James McBey

Gerald Leslie Brockhurst British
 Sitter James McBey British

Not on view

In 1931 Brockhurst met McBey at a London dinner party and persuaded his fellow artist to sit for a portrait (Albert H. Wiggin Collection, Boston Public Library). The Scottish-born McBey had served as an Official War Artist in the Middle East during World War I then continued to achieve success as a painter and etcher. The year this portrait was made he married the American artist-photographer Marguerite Loeb and began traveling regularly between London, New York and Tangiers. The print establishes a strong tonal divide in the background and uses the edge of a brightly lit wall to enhance the figure's three-dimensionality–the light area at right was made by leaving a significant portion of the plate unetched. As a whole, the composition conveys McBey's strong personality.

James McBey, Gerald Leslie Brockhurst (British, Birmingham 1890–1978 Franklin Lakes, New Jersey), Etching; ninth state of nine

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

James McBey, Gerald Leslie Brockhurst (British, Birmingham 1890–1978 Franklin Lakes, New Jersey), Etching; ninth state of nine
James McBey, Gerald Leslie Brockhurst (British, Birmingham 1890–1978 Franklin Lakes, New Jersey), Etching; ninth state of nine

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.