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  • Painter
  • Patron
· American · 1888–1964

Gerald Murphy

The American painter whose Riviera household, run with his wife Sara, drew the expatriate 1920s to Cap d'Antibes and stands behind the Divers of Tender Is the Night.

Details

Lived
1888–1964
Born
1888
Died
1964
Nationality
American
Roles
PainterPatron

About Gerald Murphy

Gerald Murphy was an American painter who moved to France in 1921 and produced a small body of precise, hard-edged pictures — among them Watch and Razor — before giving up painting in the early 1930s.

With his wife Sara Murphy he made Villa America at Cap d'Antibes into the gathering place of expatriate summers, hosting F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso and others. Fitzgerald met the Murphys on the Riviera in 1924, and their manner of living contributed directly to the world of Tender Is the Night, which he dedicated to them.

People Gerald Murphy Knew

Relationships with other people, with sources for each connection.

Illustrated portrait of Sara Murphy

Sara Murphy

  • Patron
  • Muse

Married to · 1915

Gerald Murphy and Sara Sherman Wiborg married in 1915 and moved to France in 1921, where their household at Cap d'Antibes became the centre of expatriate Riviera summers.

— A Fitzgerald Chronology — Bruccoli Collection

Illustrated portrait of F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald

  • Author

Corresponded with · 1924

Fitzgerald met Gerald and Sara Murphy on the Riviera in 1924 and remained in contact with them for the rest of his life. Their way of living contributed directly to the world of Tender Is the Night.

— A Fitzgerald Chronology — Bruccoli Collection

Works Connected to Gerald Murphy

Books, art, and other works connected to Gerald Murphy, with sources explaining each connection.

Cover of Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Dedicatee · Book

Tender Is the Night

F. Scott Fitzgerald · 1934

Tender Is the Night carries a dedication to Gerald and Sara Murphy, the couple whose Riviera household stands behind its social world.

— A Fitzgerald Chronology — Bruccoli Collection

Connections and Sources

Gerald Murphy’s connections to people, places, and works, with the sources behind each one.

Married to · 1915

Sara Murphy

Gerald Murphy and Sara Sherman Wiborg married in 1915 and moved to France in 1921, where their household at Cap d'Antibes became the centre of expatriate Riviera summers.

— A Fitzgerald Chronology — Bruccoli Collection

Corresponded with · 1924

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald met Gerald and Sara Murphy on the Riviera in 1924 and remained in contact with them for the rest of his life. Their way of living contributed directly to the world of Tender Is the Night.

— A Fitzgerald Chronology — Bruccoli Collection

Dedicatee · 1934

Tender Is the Night

Tender Is the Night carries a dedication to Gerald and Sara Murphy, the couple whose Riviera household stands behind its social world.

— A Fitzgerald Chronology — Bruccoli Collection

References

References

The sources below include biographies, scholarly essays, interviews, and primary materials that informed this page. They reflect both the historical record and ongoing critical conversations about Gerald Murphy and their work.

  1. 1A Fitzgerald Chronology — Bruccoli Collection

    Archive
    University of South Carolina Libraries
    Used for

    Archival evidence used to document the historical record connected to Gerald Murphy.

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Why these sources are here

These references anchor the page in the documented record and in the scholarly conversations around Gerald Murphy. Every claim on this page traces back to one or more of the works listed here.

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