The National Museum of American Illustration (NMAI) was founded in 1998 by Judy Goffman Cutler to house her art collection from the "Golden Age of American Illustration," (1895-1945). The NMAI opened its doors to the public on July 4, 2000. The National Museum of American Illustration is proud to have had the support of The National Arts Club (NAC) as its founding institution.

Judy Goffman Cutler

Museum Director/Curator of American Illustration
Judy Goffman Cutler, Co-Founder/Museum Director of the National Museum of American Illustration, is Founder and Executive Director of the American Illustrators Gallery, NYC, the premier gallery showcasing major original artworks from the "Golden Age of American Illustration." The NMAI's American Imagist Collection includes: Norman Rockwell, Maxfield Parrish, Elizabeth Shippen Green, NC Wyeth, Howard Pyle, Jessie Willcox Smith, Howard Chandler Christy, JC Leyendecker, Violet Oakley, James Montgomery Flagg, Charles Dana Gibson and over 150 others.

Following graduation from the University of Pennsylvania with dual degrees in Fine Arts and American Civilization and a Masters of Science in Education, Judy began her career as an art dealer/collector by recognizing early on the value of American illustration as an important part of our national heritage and a significant part of the fine arts spectrum. Judy was an early collector of original poster art, magazine covers, studies and memorabilia, then later branched out to art prints, advertising art and limited edition prints from the "Golden Age." Having succeeded in building a collection of prints, she then sought the original paintings, and she found them.

Judy Cutler has authored and co-authored over sixty exhibition catalogues and art books published by Bison Books/Crescent Books, Brompton Books, Gramercy Books, Harry N. Abrams, Pomegranate Artbooks, Random House, Regency House International, Thunder Bay Press, Wellfleet Press, and others.

The National Arts Club

The National Arts Club (NAC) was founded in 1898 (the same year Vernon Court was built) by Charles de Kay, a literary critic for the New York Times to stimulate public interest in the arts and to foster a creative association between artists and art lovers. Among the one thousand charter members were some of the foremost collectors, sculptors, painters, musicians, patrons, and architects at the turn of the century, including J. Pierpont Morgan, Henry Clay Frick, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Daniel Chester French, Stanford White, Victor Herbert, Ceclia Beaux, and Frederic Remington.

Many founding charter members of the NAC had Newport connections: Thomas Hastings & John Carrère, architects of Vernon Court; Honorable William Watts Sherman and Honorable George Wetmore, owners of property adjacent to Vernon Court; John La Farge, painter and muralist; Cornelius Vanderbilt, owner of The Breakers; and George Ruggles, developer of Gramercy Park in NYC (the eponymous Ruggles Avenue bounds the NMAI's Frederick Law Olmsted Park and Arboretum).

Women were offered full membership to the NAC from the beginning, reflecting the Club's progressive outlook. Located in the former residence of Samuel J. Tilden on Gramercy Park, the National Arts Club continues to maintain working studios and residences for writers and artists. It also bestows numerous awards, grants, and scholarships, and hosts a variety of exhibits and events that cover a wide spectrum of the arts. On July 29, 2010, on the occasion of its 10th Anniversary of being open to the public, the NMAI hosted a Gala Event to honor the National Arts Club, along with actress/entertainer Whoopi Goldberg and author Tom Wolfe, with its American Civilization Awards for their contributions to Popular American Culture.

Honorary Trustees

J. Carter Brown, Washington D.C. †
Director Emeritus, National Gallery of Art

Dr. Martin Meyerson, Philadelphia, PA †
President Emeritus, University of Pennsylvania

Sen. Claiborne Pell, Washington D.C. †
United States Senate, Retired

Prof. Vincent J Scully, Jr, New Haven, CT † 
Professor Emeritus, Yale University

International Council Advisory Board

Viscountess Bridgeman, England
Director, The Bridgeman Art Library

Giulio Cesare Carani, Italy †
Chairman, Piazza di Spagna Antiquities

Philippe Paul Cezanne, France
Head, Paul Cezanne Family Organization

Peter de Savary, England
Founder, The Carnegie Clubs, St. James' Clubs

Balkrishna V Doshi, India
Architect, Educator, Louis Kahn Collaborator

Lady Lucinda Lambton, England
Writer, BBC Broadcaster, Photographer and
Celebrator of the Architecturally Curious

Darwin Lin, Republic of China
President, Picasso International Ltd.

