Tryon was born in Hartford in 1849, and after five years studying in Paris (1876-1881), settled in New York City. He also maintained a cottage in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, where he spent six months of each year until his death in 1925. He joined Smith's art faculty in 1886 and remained for thirty-seven years. The first truly influential member of the department, he helped establish its direction and chose or approved many of the college's early art acquisitions. Tryon and his wife, Alice Belden Tryon, funded construction of Tryon Art Gallery, the original museum building, which opened in 1926, a year after his death. This handsome brick structure stood until 1970, when it was demolished to make room for the current building, Tryon Hall. It is a fortuitous coincidence that Dwight William Tryon is one of the last exhibitions on display in Tryon Hall before it closes for two years for a major renovation and expansion, beginning in January 2000. |