James McBey
Encyclopedia
James McBey was a self-taught artist and etcher whose prints were highly valued during the later stages of the etching revival in the early 20th century.
McBey was born in Newburgh, Aberdeenshire
, educated at his village school, and at the age of 15 years became a clerk in a local bank. After reading an article on etching in an art magazine, he borrowed from Aberdeen public library Maxine Lalanne’s treatise on etching Traité de la Gravure a l’Eau-Forte and taught himself how to create etchings on zinc plates. He printed the results on paper using a domestic mangle. By 1910 he had enough confidence in his own ability to abandon banking and spent the summer in Holland where he etched 21 plates. His work was of sufficiently high quality to earn him an exhibition in 1911 at the Goupil Gallery
in London and his prints were published in both London and Glasgow.
After making a number of drawings in 1916 at the Western Front
during the First World War he was appointed official war artist to the Palestine Expeditionary Force; these drawings are now in the Imperial War Museum
. He made several visits thereafter to the Middle East and North Africa. During the post-war print boom in the 1920s his etchings fetched prices at auction that had only been achieved before by the Old Masters. McBey was featured by Malcolm Salaman in the second volume of the series Modern Master of Etching and Salaman also compiled a catalogue of his work, published in 1929.
In 1931 at the age of 48 years James McBey married Marguerite Loeb of Philadelphia, and in 1942 he became an American citizen. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters by Aberdeen University. He died in Tangier
, Morocco
.
The work of James McBey is held by the National Portrait Gallery, London; the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco; the National Gallery of Art
, Washington; the Huntington Library, California; and by the Aberdeen Art Gallery
where the McBey Art Reference Library was established in his name in 1961, based on a bequest from McBey’s wife. There is an almost complete collection of his work at the Boston Public Library
.
McBey was born in Newburgh, Aberdeenshire
Newburgh, Aberdeenshire
Newburgh is a coastal village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The village dates to 1261 AD, when Lord Sinclair wanted to establish a chapel in the area. Originally built as a school, somewhat later the chapel of Holy Rood was established.-Geography:...
, educated at his village school, and at the age of 15 years became a clerk in a local bank. After reading an article on etching in an art magazine, he borrowed from Aberdeen public library Maxine Lalanne’s treatise on etching Traité de la Gravure a l’Eau-Forte and taught himself how to create etchings on zinc plates. He printed the results on paper using a domestic mangle. By 1910 he had enough confidence in his own ability to abandon banking and spent the summer in Holland where he etched 21 plates. His work was of sufficiently high quality to earn him an exhibition in 1911 at the Goupil Gallery
Goupil & Cie
Goupil & Cie was a leading art dealership in 19th century France, with headquarters in Paris. Step by step, Goupil established a worldwide trade with reproductions of paintings and sculptures, with a network of branches in London, Brussels, The Hague, Berlin and Vienna, as well as in New York and...
in London and his prints were published in both London and Glasgow.
After making a number of drawings in 1916 at the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
during the First World War he was appointed official war artist to the Palestine Expeditionary Force; these drawings are now in the Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
. He made several visits thereafter to the Middle East and North Africa. During the post-war print boom in the 1920s his etchings fetched prices at auction that had only been achieved before by the Old Masters. McBey was featured by Malcolm Salaman in the second volume of the series Modern Master of Etching and Salaman also compiled a catalogue of his work, published in 1929.
In 1931 at the age of 48 years James McBey married Marguerite Loeb of Philadelphia, and in 1942 he became an American citizen. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters by Aberdeen University. He died in Tangier
Tangier
Tangier, also Tangiers is a city in northern Morocco with a population of about 700,000 . It lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
.
The work of James McBey is held by the National Portrait Gallery, London; the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco; the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
, Washington; the Huntington Library, California; and by the Aberdeen Art Gallery
Aberdeen Art Gallery
Aberdeen Art Gallery is the main visual arts exhibition space in the city of Aberdeen in Scotland. It opened in 1885, in a building designed by Alexander Marshall Mackenzie....
where the McBey Art Reference Library was established in his name in 1961, based on a bequest from McBey’s wife. There is an almost complete collection of his work at the Boston Public Library
Boston Public Library
The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was the first publicly supported municipal library in the United States, the first large library open to the public in the United States, and the first public library to allow people to...
.