The Frederic Whitaker and Eileen Monaghan Whitaker Foundation
The Whitaker Foundation was established as a non-profit arts foundation on October 28, 1987 to preserve and promote the work of Eileen Monaghan Whitaker and Frederic Whitaker. This mission was later expanded to include the promotion of watercolor as a medium and watercolor artists in general.
Since 1965, Syracuse University in New York has held the Frederic Whitaker Manuscript Collection which has grown to include more than 100 paintings and documents. With Eileen Monaghan Whitaker’s death in September of 2005, the remainder of Fred’s papers and other memorabilia, as well as the nucleus of Eileen’s life’s work, was donated to Syracuse University.
Whitaker Foundation holdings include watercolor paintings of both artists. It continues to further the work of Frederic Whitaker and Eileen Monaghan Whitaker through sales of the book, Contrasts That Complement by Jan Noreus Jennings (Marquand 2004), museum exhibitions and traveling exhibitions.
Frederic Whitaker (1891-1980) received more than 150 awards for his paintings. He was a member and officer in numerous art societies, including president of the American Watercolor Society, vice president of the National Academy of Design, and founder of Audubon Artists, Inc. He is author of two books on watercolor, another on random reflections on the arts, and 90 magazine articles on artists. In 1974 he received the Horatio Alger Award given to individuals who rise from humble beginnings to make exceptional contributions to society.
Eileen Monaghan Whitaker (1911-2005) received numerous awards for her paintings. In addition to being an Academician in the National Academy of Design and a member of the American Watercolor Society, she is listed in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in American Art. Her book Eileen Monaghan Whitaker Paints San Diego (Copley Books) is her interpretation via watercolor of the activities and sights of San Diego County, which she called home from 1965, when the Whitakers moved to La Jolla, California from Norwalk, Connecticut, until her death in 2005.
