aSelections from the Atlanta Period: Giddap

Hale Woodruff’s lifelong passion for art led him to work and create in many places over the world. Born in Cairo, Illinois in 1900, he taught himself to draw cartoons at a young age. He attended college at the John Herron Art Institute of Indianapolis, and continued art studies at Harvard University’s Fogg Art Museum. Following that, he lived in Paris for four years, taking courses at the Académie Scandinave and Académie Modern. In 1931, Woodruff returned to the United States and began teaching at Atlanta University, where he instituted an annual exhibition of paintings. He taught at New York University from 1945 to 1968, retiring with the honorific title, professor emeritus. He continued to take an active role in the art world until his death in 1980. Woodruff’s works are included in the permanent collections of institutions all over the country, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Detroit Institute of Art, and the Smithsonian Institute.