Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

IRENE MCCAUGHERTY

Date

1997

Materials

WOOD, CANVAS

No. Pieces

1

Height

3

Length

67.5

Width

58.5

Description

FRAMED ACRYLIC ON CANVAS PORTRAIT OF IRENE MCCAUGHERTY WEARING A BLUE & GOLD GOWN FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE, WITH "FIAT LUX" MARKED ABOVE HER BRASS PLATE ON THE TOP OF THE FRAME IS ENGRAVED "LET THERE BE LIGHT", AND BELOW THE PAINTING IS ANOTHER PLATE ENGRAVED "IRENE MCCAUGHERTY NOVEMBER 27, 1914 - NOVEMBER 10, 1996". THE SIGNATURE OF "ALAN KING 1997" IS WRITTEN IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE PAINTING. ROYAL BLUE MATTING CONTAINED UNDER GLASS INSIDE OF THE BROWNISH/GOLD WOODEN FRAME. MATTING IS DUSTY UNDER GLASS, BUT NO OTHER APPARENT DAMAGE

Subjects

ART

Historical Association

FINE ARTS

History

PAINTED BY DONOR TO COMMEMORATE ARTIST IRENE MCCAUGHERTY AFTER HER DEATH IN 1996. DONOR WAS BORN MAY 6 1920 IN NORTH-EAST ENGLAND & BEGAN TO PAINT AT AGE 15. IN 1939 JOINED THE RAF & SERVED UNTIL 1947. CAME TO CANADA IN MARCH OF 1972 TO JOIN HIS PARENTS IN SASKATOON. MID-80'S MOVED AND SETTLED IN THE LETHBRIDGE AREA. IRENE MCCAUGHERTY RECEIVED A HONORARY DEGREE FROM THE U OF L IN 1995. SEE ARTICLE ATTACHED TO PERM. RECORD FOR MORE INFORMATION. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS. SHE FOUND FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT IRENE MCCAUGHERTY IN THE PERMANENT FILES - SEE RECORD P20060016036. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ABOUT ALAN KING'S COMMEMORATIVE PAINTING OF IRENE MCCAUGHERTY WAS EXCERPTED FROM A 1997 LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLE: "THE COMMEMORATIVE PORTRAIT OF MCCAUGHERTY, DONE IN ACRYLICS WITH HER LIKENESS IN THE CAP AND GOWN IN WHICH SHE RECEIVED HER HONORARY DOCTOR OF LAWS DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE IN 1995, WAS PAINTED BY ALAND KING AS A RESULT OF A LATE 1970S ARTICLE IN THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD. MCCAUGHERTY SELECTED KING FOR HER 'PICTURE FOR THE DAY' FEATURE COLUMN IN THE HERALD, SINGLING THE ARTIST OUT FOR CONGRATULATIONS AND LEADERSHIP IN COMPLETING THE BUILDING OF THE CLARESHOLM LEGION HALL. KING AND MCCAUGHERTY BECAME FRIENDLY, WITH KING COMING TO RESPECT NOT ONLY HER ART BUT MCCAUGHERTY AS A PERSON. 'AS I CAME FROM IRENE'S FUNERAL I GOT THE IDEA FOR THE PORTRAIT,' SAYS KING. 'I HAD A LITTLE PHOTO OF HER, IN BLACK AND WHITE, FROM THE FUNERAL MEMORIAL AND A SMALL PICTURE OF HER FROM HER COLUMN.' KING WORKED FROM THE TINY PHOTOGRAPHS AND SOME COLOR SNAPSHOTS SUPPLIED BY RON [MCCAUGHERTY'S SON] AND HIS SON DAVE, FOR TONE, TO CREATE A COLOR PORTRAIT. THE TRIBUTE SHOWS MCCAUGHERTY FRAMED BY A SUBTLE GOLDEN ARCH SUGGESTING THE GOLDEN GATES OF HEAVEN. ABOVE THE ARCH IS THE UOFL MOTTO, FIAT LUX, LET THERE BE LIGHT, THE TITLE OF THE PORTRAIT." FOR COPIES OF THE HERALD ARTICLE AND IRENE MCCAUGHERTY'S COLUMN MENTIONING ALAN KING, SEE PERMANENT FILE. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHY OF THE ARTIST, ALAN KING, WAS DEVELOPED WITH INFORMATION FROM AN ARTICLE ON HIS PAINTING PRACTICE FROM THE FEBRUARY 3, 2000 ISSUE OF THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD, AND HIS OBITUARY. ALAN KING WAS BORN IN NORTHEAST ENGLAND IN 1920 AND BEGAN PAINTING AS A HOBBY WHEN HE WAS A TEENAGER. KING SERVED IN WORLD WAR II AS AN AIRCRAFT FITTER WITH THE BRITISH ROYAL AIR FORCE FROM 1939 TO 1945. HE IMMIGRATED TO CANADA IN 1972, SETTLING FIRST IN CLARESHOLM, AND EVENTUALLY LETHBRIDGE. HE WAS A BUILDING CONTRACTOR AND MEMBER OF THE ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION. HE CONTINUED TO PAINT PORTRAITS, STILL LIFE, AND LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS THROUGH HIS RETIREMENT. ALAN KING DIED ON MARCH 16, 2007. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR HARDCOPIES OF KING'S OBITUARY AND NEWSPAPER PROFILE.

Catalogue Number

P19970117000

Acquisition Date

1997-12

Collection

Museum

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