Aldro Thompson Hibbard

Aldro Thomson Hibbard was born on August 25, 1886 in Falmouth, Massachusetts. Hibbard was a remarkably gifted baseball player during high school and was asked to join pro teams. He chose to sacrifice sports to become an artist.

Hibbard studied at the Massachusetts Normal Art School (1909) and the Massachusetts College of Art. He further studied with Edmund C. Tarbell, Frank W. Benson, Leslie P. Thompson, Joseph R. DeCamp and Philip Hale at Boston’s Museum School. He graduated in 1913. Hibbard was awarded the $3,000 Paige Traveling Scholarship. After graduation, Hibbard chose to study in Europe and spent fourteen months in England, Spain, France and Italy. Hibbard had planned to stay for two years, but the outbreak of World War I forced him to return to the United States.

In 1915, Hibbard became an instructor of painting at Boston University. He painted winter scenes of New England---especially in Jamaica, Vermont where he acquired a home. He was drawn to the rugged winters there. These winter scenes were where Hibbard excelled as an artist and they garnered him many awards throughout his career.

In 1919, Hibbard made trips to Rockport---35 miles north of Boston. His first studio in Rockport was an old livery stable and it soon became a meeting place for many artists. The informal meetings turned into the beginnings of the Rockport Art Association. Hibbard was a founding member and also served as its President from 1937 to 1943. He also established the Summer School of Drawing and Painting (1921-1928), which later became The Hibbard School of Painting. In 1925, Hibbard married Winifred Jackman, a former student. The two purchased a home in Rockport. This home served as Hibbard’s gallery and studio until his death in 1972.

 

Bibliography:

A.T. Hibbard, N. A. Artist in Two Worlds
John L. Cooley 1996 Rockport Art Association Press