Seymour H. Knox II
Encyclopedia
- This article is about the Buffalo philanthropist and art exponent; see Seymour KnoxSeymour KnoxSeymour Horace Knox III was a philanthropist and sports entrepreneur. He owned the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League from their foundation in 1970 to his death in 1996, and served as chairman of the team. He was the grandson of Seymour H. Knox I, the F.W...
for other people with this name.
Seymour Horace Knox II (September 1, 1898 – September 27, 1990) was a Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
philanthropist and art exponent. He was born in 1898 in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, the son of Seymour H. Knox I
Seymour H. Knox I
This article is about the Buffalo merchant and businessman; see Seymour Knox for other people with this name.Seymour Horace Knox I , was a Buffalo, New York businessman who made his fortune in five-and-dime stores...
, the F.W. Woolworth Company co-founder. He was the father of Seymour H. Knox III and Northrup R. Knox
Northrup R. Knox
Northrup Rand Knox , was a Buffalo banker, sportsman, and community leader who, along with his brother Seymour, brought the National Hockey League franchise the Buffalo Sabres to Buffalo, New York. Knox is the third generation of the Knox family to serve as chairman of Marine Midland Bank and its...
, the original principal owners of the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
.
Art
Beginning in 1926 when he joined the board of Albright Art GalleryAlbright-Knox Art Gallery
The Albright-Knox Art Gallery is an art museum located in Delaware Park in Buffalo, New York. The gallery is a major showplace for modern art and contemporary art. It is located directly across the street from Buffalo State College.-History:...
, he was a leader in the modernism
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
movement and in modern cultural life in Buffalo until his death in 1990. He is best known for his 1962 addition to the Albright Art Gallery, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and named after Knox at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery Knox wing celebration. He gave 60 years of service to the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy. By 1939, he was President of the Academy. He bolstered the Contemporary Abstractionism
Abstractionism
See also Abstract artAbstractionism is the theory that the mind obtains some or all of its concepts by abstracting them from concepts it already has, or from experience. One may, for example, abstract 'green' from a set of experiences which involve green along with other properties...
collection during his tenure. He donated more than 160 works for the new wing. He is said to be in part responsible for the popularity of Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock
Paul Jackson Pollock , known as Jackson Pollock, was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety. He was regarded as a mostly reclusive artist. He had a volatile personality, and...
. Under his direction the Albright became the first museum to purchase a Clyfford Still
Clyfford Still
Clyfford Still was an American painter, and one of the leading figures of Abstract Expressionism.-Biography:...
, one of the first to purchase a Henry Moore
Henry Moore
Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
, and as leading champions of Abstractionism they acquired selections from almost every major abstracionist.
Education
Knox attended Nichols SchoolNichols School
Nichols School is a private, non-denominational, co-educational college-preparatory day school located in Buffalo, New York, USA. The average enrollment is 570 students with an average Upper School grade/class size of 98 students...
in Buffalo and the Hotchkiss School
Hotchkiss School
The Hotchkiss School is an independent, coeducational American college preparatory boarding school located in Lakeville, Connecticut. Founded in 1891, the school enrolls students in grades 9 through 12 and a small number of postgraduates...
in Connecticut. He was a 1920 graduate of Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. At Yale he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon is a fraternity founded at Yale College in 1844 by 15 men of the sophomore class who had not been invited to join the two existing societies...
.
Career
He became a Marine Midland BankMarine Midland Bank
Marine Midland Bank was a bank formerly headquartered in Buffalo with several hundred branches throughout the state of New York. Marine Midland began in 1850 in Buffalo as the Marine Trust Company with the objective of financing the new shipping trade on the Great Lakes...
director in 1921, vice-president in 1926, and chairman 1943-1970. He joined the F. W Woolworth board in 1926 and was chairman from 1943 until reaching the mandatory retirement age forty-five years later in 1971. He became Chairman of The University of Buffalo's governing Council from 1950-69. By leading the university into the State University of New York system he transformed higher education in Buffalo.
Personal
In 1923, he married Helen Northrup. They had two sons: Seymour III a Northrup. He was eulogizedEulogy
A eulogy is a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, especially one recently deceased or retired. Eulogies may be given as part of funeral services. However, some denominations either discourage or do not permit eulogies at services to maintain respect for traditions...
in Congress by Bill Paxon
Bill Paxon
L. William Paxon , known as Bill Paxon, is a lobbyist and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York.-Early life:...
.
In 1986, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts
National Medal of Arts
The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts. It is the highest honor conferred to an individual artist on behalf of the people. Honorees are selected by the National Endowment for the...
.
Trivia
He is the subject of the 1985 Andy WarholAndy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
"Portrait of Seymour H. Knox
Portrait of Seymour H. Knox
Portrait of Seymour H. Knox is a 1985 portrait by Andy Warhol of Seymour H. Knox II. It was donated by the families of his two sons, Mr. and Mrs. Seymour H. Knox III and Mrs. and Mrs. Northrup R. Knox, to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in honor of Seymour H...
".
At Yale University Art Gallery
Yale University Art Gallery
The Yale University Art Gallery houses a significant and encyclopedic collection of art in several buildings on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Although it embraces all cultures and periods, the Gallery possesses especially renowned collections of early Italian painting,...
, in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, both the Seymour H. Knox, Jr., Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art and Seymour H. Knox, Jr., Curator of European and Contemporary Art positions bear his name.
Seymour was an avid polo player. He led his Aurora team to the United States Championship in 1932, and he later won a tournament in Europe and toured South America.