Associated American Artists was begun by Reeves Lewenthal. Lewenthal's first job was as a reporter for the "Chicago Tribune" but he quickly expanded into artists' agent, working as a publicist for British artist Douglas Chandor. By the 1930s Lewenthal had a clientele of 35 groups including the National Academy of Design and the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design. Realizing the limited possibilities in selling high-priced art to high-class dealers, and the correspondingly huge potential in marketing affordable art to the much larger middle classes, he left his public relations work to try his hand at this new business model.