Four artists assembled at the Madison Gallery in New York City to discuss the contemporary art scene in the United States.
Walt Kuhn, an artist, wrote to Vera, his wife who was staying with her mother in Chevy Chase, Maryland. He was in New York for a show of his work at the Madison Gallery. In this letter, he shared some of the earliest details of his ambitious plans for a society and an exhibition devoted to modern art. He wrote,
Henry Fitch Taylor, an artist who managed the Madison Gallery, invited more than a dozen other artists (all men) to meet at the gallery at 305 Madison Avenue. These men formed the core of what became the Association of American Painters and Sculptors (AAPS).
Fourteen members of AAPS assembled. They nominated men, and discussed a draft of the constitution.
The New York Times published an article about the formation of AAPS on page two of the daily newspaper.
J. Alden Weir resigned his post as President of the newly-formed AAPS because of an article in The New York Times that said the group was founded in opposition of the National Academy of Design.
On behalf of AAPS, Walt Kuhn entered into negotiations with Col. Louis D. Conley to lease the 69th Regiment Armory for $5,000 plus a $500 fee for additional personnel.
Col. Conley issued the formal agreement to lease the facility from February 15 to March 15, 1913.
AAPS convened the first regular meeting of directors at 59 W 39th Street, New York. They elected officers and members of the incorporation.
AAPS leadership looked abroad to developments in contemporary art and exhibitions as they planned their show for the United States. By August 1912, they decided to dispatch Walt Kuhn to tour Europe. Kuhn's itinerary included major exhibitions and major art capitals.
