Sir.Nagrom-Morgan Monceaux

AMERICAN PAINTER

BORN 1945

He is a singer,a dancer, historical storyteller and a painter.

An American Painter Sir.Nagrom-Morgan Monceaux AMERICAN PAINTER BORN 1945 He is a singer, a dancer, historical storyteller and a painter. Born and raised in Alexandria, La., he studied music and theology at Bishop College. After serving with the Navy in Vietnam, he wandered across America. First to San Francisco and then Seattle, he opened galleries to show the work of local and regional Black Artists. He soon came to believe that there is no such thing as Black artists, only American artists. Unemployed in New York City, he came across sign-painters' paint left on the rooftop of the abandonded building he called home. Inspired by Grace Jones's Slave to the Rhythm, he created his first abstract paintings. Leaving the city, he took a train to the end of Long Island where he worked as a janitor in an Easthampton nightclub, while in his free time, he taught himself to be a painter. Incorporating historical research into his drawing, painting and collaged portraits, he created his first series George to George, all the U.S. Presidents, from Washington to Bush. These works on paper are comprised of oil pastel, paint and magic marker, and recycled objects. Campaign buttons, ribbons, fabric and jewelry, also fragments of plastic, wood are reclaimed from obsolesce and fashioned for artistic purposed. "I 'm a history buff and my focus has been African-American history", he says "I was interested in the idea that a couple of presidents had Black ancestry." Instead of trying for a likeness, they seek some hidden expressive element of Presidential character. The artist questions the fascination of Americans with power and leadership, by doing so with such imagination and nerve makes our elected stewards out as human and approachable. Emanating from the head and torso of each man is a halo of words: Monceaux's account of the life career, and essential charater of each of his subjects. Monceaux's Presidents are a unique meditation on American history. His portraits and abstracts of Jazz celebrates a personal history from its origins to the present day found in Jazz My Music My People "Tyler Denmead, director of project Urban Arts commented that the exhibition at the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society paid one of the most honest tributes to Morgan. He wrote " If you did not see Jazz, you missed the rare exhibit of an artist who does not apologize for his self-taught lines and soul channeled color. Morgan's capacity to represent jazz can only be described as his. It or he tapped into my heart, and I encourage you to let it do the same for you. Three of Monceaux's portraits, Ray Charles, Dinah Washington and B.B. King have been acquired by the National Portrait Gallery for their permanent collection. With Shall We Dance, Morgan provides us with a deep insight into the contributions of Blacks on the dance scene. " I wanted to dispel the myths that only blacks danced prior to the civil rights era says Morgan . It's a history found objects, choreographed paintings that creates a rhythm that gives visual insight into the personality of the dancer. Monceaux's First Ladies, 43 mixed media portraits of every First Lady and white hostess were on exhibition for the first time at the American Visionary Arts Museum in Baltimore. On exhibition also were 22 of The Royals" which traced the Monarchy around the world as a part of 'Race, Class, and Gender do not equal Character. Morgan work has been exhibited at many galleries, universities and Presidential libraries as well as the Library of Congress. Two books have been published of Monceaux's work Jazz My Music My People 1993 and My Heroes, My People 1994