William James Glackens, March 13, 1870–May 22, 1938, was an American painter and illustrator born in Philadelphia. He worked for Philadelphia newspapers and attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, studying under Thomas Anshutz. Through John Sloan he became associated with Robert Henri and other painters who later exhibited as The Eight.

Glackens traveled in Europe in 1895–1896 and settled in New York in 1896. He participated in The Eight’s exhibition in 1908 and helped organize the Armory Show of 1913. His subjects included city life, portraits, landscapes, beach scenes, and still lifes; his later painting reflected his interest in French Impressionism. In 1912 he purchased European paintings for his former schoolmate Albert C. Barnes.

Glackens continued painting and exhibiting during his final decades and was elected a full member of the National Academy of Design in 1933. He died in Westport, Connecticut, in 1938. His work is held by the Barnes Foundation, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale.

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