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Malcolm McKesson BIOGRAPHY
1909 Monmouth Beach, New Jersey - 1999. Known for: Outsider art, drawings.
Malcolm McKesson (1909-1999) . He was born in Monmouth Beach, New Jersey at the summerhouse of his wealthy New York City family. He completed the Grand Tour of Europe twice before turning eighteen,... Read full biography
Malcolm McKesson (1909-1999) . He was born in Monmouth Beach, New Jersey at the summerhouse of his wealthy New York City family. He completed the Grand Tour of Europe twice before turning eighteen, and these trips piqued his interest in art history, which he later studied at Harvard University. His... Read full biography
Malcolm McKesson (1909-1999) . He was born in Monmouth Beach, New Jersey at the summerhouse of his wealthy New York City family. He completed the Grand Tour of Europe twice before turning eighteen, and these trips piqued his interest in art history, which he later studied at Harvard University. His grandfather died in 1924 and his eldest brother in 1927. McKesson graduated from Harvard University in 1933 and experienced another death in 1936, this time that of his beloved sister Mary. He served... Read full biography
Malcolm McKesson (1909-1999) . He was born in Monmouth Beach, New Jersey at the summerhouse of his wealthy New York City family. He completed the Grand Tour of Europe twice before turning eighteen, and these trips piqued his interest in art history, which he later studied at Harvard University. His grandfather died in 1924 and his eldest brother in 1927. McKesson graduated from Harvard University in 1933 and experienced another death in 1936, this time that of his beloved sister Mary. He served as a second lieutenant during World War II, marrying poet Madeline Mason at Fort McClellan, Alabama in 1942. Upon returning to New York, he began working in the family chemical company. This he would do until 1961, when with Mason's support he was... Read full biography
Malcolm McKesson (1909-1999) . He was born in Monmouth Beach, New Jersey at the summerhouse of his wealthy New York City family. He completed the Grand Tour of Europe twice before turning eighteen, and these trips piqued his interest in art history, which he later studied at Harvard University. His grandfather died in 1924 and his eldest brother in 1927. McKesson graduated from Harvard University in 1933 and experienced another death in 1936, this time that of his beloved sister Mary. He served as a second lieutenant during World War II, marrying poet Madeline Mason at Fort McClellan, Alabama in 1942. Upon returning to New York, he began working in the family chemical company. This he would do until 1961, when with Mason's support he was able to retire from the business world and devote his life to his secret creation. Other than his early... Read full biography
Artist Biography
Biography page for Malcolm McKesson ((1909 - 1999)), known for Outsider art, drawings. Showing 1 biographical entries and 0 sample artworks.
Malcolm McKesson - Artist Info
About Malcolm McKesson
Biography from the Archives of askART
Malcolm McKesson (1909-1999)
He was born in Monmouth Beach, New Jersey at the summerhouse of his wealthy New York City family. He completed the Grand Tour of Europe twice before turning eighteen, and these trips piqued his interest in art history, which he later studied at Harvard University. His grandfather died in 1924 and his eldest brother in 1927.
McKesson graduated from Harvard University in 1933 and experienced another death in 1936, this time that of his beloved sister Mary. He served as a second lieutenant during World War II, marrying poet Madeline Mason at Fort McClellan, Alabama in 1942. Upon returning to New York, he began working in the family chemical company. This he would do until 1961, when with Mason's support he was able to retire from the business world and devote his life to his secret creation. Other than his early retirement, the couple led a conventional middle-class life in New York City, summering in the Catskills and serving on the boards of a variety of community organizations; none of their friends could ever have guessed at McKesson's other life.
Madeline Mason died in 1990. Three years later, McKesson approached dealers at the New York Outsider Art Fair. Although he did not necessarily think of himself as an outsider, based on the other work he had seen there, he felt that here was an audience that might appreciate him.
Sources include:
McKesson, Malcolm. (1997). Matriarchy: Freedom in Bondage. Heck Editions.
Rhodes, Colin. (2002). "Fulfillments of desire in the work of a self-taught artist: the intimate existence of Malcolm McKesson." Journal of the Association of Art Historians. 25 (5), 649-675.
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