Arthur Jerome Eddy was an American lawyer, author, and art collector who played a pivotal role in introducing modern art to the United States. He established a successful legal career but became widely recognized for his passionate advocacy of avant-garde artistic movements during the early twentieth century, becoming a prominent member of the first generation of American collectors to embrace modernism.\n\nAs an author, Eddy wrote Cubists and Post-Impressionism, which stands as the first American book dedicated to promoting these revolutionary art movements. Through his writing, he introduced American audiences to the work of pioneering artists, most notably the abstract painter Wassily Kandinsky. Eddy's collection was highly distinguished for its inclusion of German Expressionists and Kandinsky's early masterpieces, reflecting his forward-thinking aesthetic sensibilities.\n\nBeyond his publications, Eddy was a major supporter of the landmark 1913 Armory Show. He purchased several works from the exhibition in both New York and Chicago and actively lectured on the new art during the Chicago iteration of the show. Following his death in 1920, a significant portion of his holdings was donated by his family to the Art Institute of Chicago, forming the Arthur Jerome Eddy Memorial Collection, which remains a foundational pillar of the museum's modern art department.
