Reggie Grooms (American, 1900–1989) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1900. He was a well-known painter, lithographer, lecturer, and educator. His father, a respected wood engraver, had prepared illustrations for Henry Farny’s contributions to McGuffey’s Eclectic Reader.

Reggie began painting in watercolor at the age of four, working alongside his father on Sunday afternoons. By age eight, he was already experimenting with oil painting. He continued to study art throughout high school and college, demonstrating an early and sustained dedication to his craft.

In 1923, Grooms traveled to Europe to study at the Académie Julian in Paris. While in Paris, he exhibited in the Spring Salons of both 1924 and 1925. The New York Times noted that he was the youngest American artist exhibiting in those shows.

In 1925, he was called back to Cincinnati to teach at both the Cincinnati Art Academy and the University of Cincinnati School of Applied Arts, where he would teach painting for the next 46 years.

Throughout his life, Grooms took painting trips across the U.S. and abroad, including Spain, France, Ireland, Canada, California, New England, and the American South. He held over 33 solo exhibitions and influenced generations of artists through both his work and his teaching. Reggie Grooms passed away in 1989.

Studied

Cincinnati Art Academy, 1917-23; Academie Julian, Paris with Royer, Pages, and P.A. Laurens, 1923-25

Member

Cincinnati MacDowell Society (pres. 1941-43); Cincinnati Art Club (pres. 1933-35); Scarab Club; Cincinnati Professional Artists; Ohio WCS

Exhibited

Cincinnati Museum, 1923-44; Butler Art Institute, 1936-45; PAFA, 1937-38; GGE, 1939; WFNY, 1939 (Century of Tomorrow); AIC, 1936-39; Kearney Gallery, Milwaukee, 1946; Soc. Artistes Francaises, Paris Salon, 1924-25; CI, 1942 (Artists of Tomorrow)