Charles Franklin Chamberlain: Drawn to France
Opening May 2025
Opening soon at the Ella Sharp Museum, this exhibit celebrates the life and work of Charles Franklin Chamberlain (1871–1945), a Michigan-born painter and photographer whose art bridged American and European traditions. Raised on a farm in Dexter, Chamberlain trained at the Detroit Academy and the Art Students League of New York before studying in Paris at the Académie Julian and École des Beaux-Arts. Mentored by celebrated artists like Tony Robert-Fleury and Jules Joseph Lefebvre, Chamberlain developed a luminous style evident in his landscapes, portraits, and everyday scenes. A member of the Society of Western Artists, his work was exhibited in France and at the Detroit Institute of Arts, offering a rich glimpse into early 20th-century artistic expression.