Merton Simpson
Encyclopedia
Merton Daniel Simpson is an American abstract expressionist painter and African and tribal art collector.
. Between the ages of six and eleven he spent much of his time in and out of hospitals receiving treatment for diphtheria and rheumatic fever. During this time he started to doodle and sketch to pass the time. His interest in art grew and he began drawing and sketching in earnest. At the age of thirteen Simpson was discovered by local artist William Halsey who took Simpson under his wing. For the next four years, Halsey taught Simpson the basics of painting and introduced him to the concept of abstract art. Jean Robertson Fleming, another local artist, was also instrumental in discovering Simpson’s talent and helping him hone his skills.
In the midst of a still segregated South, Simpson was not allowed to take art classes at the city run Gibbes Gallery where artist William Halsey worked. Simpson frequently went in to privately work with his mentor Halsey. Simpson attended Burke High School in Charleston. After graduating in 1949 Halsey, his wife Corrie McCallum and former director of the Charleston Museum Laura Bragg sponsored Merton Simpson’s first solo art show. Two receptions for the art show were held; "one for whites and one for whites who didn't mind coming to a reception with blacks."
after he finished high school. He attended New York University
for the first year and got accepted by Cooper Union
. He took classes at NYU during the day and Cooper Union
at night. Simpson also got a job at the framing shop of Herbert Benevy. Many well-known artists came to the framing shop and in time critiqued Simpson's work and developed a relationship with him. It was at NYU where Simpson became acquainted with Woodruff
, William Baziotes
and Motherwell
. The New York School
was also having its impact during that time and Merton Simpson came in close contact with Franz Kline
, Max Weber
and Willem de Kooning
at the framing shop. Out of all the colleges Simpson attended in New York, he credits the framing shop for giving him his real education.
in 1951 and went to Griffiss Air Force Base
near Utica, NY for basic training. He did a portrait of base commander General Howell and assigned him to Special Service. Simpson also played in the Air Force Band, but was told that there was a greater need for artists. His title was official Air Force artist and he spent his time in service painting a number of military commanders including Chief of Staff
General Twining
and General Eisenhower
who paid Simpson $100 for painting his portrait. When asked if he wanted to take a commission Simpson said that he wanted to go home to visit his ailing mother where he though he would be of more use. His wish was granted. Some of his paintings are still on display in the Pentagon. .
and in 1954 his work was displayed in the Younger American Painters exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum
. As his reputation grew his artwork made exhibitions at a number of galleries in New York City and even Washington, DC. By 1955 Simpson had a one-person exhibition at the Bertha Schaeffer Gallery. As Simpson became more established in New York he also became interested in the School of Paris
and established residence in Paris
. The new environment had a clear and direct impact on his painting style which previously was greatly shaped by the brush painters of the New York School. Simpson divided his time between Paris and New York where he set up his own gallery in the 1950s.
and Hale Woodruff
. The original purpose of Spiral was to gather African American artists to discuss political and social issues, the Civil Rights Movement
. The group was formed in part as a response to A Philip Randolph's call for a "new visual order" that would be created in part by artists' contribution to the Black Freedom struggle. Members of the group worked together in obtaining buses to travel to the March on Washington in 1963. The focus of the group shifted from a more explicitly political trend to one that was more aesthetic and artistic. Bearden introduced Spiral members to collage work and the black and white artwork the group created reflected the political turmoil of the time.
, Julius Carl Clark and Hale Woodruff had in their personal collections. Simpson purchased his first African carving in 1949. Initially he learned much about African and tribal art by visiting the gallery of Julius Carlebach, a dealer in rare items. He started collecting for several years and made the decision to get involved with the business of African and tribal art when his parents needed help and his siblings needed money to go to college. As his knowledge and experience in the field grew he eventually became known as one of the most prominent dealers of African art in the world.
Band. Later in life he played with various jazz groups, ensembles and musicians including George Coleman
and Harold Mabern
.
neighborhood of Manhattan
. The gallery holds a large collection of African and tribal art, and Merton Simpson's paintings. The gallery will reopen to the public in May 2011.
Early life
Merton Simpson was born in Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. Between the ages of six and eleven he spent much of his time in and out of hospitals receiving treatment for diphtheria and rheumatic fever. During this time he started to doodle and sketch to pass the time. His interest in art grew and he began drawing and sketching in earnest. At the age of thirteen Simpson was discovered by local artist William Halsey who took Simpson under his wing. For the next four years, Halsey taught Simpson the basics of painting and introduced him to the concept of abstract art. Jean Robertson Fleming, another local artist, was also instrumental in discovering Simpson’s talent and helping him hone his skills.
