Malcolm Myers (1917-2002) was a master printmaker, painter and teacher. He started the printmaking department at the University of Minnesota where he taught for more than 50 years. In 1951 and 1954 he received Guggenheim Fellowships to work in Paris and then in Mexico City.

Malcolm Myers (1917-2002), Little Jazz Band, 1963. Intaglio (etching, aquatint, open bite and color stencil), ed. 2, 17½ x 23¾ in.

 

Myers often worked in series. Among them were intaglio and woodcut prints of animals. “I have a deep respect for animals, birds—all living things—which I attempt to convey in many of my prints,” he explained. “I try to show the uniqueness of creatures that I portray. This very possibly may be the influence of my early reading of books about Peter Rabbit, Danny Meadow Mouse, and Blacky the Crow.”

J. Kenneth Fine Art in Shelburne, Vermont, has assembled an exhibition of Myers’ animal prints from the artist’s estate—the first major gallery exhibition of Myers’ work outside of Minnesota and California. Malcolm Myers: Animal Fair continues through February 28.

Malcolm Myers (1917-2002), Fox, 1955. Woodcut, color stencil, ed. 2, 4 x 6½ in.

 

Malcolm Myers (1917-2002), Animals Crossing the Bridge, 1962. Intaglio (etching, open bite, aquatint, roulette and color stencil), 26½ x 40 in.

 

Among the many influences on Myers, gallery owner John Kenneth Alexander explains, were his experiences in New York City when he was in the service. “Myers joined the United States Merchant Marine to support the World War II effort,” he says. “He traveled to Catalina Island, California, for training and was then sent to officers’ school in Sheepshead Bay, New York. While in New York, he went to many blues and jazz clubs and saw many greats like Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Billie Holiday. Blues and jazz would go on to influence his work greatly.”

Alexander continues, “In 1950, Myers received a Guggenheim Fellowship and spent almost two years in Paris, working in the iconic printmaking studio Atelier 17. It was here that he met Joan Miró, Enrique Zañartu and other artists involved in the art of printmaking. Myers was awarded a second Guggenheim Fellowship in 1954, and spent the year working in Mexico City, Mexico, where he met Diego Rivera. Myers renewed his friendship painter Rufino Tamayo, whom he had met in Paris at Jacques Desjobert & Sons, a famous lithography workshop.”

Malcolm Myers (1917-2002), Bewitched Cow, 1962. Intaglio (etching, open bite and hand-applied gouache), 23 x 24 in.

 

Works in the exhibition range from the relatively simple woodcut and stencil Fox, 1955, to the complex composition and execution of Litte Jazz Band, 1963, an intaglio (etching, aquatint, open bite and color stencil), recalling his years in New York.

Myers said, “I have been a devotee of progressive jazz for a long time and like to think that my attitude about executing a print has something in common with the improvisational aspects of good jazz music.” —

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