HARRY JACKSON
(American, 1924-2011)
The Marshall II
1978, bronze on marble base
inscribed, dated, and numbered Harry Jackson 1978 MAII 21
height: 17 1/2 in.
Provenance: The Collection of a Massachusetts Lady.
Other Notes: Raised in Chicago by a single mother, Harry Jackson ran away from home at the age of 14 and headed West. From an early age, he was inspired by the cowboy culture of the West, returning to the trope throughout his artistic career. He was a sketch artist for the Marines during World War II, and, after being wounded in the Battle of Tarawa, convalesced in Los Angeles, where he was exposed to the works of Abstract Expressionists such as Jackson Pollock for the first time. Jackson was immediately drawn to these works, and moved to New York, studying under Rufino Tamayo and Hans Hoffman while befriending Pollock, de Kooning, and others.
He exhibited at Tibor de Nagy in the early 1950s and was lauded by Clement Greenberg and others as one to watch within the second generation of abstract expressionists. However, it was not long before Jackson turned away from abstract expressionism, traveling to Italy in 1954, exploring portraiture and history painting, and ultimately leaving the New York scene behind. He developed an interest in the lost wax method of bronze making and polychromed bronze, and today is perhaps best known for these bronze works. Ultimately, he found his way back West, settling in Cody, Wyoming, where he was commissioned to create a number of important bronze sculptures throughout his career.