Byron McKeeby

(1936-1984) lived in Knoxville
Thermometer, 1972
lithograph print, 80.70

“Great art concerns itself not with art, but with awakening the human consciousness to itself.”
– McKeeby

McKeeby earned degrees from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; the Art Institute of Chicago in Illinois; and Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Soon after graduating, McKeeby joined the University of Tennessee in Knoxville as head of the printmaking department. His work can be found in permanent collections at the Knoxville Museum of Art and the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville.

Interesting art information, McKeeby’s grandfather was the model for the farmer in Grant Wood’s painting, American Gothic. McKeeby’s grandfather was Wood’s dentist, and after initially turning down Wood’s offer, McKeeby eventually agreed to model for the painting. American Gothic is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. (Photo by Mount Hope, NY, Imaged accessed on 3.26.2020 at https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34234004/byron-henry-mckeeby)