Henry Lee McFee
Encyclopedia
Henry Lee McFee was a pioneer American
cubist painter and a prominent member of the Woodstock artists colony.
in 1886. From 1902 to 1905, he attended Kemper Military School
in Boonville, Missouri
. In 1907, he inherited a large sum of money, allowing him to enroll in the Stevenson Art School and pursue painting full time. He was heavily influenced by the two summers he spent attending classes at the Art Students League in Woodstock, New York
, studying under Birge Harrison. In November 1913, McFee exhibited six works at the MacDowell Club. In 1919, McFee was one of the founders of the Woodstock Artists’ Association, along with Andrew Dasburg
, Carl Eric Lindin, John Carlson, and Frank Swift Chase
. In 1920, his work was shown at the Gallerie Georges Petit's International Art Exhibition in Paris. McFee's first one-man show was in 1927 at the Rehn Galler. In 1939 McFee was appointed Director at the Witte Museum School of Art, which was sponsored by the San Antonio Art League. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship
in 1940, and in 1940-1941 he held positions at Claremont College
and the Chouinard Art Institute
in Los Angeles, California
. He works closely with fellow Los Angeles artist and teacher Bentley Schaad
.
McFee was married to Aileen Fletcher Jones from 1916 to 1936, when he eloped with her niece, Eleanor Brown Gutsell. McFee's synchromist and cubist influenced works were exhibited at many notable venues throughout his career, including the Carnegie Institute
, the Pennsylvania Academy, the Corcoran Gallery, the Museum of Modern Art
, and the Whitney Museum. McFee died in 1953 of pneumonia
at St. Luke Hospital in Pasadena, California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cubist painter and a prominent member of the Woodstock artists colony.
Biography
McFee was born in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
in 1886. From 1902 to 1905, he attended Kemper Military School
Kemper Military School
Kemper Military School & College was a private military school located in Boonville, Missouri. Kemper filed for bankruptcy and closed in 2002. The school's motto was "Nunquam Non Paratus" .-Early years under Frederick T. Kemper:...
in Boonville, Missouri
Boonville, Missouri
This page is about the city in Missouri. For other communities of the same name, see Boonville Boonville is a city in Cooper County, Missouri, USA. The population was 8,202 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cooper County. The city was the site of a skirmish early in the American Civil...
. In 1907, he inherited a large sum of money, allowing him to enroll in the Stevenson Art School and pursue painting full time. He was heavily influenced by the two summers he spent attending classes at the Art Students League in Woodstock, New York
Woodstock, New York
Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 at the 2000 census.The Town of Woodstock is in the northern part of the county...
, studying under Birge Harrison. In November 1913, McFee exhibited six works at the MacDowell Club. In 1919, McFee was one of the founders of the Woodstock Artists’ Association, along with Andrew Dasburg
Andrew Dasburg
Andrew Michael Dasburg was an American modernist painter and "one of America's leading early exponents of cubism".-Biography:...
, Carl Eric Lindin, John Carlson, and Frank Swift Chase
Frank Swift Chase
Frank Swift Chase was an American Post-Impressionist landscape painter and a founder of the Woodstock Artists Association in Woodstock, New York, the art colony at Nantucket, Massachusetts, and the Sarasota School of Art in Florida....
. In 1920, his work was shown at the Gallerie Georges Petit's International Art Exhibition in Paris. McFee's first one-man show was in 1927 at the Rehn Galler. In 1939 McFee was appointed Director at the Witte Museum School of Art, which was sponsored by the San Antonio Art League. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
in 1940, and in 1940-1941 he held positions at Claremont College
Claremont College
Claremont College opened in 1990 as a senior secondary Government school in Tasmania, Australia, for students in Years 11 and 12. It provides a full range of courses, preparing students for university, TAFE, traineeships and employment...
and the Chouinard Art Institute
Chouinard Art Institute
The Chouinard Art Institute was a professional art school founded in 1921 in Los Angeles, California, by Nelbert Murphy Chouinard .-Founder:...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. He works closely with fellow Los Angeles artist and teacher Bentley Schaad
Bentley Schaad
Bentley Schaad , was a California modernist and art educator.Bentley Schaad was born in Los Angeles, California in 1925. As an art student, he attended Jepson Art Institute, the Art Center in Pasadena, and the Claremont Colleges. A pupil, and later a colleague, of Henry Lee McFee, Schaad learned...
.
McFee was married to Aileen Fletcher Jones from 1916 to 1936, when he eloped with her niece, Eleanor Brown Gutsell. McFee's synchromist and cubist influenced works were exhibited at many notable venues throughout his career, including the Carnegie Institute
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh are four museums that are operated by the Carnegie Institute headquartered in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, the Pennsylvania Academy, the Corcoran Gallery, the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, and the Whitney Museum. McFee died in 1953 of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
at St. Luke Hospital in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
.
Further reading
- Henry Lee McFee and Formalist Realism in American Still Life. 1923-1936. By John Baker. Center Gallery. Lewisburg. 1987.
- Henry Lee McFee (American Artists Series). By Virgil Barker. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. 1931.
- Henry Lee McFee. By Arthur Millier. Scripps College, Claremont, Calif., 1950.