In the midst of a still segregated South, Simpson was not allowed to take art classes at the city run Gibbes Gallery where artist William Halsey worked. Simpson frequently went in to privately work with his mentor Halsey. Simpson attended Burke High School in Charleston. After graduating in 1949 Halsey, his wife Corrie McCallum and former director of the Charleston Museum Laura Bragg sponsored Merton Simpson’s first solo art show. Two receptions for the art show were held; "one for whites and one for whites who didn't mind coming to a reception with blacks."
Education
Simpson became the first African American to receive a prestigious five-year fellowship from the Charleston Scientific and Cultural Education fund and left South Carolina in 1949 for New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
after he finished high school. He attended New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
for the first year and got accepted by Cooper Union
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
. He took classes at NYU during the day and Cooper Union
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
at night. Simpson also got a job at the framing shop of Herbert Benevy. Many well-known artists came to the framing shop and in time critiqued Simpson's work and developed a relationship with him. It was at NYU where Simpson became acquainted with Woodruff
Woodruff
Galium odoratum is a perennial plant in the family Rubiaceae, native to Europe, North Africa and Western Asia.A herbaceous plant, it grows to 30-50 cm long, often lying flat on the ground or supported by other plants...
, William Baziotes
William Baziotes
William Baziotes was an American painter influenced by Surrealism and was a contributor to Abstract Expressionism.-Life and career:...
and Motherwell
Motherwell
Motherwell is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, south east of Glasgow. The name "Moderwelt" appears on a map of Lanarkshire made by Timothy Pont some time between 1583 and 1611 and printed in the Netherlands in around 1652, although the settlement was probably little more...
. The New York School
New York School
The New York School was an informal group of American poets, painters, dancers, and musicians active in the 1950s, 1960s in New York City...
was also having its impact during that time and Merton Simpson came in close contact with Franz Kline
Franz Kline
Franz Jozef Kline was an American painter mainly associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement centered around New York in the 1940s and 1950s. He was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and attended Girard College, an academy in Philadelphia for fatherless boys...
, Max Weber
Max Weber
Karl Emil Maximilian "Max" Weber was a German sociologist and political economist who profoundly influenced social theory, social research, and the discipline of sociology itself...
and Willem de Kooning
Willem de Kooning
Willem de Kooning was a Dutch American abstract expressionist artist who was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands....
at the framing shop. Out of all the colleges Simpson attended in New York, he credits the framing shop for giving him his real education.
Air Force
Simpson enlisted in the Air ForceAir force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
in 1951 and went to Griffiss Air Force Base
Griffiss Air Force Base
Griffiss Air Force Base, is a former United States Air Force base, located in Rome, New York, about NW of Utica. Missions at Griffiss AFB included fighter interceptors, electronic research, installation, and support activities, aerial refueling, and bombers...
near Utica, NY for basic training. He did a portrait of base commander General Howell and assigned him to Special Service. Simpson also played in the Air Force Band, but was told that there was a greater need for artists. His title was official Air Force artist and he spent his time in service painting a number of military commanders including Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
The Chief of Staff of the Air Force is a statutory office held by a four-star general in the United States Air Force, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Air Force, and as such is the principal military advisor and a deputy to the Secretary of the...
General Twining
Nathan Farragut Twining
Nathan Farragut Twining, KBE was a United States Air Force General, born in Monroe, Wisconsin. He was Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force from 1953 until 1957...
and General Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
who paid Simpson $100 for painting his portrait. When asked if he wanted to take a commission Simpson said that he wanted to go home to visit his ailing mother where he though he would be of more use. His wish was granted. Some of his paintings are still on display in the Pentagon. .
Simpson becomes an Established Artist
After four years in the service, Simpson went back to NYU to resume his work. In 1951 his work appeared in an exhibition at the Museum of Modern ArtMuseum 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 in 1954 his work was displayed in the Younger American Painters exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum
Guggenheim Museum
Guggenheim Museum may refer to:* The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, United States* The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy* The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain* The Guggenheim Hermitage Museum in Las Vegas, United States...
