Charles McGee (painter)

Charles McGee (December 15, 1924 – February 4, 2021) was an American artist and educator known for creating paintings, assemblages, and sculptures. His artwork is in the collections of the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. He also had several large-scale public works in the city of Detroit.

Charles McGee
Born
Charles William McGee

(1924-12-15)December 15, 1924
Clemson, South Carolina, U.S.
DiedFebruary 4, 2021(2021-02-04) (aged 96)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationCollege for Creative Studies
Known forVisual artist
Awards2008 Kresge Eminent Artist

Early life and education

McGee was born in Clemson, South Carolina, on December 15, 1924. He was first raised by his grandparents, who were sharecroppers.[1] He received his first artistic inspiration while picking cotton and helping his grandfather tend the land.[2][3] There, "he observed firsthand the order and harmony that exists within nature."[3] He had no formal schooling until moving to Detroit at age 10,[4] where he found that "everything was on the move and it hasn’t slowed down yet."[5] in 2017 he observed, "I learned something not being in school — because life is school . . .I learn something every time I move. Every time I go around a corner, something new is revealed to me.”[3]

As a boy, McGee attended George Washington Elementary and took art classes at the McGregor Public Library in Highland Park.[6] He attended Cleveland High School near Hamtramck and was active as a creative designer and coordinator of float construction for the school's parades.[6] After high school, McGee went to work for Briggs Manufacturing Company in Detroit.[6]

Military service

McGee enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1943 and served for three years, including during World War II.[4][7] He was stationed in Nagasaki as part of the Allied occupation of Japan.[1][2] After returning to Detroit, he took advantage of the GI Bill to attend classes at the College for Creative Studies, then known as the Society of Arts and Crafts.[3]

Career

The mediums McGee employed in the early part of his career were charcoal and painting.[2] He had a one-year sojourn in Barcelona in 1968 to learn and sightsee, and it represented a crossroads in his artistic career. The artwork he produced afterwards centered more on fundamental elements and less on subject matter, and he abandoned the realism that had dominated his early drawings.[1]

McGee regularly taught art at Eastern Michigan University from 1969 until 1987.[1] He also taught at the University of Michigan and the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center.[4][8] He established Gallery 7 and a small namesake School for the Arts where he taught. He was also responsible for preparing and curating art exhibitions.[1]

McGee's paintings, assemblages and sculptures are held in U.S. and international collections, and are on permanent display at the Detroit Institute of Arts,[9] the Dennos Museum, and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.[10]

McGee's work is installed in public settings, including the William Beaumont Hospital of Royal Oak, Michigan and the Detroit People Mover Broadway Station.[11] He co-founded the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit (CAID) in 1978.[12][8]

Detroit as a creative setting

According to the Kresge Foundation, "McGee developed an unwavering loyalty to the city and its residents, and endowed it with much of his artistic energy and artwork. 'Detroit really has been a heaven for me,' McGee explains. 'It has given me dignity and treated me with respect.'”[13]

Awards

McGee was named the inaugural Kresge Eminent Artist in 2008.[1][13] Administered by the College for Creative Studies, this award honors one Detroit artist each year for professional achievements, cultural contributions, and commitment to the local arts community.[13] The College also awarded him an honorary doctorate for his work as an artist and educator.[14]

In early 2019, Michigan Legacy Art Park announced that McGee would receive its 2019 Legacy Award "in recognition of a lifetime of achievements and influences as an artist, teacher, advocate and global citizen."[15][10]

Later life

McGee suffered a stroke in 2011,[1] which impacted his ability to produce art.[2] He died on February 4, 2021, at his home in Detroit. He was 96, and died of natural causes.[1][14]

References
  1. Stryker, Mark (February 5, 2021). "Charles McGee, leading light of Detroit art, dies at 96". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  2. Graham, Lester (February 5, 2021). "Beloved Detroit artist Charles McGee has died". Michigan Radio. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  3. Najor, Stephanie. "Force of Nature". www.tbdmag.com. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  4. Meis, Morgan (July 22, 2017). "Charles McGee's Vibrant Art and the Beauty of Detroit". ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  5. Charles McGee: Metamorphosis and Kinetic Energy, an interview with Nick Sousanis, http://www.thedetroiter.com/nov04/mcgee.html
  6. "Charles McGee, Artist, Philosopher, Grandmont Rosedale Resident". Grandmont Rosedale Development Corporation. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  7. Sousanis, Nick. "Charles McGee: Metamorphosis and Kinetic Energy". The Detroiter. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  8. Sousanis, Nick (January 4, 2006). "The Art of Seeing Art". Detroit Metro Times. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. Boissoneau, Ross (July 13, 2019). "Legendary Detroit Artist to be Honored Up North". Northern Express. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  11. Staff, Lester Graham, Stateside. "Renowned Detroit artist Charles McGee, 92, designs 11-story mural". www.michiganradio.org. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  12. "Metamorphosis: Nomadic Arts Organization Finds a Home". The Detroiter. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  13. "Detroiter Charles McGee named first-ever Kresge Eminent Artist". The Kresge Foundation. May 4, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  14. Baetens, Melody (February 5, 2021). "Revered and preeminent Detroit artist Charles McGee, 96, has died". The Detroit News. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  15. "2019 Legacy Award: Detroit Artist Charles McGee". Michigan Legacy Art Park. February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
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