator of the Golden Age of American illustration

Also attended: Moore College of Art and Design

Thomas Pollock Anshutz 1851–1912

Painter and teacher

Colin Campbell Cooper 1856–1937

Impressionist painter of architectural subjects

Spouse: Emma Lampert Cooper (Rochester Institute of Technology, Wells College)

Jean Leon Gerome Ferris 1863–1930

Painter of The Pageant of a Nation series

Ivan Albright 1897–1983

Painter, sculptor and printmaker, Magic Realist

Also attended: School of the Art Institute of Chicago, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern University

Father: Adam Emory Albright (School of the Art Institute of Chicago)

Jack Delano 1914–1997

Photographer and composer who worked for the FSA

William Harnett 1848–1892

Painter known for trompe-l'œil still lifes

Also attended: The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

Elenore Abbott 1875–1935

Art Nouveau book illustrator, scenic designer and painter

Also attended: Drexel University

Spouse: C. Yarnall Abbott (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, University of Pennsylvania)

Njideka Akunyili Crosby 1983–

Nigerian-born visual artist working in Los Angeles

Also attended: Yale University, Swarthmore College

Violet Oakley 1874–1960

Artist, first American woman to receive a public mural commission

Also attended: Drexel University

Sarah Miriam Peale 1800–1885

American portrait painter and early professional woman artist

Sibling: Anna Claypoole Peale (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts)

Laura Wheeler Waring 1887–1948

African American painter and educator

William Trost Richards 1833–1905

Landscape painter of the Hudson River School

Child: Theodore William Richards (Harvard University, Haverford College)

Joseph Hergesheimer 1880–1954

Novelist and short story writer

Alexander Stirling Calder 1870–1945

Sculptor and art teacher

Father: Alexander Milne Calder (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts)

Child: Alexander Calder (Stevens Institute of Technology)

Daniel Garber 1880–1958

Impressionist landscape painter

Nina E. Allender 1873–1957

Artist, cartoonist and women's rights activist

Also attended: George Washington University

Julian Abele 1881–1950

Architect, chief designer for Horace Trumbauer

Also attended: Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania, University of the Arts

Dorothy Gilman 1923–2012

American spy fiction writer

Also attended: University of Pennsylvania

Mary Ellen Bute 1906–1983

Pioneering experimental film animator and director

Also attended: Yale University

Alexander Milne Calder 1846–1923

Sculptor of Philadelphia City Hall's William Penn statue

Child: Alexander Stirling Calder (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts)

Don Martin 1931–2000

Cartoonist best known for Mad magazine

Jo Mielziner 1901–1976

Broadway scenic and lighting designer

Saka-Acquaye 1923–2007

Ghanaian artist, playwright, and sculptor

Zenos Frudakis 1951–

American sculptor

Also attended: University of Pennsylvania

Sarah J. Eddy 1851–1945

Artist, photographer and reform activist

Frank Gasparro 1909–2001

Tenth Chief Engraver of the US Mint

John Storrs 1885–1956

Modernist sculptor

Also attended: School of the Art Institute of Chicago, School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University

Charlotte Harding 1873–1951

American illustrator

Paul Manship 1885–1966

Sculptor and major Art Deco figure

Elise Mercur 1864–1947

Pittsburgh's first female architect

Mathematics, Design

Earle K. Bergey 1901–1952

Illustrator of pulp magazine and paperback covers

Howard Roberts 1843–1900

Sculptor based in Philadelphia

Katherine M. Cohen 1859–1914

American sculptor

Albin Polasek 1879–1965

Czech-born sculptor and educator

Bob Gill 1931–2021

Graphic designer, illustrator and author

Also attended: CUNY--City College

Charles Grafly 1862–1929

Sculptor and teacher

Walker Hancock 1901–1998

Sculptor and Monuments Man

Also attended: Washington University in St Louis

John J. Boyle 1851–1917

Sculptor known for Native American portraits

Seth Hoffman 1895–1948

Artist noted for black-and-white monotypes

Brad Neely 1976–

Comics artist, writer and voice actor

Rosalie Gwathmey 1908–2001

Photographer and painter

Spouse: Robert Gwathmey (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts)

Child: Charles Gwathmey (Yale University, University of Pennsylvania)

Cecelia Condit 1947–

Experimental filmmaker and video artist

Also attended: University of the Arts, Temple University

Ellen Powell Tiberino 1937–1992

African American visual artist

Tina Leser 1910–1986

Pioneering sportswear fashion designer

Jonathan Lyndon Chase 1989–

Visual artist known for painting

Also attended: University of the Arts, Community College of Philadelphia