Malcolm McKesson (July 24, 1909 – February 5, 1999) was an American outsider artist known for his ballpoint pen drawings and his erotic fiction. He was the husband of poet

Madeline Mason-Manheim Madeline Mason-Manheim (also known by the pseudonym Tyler Mason) (1908-1990) was an American poet and translator. Her work was also published under the names Madeline Mason and Tyler Mason. She was married to the outsider artist and novelist Malco ...

Biography

Malcolm McKesson was born in Monmouth Beach, New Jersey at the summer house of his wealthy

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

family.Malcolm McKesson
, outsiderart.co.uk. Accessed July 21, 2009. He completed the

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...

of Europe twice before turning eighteen, sparking his interest in

art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

, which he later studied at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. His grandfather died in 1924 and his eldest brother in 1927. McKesson entered

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1933 and experienced another death in 1936, of his sister Mary. Graduating in 1937, he served as a second lieutenant during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, marrying poet

Fort McClellan, Alabama Fort McClellan, originally Camp McClellan, is a decommissioned United States Army post located adjacent to the city of Anniston, Alabama. During World War II, it was one of the largest U.S. Army installations, training an estimated half-million tr ...

in 1942. Upon returning to New York, he worked in the family chemical company until 1961, when with Mason's support he was able to retire from the business world and devote his life to his art in secret. Other than his early retirement, the couple led a conventional middle-class life in New York City, summering in the Catskills and serving on the boards of a variety of community organizations, with none of their friends aware of McKesson's other life. Madeline Mason died in 1990. Three years later, McKesson approached dealers at the New York Outsider Art Fair. Although he did not necessarily think of himself as an outsider, he suspected that others at the fair might appreciate his work based on the other work present.

Writing

McKesson's writing explores themes of

gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent, and consistent with the i ...

, transvestism, and

sado-masochism Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refer ...

, all of which are developed in the semi-autobiographical erotica novella, ''Matriarchy: Freedom in Bondage'', his magnum opus. This book follows the sexual transformation of Harvard undergraduate Gerald Graham, who willingly subjects himself to the authority of the stern Lady Gladys. She teaches him to "curb his manly nature" by forcing him to take on the role and costume of a lady's maid named Rose. The house is a matriarchy because, as Lady Gladys explains, "in this house all things feminine are blessed, all things masculine are bound in slavery" (McKesson 1997, p. 46). Much of Gerald's training involves elaborate

sexual bondage Bondage in the BDSM subculture, is the practice of consensually tying, binding, or restraining a partner for erotic, aesthetic, or somatosensory stimulation. A partner may be physically restrained in a variety of ways, including the use o ...

devices. The narrative voice shifts from first person into third person as Gerald subjects himself more and more to Gladys's authority. ''Matriarchy'' is illustrated by hundreds of detailed

ballpoint A ballpoint pen, also known as a biro (British English), ball pen (Hong Kong, Indian and Philippine English), or dot pen ( Nepali) is a pen that dispenses ink (usually in paste form) over a metal ball at its point, i.e. over a "ball point". ...

drawings of vaguely-defined figures, modeled by voluptuous and androgynous masses, and taking place in dim lighting.

References

Resources

*McKesson, Malcolm. (1997). ''Matriarchy: Freedom in Bondage.'' Heck Editions. . *Rhodes, Colin. (2002). "Fulfillments of desire in the work of a self-taught artist: the intimate existence of Malcolm McKesson." ''Journal of the Association of Art Historians.'' 25 (5), 649–675.

External links

McKesson's "official homepage," with essays, novel excerpts, and a photo gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKesson, Malcolm 1909 births 1999 deaths Outsider artists Fetish artists BDSM writers Harvard University alumni American erotic artists People from Monmouth Beach, New Jersey Ballpoint pen art