William Mozart McVey (July 12, 1905 – May 30, 1995) was an American sculptor,
animalier and teacher.
Life
He was born in
Boston, Massachusetts.
His family moved to
Cleveland, Ohio, when McVey was still in high school.
Following his graduation he attended the
Cleveland School of Art.
He left to attend
Rice University, where he played football under Coach
John Heisman in 1924 while studying illustration.
He returned to art school in Cleveland but did not study sculpture there because "his personality (was) incompatible with that of
Herman Matzen, who headed the department."
While studying at night he worked for the Gandola Brothers making tombstones.
In 1929, a patron financed a "shoe-string' budgeted trip to Paris, where he studied with
Despiau and
Gimond[1] as well as earning a meager living as one of three American guides at the
Louvre Museum.
Around 1935, McVey returned to Texas to teach at the
University of Texas in
Austin. During
World War II he entered the
army and was stationed at
Fort Randolph Army Base, where he taught plane and ship
silhouette "
recognition." Called up to explain why his students were being taught art in their classes, a test of his students showed that they scored higher in "recognition' tests than students taught in the traditional manner, and his approach was subsequently adopted by the other classes.[2]
McVey was a member of the
National Sculpture Society and exhibited in its 49th Annual Exhibition, "Sculpture, Reliefs, Medals held in
New York City in 1982 where he showed a bronze Walrus.[6]
Davy Crockett statue, (1936) monumental
Art Decobas relief granite memorial with Crockett's quote, "Be sure you are right, then go ahead" carved on the front.
Ozona, Texas. This and the Bowie statue were commissioned as part of the
Texas Centennial celebration.[10]
Icarus, (1990) larger than life-size granite monument in
Denison, Texas, for the pioneer pilots of Texas, especially those who gave their lives in various wars.[14]
Hart Crane Memorial, John and Mildred Putnam Sculpture Collection [15]
McDog (1985), Cleveland Botanical Gardens in Cleveland, Ohio. Sculpture is of McVey's pet Airedale.[16]
^Gilbert, Dorothy B., Who's Who in American Art 1962, R.R. Bowker Company, New York, 1962
^Campen, Richard N., Outdoor Sculpture in Ohio‘‘, West Summit Press, Chagrin Falls, OH, 1980 pp. 45-46
^Westbrook and Yarowski, ed. Design in America: The Cranbrook Vision 1925–1950, Harry N. Abrams, Publishers in association with the detroit Institute of Arts and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1983 pp233-235