Guy C. Wiggins was one of the second generation of American Impressionists, a style that he would adhere to for his whole career. He was born in Brooklyn and took early instruction from his father Carleton Wiggins, who was a well-known and successful artist. Wiggins and his family traveled widely, and lived for a time in England. A precocious young artist, Wiggins studied architecture at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute and drawing at the National Academy. Additionally, he was instructed by William Merritt Chase and possibly, Robert Henri.
Wiggins rose to prominence early in his career; in 1911 his Columbus Circle—Winter was purchased for the Smithsonian Museum National Gallery of Art (accession number 1911.4.2). In 1912 at the age of 20 he won the designation of being one of the youngest artists to have artwork (his painting The Metropolitan Tower) purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art (accession number 12.105.4). Several prestigious awards and honors followed, and Wiggins enjoyed financial success during the 1920's, with paintings of wintry New York scenes influenced by Childe Hassam. Wiggins showed his artwork in solo exhibitions in well-known New York galleries including Macbeth Gallery and Milch Gallery, and in Boston at Vose Gallery. Additionally, he exhibited at various institutions where he was a member including the National Academy of Design, Salmagundi Club, Union League Club of Brooklyn, National Arts Club, and the Lotos Club.
By 1910, Wiggins spent his summers in Lyme, Connecticut, and by 1918 he was giving landscape painting lessons there. During the Great Depression, Wiggins' painting sales declined and he spent more time in Connecticut and found other sources of income. By 1931 Wiggins had founded the Guy Wiggins Art School, and he taught sessions seasonally in Lyme, New Haven, Essex, and St. Augustine, Florida into the late 1940's. Through his associations, Wiggins' school recruited John Sloan, Ernest Lawson, and W. Langdon Kihn as instructors for adults and children.
