Lewis Teague

Who was Lewis Teague?

R. Lewis Teague was a renowned American painter. The youngest son of Industrial Designer Walter Dorwin Teague, he initially studied architecture at the Pratt Institute. Two years into his studies, he was encouraged to consider pursuing painting by Tom Benrimo, his instructor, and he began studying at the Art Students League of New York, finding Morris Kantor a sympathetic mentor and teacher.

Born to Cecilia Fehon Teague and Walter Dorwin Teague, Teague attended PS1, then Gow School for Dyslexia and Learning Disabilities. Teague was left-handed, and letters from his father indicate he was there, at least partially, to learn to write with his right hand. While there, he learned to ski, inspiring his older brother, Dorwin, to also take up the sport, thus inspiring three generations of Teague skiers. Lewis was a member of the lacrosse and rugby teams.

Teague married Mary Lee Abbott in 1941, and enlisted in the US Army the same year. Teague left the Army in 1945 at the end of the war, and he and Abbott separated in 1946. Teague returned to the Art Students League where he met Virginia Vanderbilt.