. As his reputation grew his artwork made exhibitions at a number of galleries in New York City and even Washington, DC. By 1955 Simpson had a one-person exhibition at the Bertha Schaeffer Gallery. As Simpson became more established in New York he also became interested in the School of Paris
School of Paris
School of Paris refers to two distinct groups of artists — a group of medieval manuscript illuminators, and a group of non-French artists working in Paris before World War I...
and established residence in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. The new environment had a clear and direct impact on his painting style which previously was greatly shaped by the brush painters of the New York School. Simpson divided his time between Paris and New York where he set up his own gallery in the 1950s.
The Spiral Group
Simpson was a member of the Spiral Group which was formed by fellow artists and colleagues Romare BeardenRomare Bearden
Romare Bearden was an African American artist and writer. He worked in several media including cartoons, oils, and collage.-Education:...
and Hale Woodruff
Hale Woodruff
Hale Aspacio Woodruff was an African American artist known for his murals, paintings, and prints. One example of his work, the three-panel Amistad Mutiny murals , can be found at Talladega College in Talladega County, Alabama...
. The original purpose of Spiral was to gather African American artists to discuss political and social issues, the Civil Rights Movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
. The group was formed in part as a response to A Philip Randolph's call for a "new visual order" that would be created in part by artists' contribution to the Black Freedom struggle. Members of the group worked together in obtaining buses to travel to the March on Washington in 1963. The focus of the group shifted from a more explicitly political trend to one that was more aesthetic and artistic. Bearden introduced Spiral members to collage work and the black and white artwork the group created reflected the political turmoil of the time.
Confrontation
The 1960s created yet another shift in Simpson's style. The social and political movements of the decade in general and the Harlem Riot of 1964 which Simpson witnessed firsthand had a particular impact on his painting. The artist responded by creating the so-called "Confrontation" series of painting series that featured schematized black and white faces inter-meshed in an intense encounter. The works were greatly inspired by Bearden's collage technique.African and Tribal Art Dealer
Simpson was first drawn to African and tribal art after seeing some sculptures that Paul RobesonPaul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
, Julius Carl Clark and Hale Woodruff had in their personal collections. Simpson purchased his first African carving in 1949. Initially he learned much about African and tribal art by visiting the gallery of Julius Carlebach, a dealer in rare items. He started collecting for several years and made the decision to get involved with the business of African and tribal art when his parents needed help and his siblings needed money to go to college. As his knowledge and experience in the field grew he eventually became known as one of the most prominent dealers of African art in the world.
Musician
Along with art, Merton Simpson has always had a deep passion for music which has at times complemented his artwork. He learned to play the saxophone, tenor sax, clarinet and flute as a youth in Charleston. Simpson played with the famed Jenkins OrphanageJenkins Orphanage
The Jenkins Orphanage was established in 1891 by Rev. Daniel J. Jenkins in Charleston, South Carolina. Jenkins was a former slave turned minister who, upon stumbling across homeless youths, decided to organize an orphanage for young African American children...
Band. Later in life he played with various jazz groups, ensembles and musicians including George Coleman
George Coleman
George Edward Coleman is an American hard bop saxophonist, bandleader, and composer, known chiefly for his work with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock in the 1960s.-Biography:...
and Harold Mabern
Harold Mabern
Harold Mabern is a hard bop and soul jazz pianist.Early in his career, Mabern played in Chicago with Walter Perkins' MJT + 3 in the late 1950s before moving to New York in 1959. Mabern has worked with Jimmy Forrest, Lionel Hampton, the Jazztet , Donald Byrd, Miles Davis , J. J...
.
The Merton Simpson Gallery
In 2000 the Merton Simpson Gallery moved to 38 West 28th Street in the ChelseaChelsea, Manhattan
Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The district's boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, 30th Street to the north, the western boundary of the Ladies' Mile Historic District – which lies between the Avenue of the Americas and...
neighborhood of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. The gallery holds a large collection of African and tribal art, and Merton Simpson's paintings. The gallery will reopen to the public in May 2011.
Highlights of Exhibition
- 1952 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- 1954 Guggenheim Museum, New York
- 1956 Museum of Art, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- 1960 Krasner Gallery, New York (solo)
- 1978 Edward Merrin Gallery, New York (solo)
- 1979 Huntsville Museum, Alabama
- 1982 Langston Society, New York (solo)
- 1983 Charleston County Library, South Carolina (solo)
- 1983 Allan Stone Gallery, New York (solo)
- 1984 Simon Center for the Arts, Charleston, South Carolina
- 1984 Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
- 1990 Twinning Gallery, New York (solo)
- 1992 Noir d’Ivoire Gallery, Paris (solo)
- 1993 Tambaran Gallery, New York (solo)