(1867-1940)
Born in Petersburg, Virginia in 1867, Myers became an important painter of urban realism, starting with a series of images of ghetto life in 1887, the year he began studying at the Cooper Union. It is said that Myers anticipated the productions of the Ash Can School. He continued his studies at the Art Students League, where the academic experience was too imitative for Myers, which led him out into the streets of New York to find inspiration. In 1895, Myers found a position in the New York Tribune's art department, but shortly after traveled to Paris. "I asked myself what Paris could give, and the answer was 'Nothing." Myers was not in Paris for long, therefore did not have any formal European training.
Later, Myers met the influential art dealer William Macbeth, who agreed to exhibit his art. This led to various exhibitions, including the St. Louis Worlds Fair in 1904, where his painting Night Concert won a bronze medal. In 1908 MacBeth gave Myers his first one-man show in January - a month before the famous exhibition of Robert Henris group "The Eight." The style of Myers paralleled the gritty urban realism of Henri, George Luks, John Sloan and William Glackens, though Henri regarded Myers's art as too sentimental.
Myers returned to the streets of New York, especially the places where immigrants gathered on the Lower East Side. He noted, when the immigrants " merge here with New York, something happens that gives vibrancy I didn't get in any other place." He also depicted moments of leisure, for example, at the East Rover Pier and night concerts in the parks; Myers relished the outdoor activities of New York. He continued to exhibit and win awards, five at the National Academy of Design, and his works are to be found in major American museums.