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| Edward Melcarth & his painting "Last Supper" Photo by Lexington Herald Leader |
First and foremost, I need to apologize for not having written and posted about this exhibition as soon as I was first aware of it so some of my readers might have been able to go to the exhibition. But a combination of my schedule, my personal life, and other commitments prevented me from doing it when I should have. But this exhibition was far too good to see it without attempting to write about it and inform other people of Edward Melcarth and his work. The exhibition called "Edward Melcarth Points Of View" was at the University of Kentucky Art Museum and ran from January 13, 2018, to April 8, 2018. As I recall, my wife Candice and I saw it on the last or next to last day in April just before it closed. There was also a second exhibition of Melcarth's work in Lexington for part of the time this exhibition was open. That exhibition took place at Institute 193, 193 N. Limestone, Lexington, KY. It was labeled "Edward Melcarth: Rough Trade” and ran from Jan. 13, 2018, to February 10, 2018. I had hoped to see both exhibitions on the same day but the weather in January and February prevented me from doing so. I had learned about both exhibitions from an excellent article by Herald Leader columnist Tom Eblen which appeared online on January 11, 2018.
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| Edward Melcarth "Amendment" Photo by Lexington Herald Leader |
But the major exhibition at UK was a real joy to see and gave us an opportunity, as well as the rest of the Lexington market to see work from an artist whose work had nearly fallen through the cracks into oblivion and was rescued from anonymity by a strange quirk or circumstance. Melcarth had been born in Louisville in 1914, and early in his career was receiving critical acclaim. He created murals which are still on display at the Pierre Hotel in New York City. He received an award from the Art Institute Of Chicago in 1951. His works are in the private collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Whitney Museum Of American Art, the Museum Of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Art Institute Of Chicago. Yet no one has ever written a biography of him. He has no biography on Wikipedia. He had nearly disappeared from view in the ever changing world of American Art and art appreciation. But an unusual set of circumstances served to bring Melcarth back into the public eye and to motivate the two exhibitions in Lexington.
Lexington historian Jonathan Coleman wandered into Melcarth's art while working on other projects including The Faulkner Morgan Pagan Babies Archive of Kentucky LGBTQ History. Edward Melcarth, who was openly both gay and a communist, had been born into a prominent Louisville Jewish family but changed his name from Edward Epstein for unknown reasons to Edward Melcarth. He also moved to Lexington which has had a long and interesting history as somewhat of a minor gay Mecca for more than a hundred years. Later in life, he moved to Venice, Italy, where he died in relative obscurity in 1973. But Jonathan Coleman discovered his work and learned that upon Melcarth's death the publisher Malcolm Forbes had bought his entire estate. Coleman approached the Forbes Collection and eventually arranged through his Lexington and University Of Kentucky connections to bring about the simultaneous exhibitions in Lexington which were the first public displays of Melcarth's works in many years. Thanks to Jonathan Coleman art aficionados in Kentucky have at least had recent opportunities to view Melcarth's work and he has been rescued, at least temporarily, from obscurity. He deserves to remain forever in the public eye.
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| Edward Melcarth "Motorcyclists" Photo by Lexington Herald Leader |
Melcarth's works are powerful, emotionally evocative, and often unforgettable. As an openly gay man, he frequently painted male subjects with striking appreciation of their bodies. As a communist, he also created works involving strikers and working class subjects. He worked in both paints and sculpture. His wood carving "Amendment", seen above, is a wonderful construction but had visible damage and repairs from the past. However those blemishes do nothing to keep the work from burning itself into an art lover's brain. His use of light and shadow combined with his depiction of motion in "Motorcyclists", above, is also powerful and memorable work. The male subjects in "Excavation", above, are wonderfully rendered and the painting gives insight into the lives of the working class. I will not soon forget the works of Edward Melcarth. If I ever have another opportunity to see his work on exhibit, I will beat a path to the gallery's door. So should you! Let us hope that these two recent exhibits serve to keep the works of Edward Melcarth in the public eye for many years to come, generate a desire on the part of other gallery officials to show his work, and facilitate his rebirth as a darling of the world of American Art.
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