William Melton Halsey
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William M. Halsey (1915–1999) was an influential
abstract art Abstract art uses visual language of shape, form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th ...
ist in the American Southeast, particularly in his home state of
South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
. He was represented by the Bertha Schaefer Gallery in New York City (1948–53). His mural studies for the Baltimore Hebrew Congregational Temple were included in
Synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
Art Today at the Jewish Museum, New York City (1952). His work was included in the annual International Exhibition of
Watercolors Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...
, the
Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...
(1939, 1941–43). He had work in the Whitney Museum's Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Sculpture, Watercolors and Drawings (1953). A mid-career retrospective was held at the
Greenville County Museum of Art The Greenville County Museum of Art (GCMA) is an art museum located in Greenville, South Carolina. Its collections focus mainly on American art, and its holdings include works by Andrew Wyeth, Josef Albers, Jasper Johns (raised in South Carolina), ...
in 1972 and then traveled to the Gibbes Museum of Art (formerly the Gibbes Art Gallery),
Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...
, South Carolina, and the Florence Museum,
Florence, South Carolina Florence is a city in and the county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, United States. It lies at the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95 and is the eastern terminus of the former. It is the primary city within the Florence metropolit ...
.


Early life

William Halsey was born in
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
. His talent was evident at an early age, and he was encouraged by his mother, Eleanor Loeb Halsey. His first instructor was the local artist Elizabeth O'Neill Verner, who had studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and was one of the leading artists in the Charleston Renaissance. Another early influence was the local artist Edward I. R. Jennings, who had studied in
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 ...
with Arthur Wesley Dow. It was from Jennings that the young Halsey learned about what was happening in the realm of modern art. After high school Halsey attended the University of South Carolina for two years. Realizing he was only interested in art, he sought another place to study where he could maintain his singular focus. He moved to
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
to study at the Boston Museum School (now called the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston). His courses at the school were rigorous and included
anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...
, perspective, composition, and
drawing Drawing is a form of visual art in which an artist uses instruments to mark paper or other two-dimensional surface. Drawing instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, various kinds of paints, inked brushes, colored pencils, crayons, ...
. He developed an interest in
fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
and became sufficiently trained to be able to teach this technique at the school. He attended the school from 1935 to 1939. In 1939 upon completing his study at the Museum School of Fine Arts, he was awarded a James William Paige Fellowship for 24 months of study and travel in Europe. With the outbreak of World War II on the horizon, Europe was not an option. As an alternative he was allowed to go to
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. He and his new wife, Corrie McCallum, sailed for
Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
and then settled in
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
. The change of location to Mexico had a profound influence upon the young artist. Surrounded by weaving, pottery, and the colorful scenery in Mexico, he was drawn to this country and its ancient cultures. This interest only became deeper and more profound during his life.


Return to Charleston

The young couple returned to South Carolina along with their first child, Eleanor Paige Halsey. Halsey took a teaching position as the director of the art school at the Telfair Academy (now the
Telfair Museum of Art Telfair Museums, in the historic district of Savannah, Georgia, was the first public art museum in the Southern United States. Founded through the bequest of Mary Telfair (1791–1875), a prominent local citizen, and operated by the Georgia Histo ...
) in
Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...
. In 1945 the family, which now included their son, David Ashley Halsey, moved back to Charleston. Halsey became the director of the art classes held at the Gibbes Art Gallery (now Gibbes Museum of Art). Halsey chose to settle and to continue his artistic career in his hometown. A third child, Louise McCallum Halsey, was born in 1949. During that time he befriended
Merton Simpson Merton Daniel Simpson (September 20, 1928 – March 9, 2013) was an American abstract expressionist painter and African and tribal art collector and dealer. Early life Merton Simpson was born in Charleston, South Carolina. Between the ages ...
, a young
African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
teenager with an immense amount of talent. Due to segregation, Simpson was not allowed to take art classes at the Gibbes Museum where Halsey taught, so Halsey provided private instruction. After Simpson graduated from high school in 1949, Halsey, his wife Corrie McCallum, and former director of the Charleston Museum
Laura Bragg Laura Mary Bragg (October 9, 1881 – May 16, 1978) was an American museum director who became the first woman to run a publicly funded art museum in America when she was named the director of the Charleston Museum in 1920. She later directed the ...
sponsored Merton Simpson's first solo art show. Two receptions for the art show were held, "one for whites and one for whites who didn't mind coming to a reception with blacks." In his later works Halsey used fabrics from Africa that were packing materials around sculptures Simpson imported and sold in his gallery. The two artists maintained a lifelong friendship. In 2006 in a tribute for the catalog ''William Halsey: Mastery of the Modern'', Merton Simpson wrote "I had the good fortune of growing up in Charleston when he was the top artist in the region, what a blessing."