Alex F M Mendoza, England
European Director, ARTShows and Products

Masahiko Shibata, Japan
President, Brain Trust Inc.

Sandra van den Broek, Monaco
Decorative Arts Collector

National Council Advisory Board

Lisa Beach, Hollywood, CA
Casting Agent - Film Director

Milo Cleveland Beach, South Dartmouth, MA
Director (ret) Freer Gallery of Art and The Arthur M Sackler Gallery

Gene J. Brockland, St. Louis, MO
Attorney, Herzog Crebs LLP

Howard Pyle Brokaw, Wilmington, DE †
Brandywine River Museum

Zoe Katherine Burke, Portland, OR
Publisher, Pomegranate Communications, Inc.

Barrett W Freedlander, Baltimore, MD
Attorney, Athlete, Art Connoisseur

Whoopi Goldberg, NYC, NY
Academy Award-Winning Actress-Entertainer
Art Collector

Lloyd Greif, Los Angeles, CA
CEO, Greif & Co.

O Aldon James, Jr., NYC, NY
President (ret.), National Arts Club

Evangeline Lilly, Kailua, HI
Actress, Author

Marc Mellon, NYC, NY
Sculptor

Lorry Ann Whitehead Newhouse, NYC, NY
Art Collector, Co-Chairperson NYC Opera Company

Jonas Olmsted, Denver, CO
Frederick Law Olmsted Family Historian

Michael Palitz, NYC, NY
Financier/ Broadway Producer

Elihu Rose, NYC, NY
Philanthropist

Joan SerVaas, Indianapolis, IN
President, Curtis Publishing Company,
Saturday Evening Post

Andrew J Sordoni III, Forty Fort, PA
Businessman, Music Producer,
Art Collector

Dr. Donald Stoltz, Philadelphia, PA
Physician, President (fmr) , Norman Rockwell Museum of Phila., Philadelphia

Tom Wolfe, NYC, NY †
Author and bon vivant

Richard Saul Wurman, FAIA, Golden Beach, FL
Author, Publisher, Cofounder: TED Conferences

New England Council Advisory Board

Armin B. Allen, NYC, NY
Art and Architecture Connoisseur, President (fmr) Preservation Society of Newport County

Ralph Emerson Carpenter, Jr, Newport, RI †
Promoter of American Furniture, Decorative Arts and Architecture

Paul J Choquette, Jr, Providence, RI
Chairman/CEO (ret.), Gilbane Building Company

Chauncey Dewey, Newport, RI †
Director of Global Industry, World Bank

John K. Grosvenor, AIA, Newport, RI
Partner. Newport Collaborative Architects

Richard Grosvenor, Newport, RI †
Artist, Educator

Jonathan Trumbull Isham, Middlebury, VT
Investment Banker (ret.)

Alice Lynch, Newport, RI
Decorative Arts Expert and Connoisseur

Roger Mandle, Providence, RI
President (fmr), Rhode Island School of Design

Hon. J.William Middendorf II, Little Compton, RI
Admiral, Ambassador, Sec. of Navy (ret.) Artist, Composer

Robert B. Milligan Jr, Vero Beach, FL
Founder, BoomerTennis.net
Chairman (fmr), Astors Beechwood Mansion

Ruth Orthwein, Newport, RI
Sportswoman and Connoisseur

Joanna Maxfield Parrish, Upton, MA
President, Maxfield Parrish Family Trust

Nuala Pell, Newport, RI †
Decorative Arts Connoisseur

Robert B. Power, Newport, RI
Educator (ret.), School Administrator

Paul Szep, Clearwater, FL
Pulitzer Prize-Winning, Syndicated, Editorial Cartoonist

Robert Whitcomb, Newport, RI
Journalist, Educator

Jamie Wyeth, Tenants Harbor, ME
Artist

Privy Council Members

Brian Bardorf, Esq, Newport, RI

Thomas E. Lisi, Jr., CPA

Alan H. Rothschild, Esq, White Plains, NY