Adolphe Borie was born in Philadelphia. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1895 to 1899 under William Merritt Chase (1849 1916) and Thomas Anshutz (1851-1912), and at the Royal Academy of Munich from 1899 to 1902 with Carl Marr (1858-1936). He frequently visited Paris, where he was influenced by Impressionism and modernism. Like his Philadelphia contemporaries Arthur B. Carles (1882 1952) and Henry McCarter (1864 1942), Borie rebelled against the academic traditions promulgated by Thomas Eakins (1844 1916) and introduced modern art to the city. Borie supported himself by painting portraits, and won the Carol Beck Gold Medal for portraiture from the Academy in 1910. He became a fellow of the Academy as well as a member of the National Society of Portrait Painters, the Art Club of Philadelphia, and the National Academy of Design in New York. After Borie died the Philadelphia Museum of Art held a memorial exhibition of his work in 1935.

Biography courtesy of Schwarz Gallery, www.antiquesandfineart.com/schwarzphila