Exhibitions and awards

Halsey was chosen for many honors throughout his long career. While still a student at the Museum School of the Arts, Boston, a painting of his was selected for an exhibition at the
Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...
. In 1939, having just graduated, he was offered a one-man exhibition at the Berkshire Museum in
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield ...
, where he also completed a series of
fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
es. The Gibbes Museum in Charleston gave Halsey a one-man exhibition in 1940 that traveled to the Norfolk Museum and the Lynchburg Art Gallery in
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. In 1972 the Greenville County Museum of Art in Greenville SC curated an exhibition and published an accompanying monograph, "William M. Halsey: Retrospective". The monograph covered four decades of work by this artist whom the director of the Greenville County Museum of Art, Jack A. Morris Jr, described as "a pioneer of abstract painting in the South and a nationally recognized talent." In 1953 Halsey, his wife Corrie McCallum, and local sculptor Willard Hirsch joined together to form the independent Charleston Art School which they operated from 1953-64. The school offered classes to all ages in both 2D and 3D processes. In 1965 Halsey started his university teaching career, as the founding faculty for the studio art program at the College of Charleston. During that time among the many students he taught,
Brian Rutenberg Brian Christopher Rutenberg (born September 18, 1965, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina) is an American abstract painter. Rutenberg received his BFA from the College of Charleston in 1987 and his MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City ...
was one who graduated and went on to establish his career in New York City. Halsey taught at the college from 1965 to 1984. In 1984 upon his retirement from teaching at the College of Charleston, the gallery at the Simons Fine Arts Center (now the Halsey Institute) was named in his honor. Mark Sloan, director and chief curator at the Halsey Institute, has chosen to focus on work by contemporary under-known artists with significant exceptions like a recent exhibition of prints by Jasper Johns and work by Shepard Fairey. Halsey was awarded an honorary degree from the College of Charleston in 1995. In 1999 he received posthumously the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Award for the Arts, for Lifetime Achievement, which is the highest award in the arts given in South Carolina. Featured exhibitions of William M. Halsey artwork: * 1939 Berkshire Museum,
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield ...
* 1939 Eighteenth International Watercolor Exhibition,
Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...
,
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
, Illinois * 1940 Gibbes Museum,
Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
* 1942 Telfair Academy of Art,
Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...
* 1948 Bertha Schaefer Gallery,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
* 1951 Bertha Schaefer Gallery, New York, solo * 1952 ''Third Annual American Watercolors, Drawings and Prints Exhibition'',
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
, New York City * 1953 ''Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Sculpture'', Watercolors and Drawings,
Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942), ...
, New York City * 1953 ''International Watercolor Exhibition-Seventeenth Biennial'',
Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown H ...
, New York City * 1958 Clemson University,
Clemson, South Carolina Clemson () is a city in Pickens and Anderson counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Clemson is home to Clemson University; in 2015, ''the Princeton Review'' cited the town of Clemson as ranking #1 in the United States for " town-and-gown" ...
* 1972
Greenville County Museum of Art The Greenville County Museum of Art (GCMA) is an art museum located in Greenville, South Carolina. Its collections focus mainly on American art, and its holdings include works by Andrew Wyeth, Josef Albers, Jasper Johns (raised in South Carolina), ...
,
Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...
* 1982 State Ports Authority, Spoleto Festival, Charleston, South Carolina * 1983 Simons Fine Arts Center, Charleston, South Carolina * 1983-85 ''Painting in the South: 1954-1980'', touring exhibition organized by the Virginia Museum of Art * 1987 ''Changing Images'', Piccolo Spoleto, Beth Elohim Synagogue, Charleston, South Carolina * 1989 ''Now and Then: William Halsey and Corrie McCallum'', joint exhibition, Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, South Carolina * 1995 ''William Halsey: Recent Work 1990-1994'', Halsey Institute, College of Charleston, South Carolina * 1996 Hampton III Gallery,
Taylors, South Carolina Taylors is a census-designated place (CDP) in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 21,617 at the 2010 census. Taylors is the Greenville/Spartanburg area's largest suburb although it is not incorporated as a city. ...
* 1999 May 5–July 3, 1999,
Greenville County Museum of Art The Greenville County Museum of Art (GCMA) is an art museum located in Greenville, South Carolina. Its collections focus mainly on American art, and its holdings include works by Andrew Wyeth, Josef Albers, Jasper Johns (raised in South Carolina), ...
,
Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...
, posthumous solo exhibition ''William Halsey''


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halsey, William Melton 1915 births 1999 deaths Abstract expressionist artists Artists from South Carolina Artists from Charleston, South Carolina 20th-century American painters American male painters 20th-century American male artists