MacPherson and MacDonald
Artist
Gari Melchers
(American, 1860 - 1932)
CultureAmerican
Date1918
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions79 1/4 x 54 3/4 in. (201.3 x 139.1 cm)
Overall, Frame: 90 x 64 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. (228.6 x 163.8 x 8.9 cm)
Overall, Frame: 90 x 64 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. (228.6 x 163.8 x 8.9 cm)
SignedLower left, "Gari Melchers 1918."
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Barbara Shapiro, in memory of Merton Shapiro
Object number2009.6
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 220
Label TextGari Melchers American, 1860–1932 MacPherson and MacDonald, 1918 Oil on canvas By performing in parades in New York, musicians from the Scottish Highlands served as colorful ambassadors for the British Army and drummed up support for America’s allies during World War I. Gari Melchers records the details of their costumes with loose brushstrokes and thick layers of paint, using this bold double portrait to pay homage to an esteemed musical tradition. Nonetheless, the distinctive attire and instruments appear against an empty grey background, suggesting the growing irrelevance of such pageantry within modern, mechanized warfare. Gift of Mrs. Barbara Shapiro, in memory of Merton Shapiro 2009.6 ProvenanceBelmont, The Gari Melchers Estate and Memorial Gallery, Fredericksburg, Virginia; Graham Gallery, New York; Private collection, California; Gift of Mrs. Barbara Shapiro to the Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., 2009.Exhibition HistoryCopley Society, Boston, 1919. "Seventh Exhibition: Oil Paintings by Contemporary American Artists," Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., December 21, 1919-January 25, 1920, no. 136. "International Exhibition of Paintings," Carnegie Institute, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, 1920. "One Hundred and Sixteenth Annual Exhibition," The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, February 6-March 27, 1921, no. 108, illustrated. "Fifth Exhibition," New Society of Artists, New York, 1924. "Sesqui-Centennial International Exposition," Philadelphia, 1926. American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York, November 1932-May 1933. Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1933. Carnegie Institute, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, 1934. "At the Front," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., August 14, 2009 - January 17, 2010.Published References_World_. New York, February 27, 1927. _New York Evening Post_. December 29, 1928. H.L. Hind. _Gari Melchers, Painter_. New York: W.E. Rudge, 1928. _Pittsburgh Sun-Telegram_. January 7, 1934. Joseph G. Dreiss. _Gari Melchers: His Works in the Belmont Collection_. Charlottesville, Virginia, 1984, p. 105.
