My Introduction to David (and Anne) McCosh THE ESSAY about McCosh’s Cohasset paintings, which
On the very last day of the show, I was sitting in
follows this introduction (page 24), was written for
the galleries on a bench, lost in front of one of my
Community Favorites from the McCosh Collection, an exhi-
favorite works, when a bright-eyed, older woman (I
bition at the University of Oregon Museum of Art
later learned she was 83 years old), with well-curled
(UOMA, as it was known then) of paintings by David
hair and an old-style east coast, matter-of-fact
McCosh. The show was presented in the summer of
manner sat next to me and said, “You know, I’ve seen
2000, a few years before the Karin Clarke Gallery
you here a lot. You look at art like you’re a painter.
exhibitions began, which are the subject of this publi-
Were you one of Dave’s students?” I thanked her for
cation. I was one of six individuals who were invited
the compliment and told her that I’d been looking
to select three of McCosh’s paintings from the Muse-
at paintings all my life, studied painting in college—
um’s permanent collection and explain the choices
really worked at it—but now I mostly just try to
in a brief statement that would be posted alongside
understand painting. And I described some of my
the selections.
few seconds—l learned later that was a long pause in a
I first saw it at the UOMA shortly after moving to
conversation for Anne—and she asked, “What’s your
Eugene in 1976. It was original, personal, and visually
name?” Anne had a way of speaking rhythmically
exciting—some of the most interesting and authentic
and pronouncing her words with an almost musical
painting I had seen in Oregon. There wasn’t much of McCosh’s work to be seen in
clarity, which probably came from learning English as a second language, after the Czech her parents spoke.
the other museums and galleries I visited in the North-
I told her, and she responded by saying, “Well, I’m
west. But the UOMA in those years usually had on
Anne McCosh, and you sound like you’re serious. If
display a rotating group of works from the Museum’s
you want to see more of David’s work, I have it all
Northwest collection and different McCosh paintings
in the studio at our house. Give me a call and we’ll
would periodically appear. I looked forward to each as
make a time for you to come over and look.”
a new discovery. I was especially taken by Goats on a
That was the beginning of a fine friendship. I
Hillside in Spain—with its animals, carefully observed
made many trips over to the studio and spent hours
and painted so they integrated into and moved seam-
looking at David’s work and discussing it with Anne.
lessly through the rough fabric of the Spanish land-
I describe that experience in the essay in this publi-
scape. I thought then as I do today that this is a major
cation entitled “Anne McCosh: One Remarkable
American painting. Why isn’t the painter who made
Woman.” With her blessing I curated a retrospec-
it—David McCosh—nationally known?
tive exhibition for the Maude Kerns Art Center of
In 1985, the UOMA mounted a major retrospective,
McCosh’s works on paper, which I selected from her
planned, curated, and installed by former McCosh
personal collection. When I was invited to participate
students who understood his work deeply. That show
in the Community Favorites show, it was several years
was a revelation, and it remains to this day one of the
after Anne’s death, but our discussions about the key
best and most important exhibitions of the life’s work of
points in David’s development as a painter were very
a painter that the Museum has presented. I visited the
much in my mind. As I wrote about my selections, I
show many times, studied the paintings closely, poured
recalled the importance she placed on the work that
over the essays in the show’s catalog, and read all of the
he did at the beach in Cohasset, Washington, during
reference materials that were cited to learn more. What
his first sabbatical leave from the university in the
was the source of McCosh’s art, I wondered. Who was
fall of 1949.
the man who made it? 22
reactions to McCosh’s work. She looked at me for a
McCosh’s work impressed me from the start when
