Benton Murdoch Spruance

American (1904-1967)

Born in Philadelphia in 1904, painter and master printmaker Benton Murdoch Spruance studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania and painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

Spruance was the recipient of many awards and fellowships, including two Cresson Scholarships and Guggenheim grants. He was Chairman of the Fine Arts Department at Arcadia University in Pennsylvania for 34 years and Director of Graphic Arts and Chairman of the Printmaking Department at the Philadelphia College of Art. Spruance exhibited at the Boston Printmakers, Philadelphia Print Club, Corcoran Galleries, Audubon Artists, Philadelphia Art Alliance, Laguna Beach Art Alliance and National Academy of Design. He was a member of the Philadelphia Print Club, Philadelphia Art Alliance and American Artist Congress.  
    
Spruance’s works are held in the collections of the Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art, New York Public Library, Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and Carnegie Institute.