Art
lovers will enjoy this work; but so will anyone who has been around Key
West for the past few decades, or wish that they had--
Jeff
MacNelly is best knows as the creator of the comic strip
Shoe
and for his long
and and prolific career as an
editorial cartoonist, most notably for the Chicago Tribune. Jeff
MacNelly won
three
Pulitzer Prizes
for his
political cartooning but always said he was more proud of the two
Reubens
which are bestowed by his fellow cartoonists.
Jeff MacNelly's genius lay in his ability to perceive life
as an IMAX screen. Consummately observant, his tolerance with the
vast spectrum of human foibles and his intelligence are abundantly
represented in his painting.
Jeff MacNelly and his wife Susie had been visiting Key West
for years and moved there part time in 1990. I was at their house admiring
Jeff’s latest painting one day. “Jeff, why don’t you let me take that down
to the gallery and sell that for you?” Being one of the most
extraordinarily un-pompous people ever Jeff said. “Huh, really?”
“Jeff, it’s fantastic work and you have THREE PULITZER PRIZES. I think I
can sell your painting.” Off they went sailing and off I went to the
Gallery on Greene with
Mutt and Jeff. By the
time they were back from sailing that painting was sold.
Work like the
Dragster,
Dot Calm, and
Lady Godiva
represent Jeff's love affair with Key West's colorful inhabitants and
visitors.
Other
paintings reflect his abiding humor with 'the real world' --
Follow Me (Bill Clinton), The
Diplomat and
Turn of the Century.
Witty and wry,
Jeff MacNelly was also a master craftsman and his paintings incredibly detailed.
You can see the quality of his workmanship on each individual painting
page, although of course no computer monitor really does his work justice.
Jeff's cartoons have been collected into over 20
books; "27 Years of Shoe. World
Ends at 10, Details at 11" , "Golf Tips: How to Succeed in Golf
Without Really Trying, " and "Play Ball! : All I Ever Learned I
Forgot By The Third Inning."
Jeff MacNelly and
Dave Barry
had a special
relationship with Jeff illustrating Dave's weekly column. Their long
history of collaboration also resulted in a number of books; "Dave
Barry's Homes and Other Black Holes" and "Dave Barry is Not Taking
This Sitting Down."
Please
click
here for his full bibliography.
"If you asked any
cartoonist to name the best in the business, the odds are the answer would
be Jeff MacNelly. He won every major cartooning award, including three
Pulitzer Prizes, the first one at age 24. He also created the nationally
syndicated "Shoe" comic strip, which appears in more than 1,000
newspapers. Jeff did me the honor of illustrating my Sunday column in The
Miami Herald for 13 years. He was the best friend and co-conspirator a
person could ever have wanted." Dave Barry
Contact Us:
Nance Frank,
Gallery on Greene
(305)
294-1669
galleryongreene@bellsouth.net
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