Jack Banham Coggins (American, 1911-2006) ship portrait in seascape oil painting on panel titled American Clipper Challenger. Signed lower left. Titled on reverse. Artwork in ornate gold finished vintage, wood frame measures 29" x 36.75". Frame has scattered age appropriate wear but displays beautifully. Artwork in very good condition with light markings.
Born in London, Coggins immigrated to the United States with his family in 1923. He studied at New York’s Grand Central School of Art before continuing his training at the Art Students League of New York under noted painter Frank DuMond.
By the 1940s, Coggins had established himself as a highly accomplished illustrator. His work appeared in LIFE, The Saturday Evening Post, Yachting, and other major publications. He received commissions from the U.S. War Department as well as companies including U.S. Steel and Westinghouse. During World War II, Coggins served in the U.S. Army as an artist and correspondent for YANK magazine, traveling through Europe and recording the war firsthand.
Over the course of his long career, Coggins produced more than 1,000 paintings and illustrated or authored numerous books. He was named a Master Pastelist and signature member of the Pastel Society of America and a Fellow of the American Society of Marine Artists. He also served as an adviser to the Philadelphia Maritime Museum and the Reading Public Museum.
Coggins eventually settled in Berks County, Pennsylvania, where he continued to paint and taught generations of artists for more than four decades. His work is represented in important institutional collections, including the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, and the Reading Public Museum.
