John Pence Gallery - Minerva J. Chapman

Minerva Chapman (1858 - 1947) was a premier American painter who spent much of her life in Paris. She attended Mount Holyoke College. In her early twenties, she proceeded to Paris to pursue a distinguished painting career. From 1888-1920, in Paris, she earned the respect and admiration of fellow painters. She was among the first women to be invited into the official Salon and eventually became the first woman president of the International Art Union.

Chapman was exhibited widely in Europe and the United States, winning numerous awards and gold medals. She was a founding member of the miniature painting society. She studied with Annie Shaw, John Vanderpoll, J. P. Laurens, Robert Fluery, Charles Lasar, and Bouguereau. Her credentials were impeccable — a true American Impressionist.

Because of ill health, Chapman moved to California in the 1920's and eventually died in Palo Alto. Her vast estate was largely ignored under the poor custodialship of her brother, until relatives came to the rescue and purchased it from him. The family catalogued and restored the 700 works that remained and eventually began showing them in 1975. She has had retrospective exhibitions at the National Museum for Women in the Arts as well as several regional museums and art centers.

John Pence Gallery has represented the estate since 1985. Her works range in price from $2,200 to 45,000. The gallery is interested in acquiring work by Chapman.