Salmagundi [pronounced: sal-muh-guhn-dee] is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3), professional and social club, created in 1871 by artists and patrons to support one another. It is one of America’s oldest arts organizations with more than 1,100 current members throughout the United States and abroad.
The Club has continuously championed representational art from its founding with iconic members, including: Thomas Moran (1837-1926), William Merritt Chase (1849-1916), Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933), Emil Carlsen (1848-1932), N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945), Childe Hassam (1859-1935) and Winston Churchill (1874-1965).
Today’s members and recently past members are some of the most recognized names within representational art, including: Jacob Collins, Max Ginsburg, Richard Schmid, Daniel E. Greene, Patricia Watwood, David A. Leffel and many more.
With an eye toward the future, the Club encourages young artists interested in representational art to apply for our junior memberships and scholarships to begin showing in exhibitions.
Support of America’s military veterans and Coast Guard has continued to be an important part of the Club’s legacy. Salmagundi is the proud sponsors of COGAP, a group of approximately 250 professional artists from across the United States who volunteer time and talent to record the history of the Coast Guard and those that serve.
Beginning in 1917, the organization moved to its permanent home within its historic brownstone mansion located in Greenwich Village, New York, NY. The mansion hosts hundreds of yearly art exhibitions, painting demonstrations, lectures, concerts, group meetings, classes, workshops, fellow member organization exhibitions and art auctions. (See our events calendar.)
Salmagundi facilities include three club and rental galleries, a rare pre-dewey decimal library, an elegant period parlor for exhibitions and meetings, a members’ only restaurant and bar, a traditional press for monotype and some of the oldest and largest vintage pool tables in New York. All facilities are available for special events, fellow club exhibitions, artist gallery rentals, weddings, parties and other private rentals.
The Club’s art collection has been built by generous member donations and its purchase prize awards, amassing over 1,500 works of art which span its entire history. Exhibitions of the permanent collection and current living artists are always free to the general public and non-members year round. (See our list of current exhibitions.)
The Club has been working to digitize its vast archives and make them available to the public digitally online. The archives are currently not open to members or the public. The library is open to Club members.