Edward, Edward

Thomas King Baker (1911 - 1972)
Oil on shirt cardboard on craft paper
Circa: 1960-1965
Size: 12" (h) x 9" (w) (sight) / 25" (h) x 21" (w) (framed)
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Thomas King Baker was an insurance underwriter by day, self-taught, basement artist by night. He and his wife, Mila Hoover, were middle-class socialites and enjoyed the opera, galleries, museums and a vibrant nightlife. King was friendly with local artists and was a collector. Among friends and family, his art-making was a poorly kept secret—they knew of his passion but were unaware of the extent of King’s breadth and body of work. King never exhibited while he was alive.

King died from the effects of alcoholism in 1972.

In 1991, Thomas McCormick, an art dealer, stumbled upon a few interesting paintings that he could not immediately identify. After some detective work, McCormick figured out that the works were by Baker. McCormick contacted Baker’s wife Mila, who was still alive and cataloged a large cache of works that Mila had kept together.

This work illustrate King’s use of scrap materials and his gifted use of line and color. King’s paintings, illustrations, and sketchbooks were exhibited at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum in 1997.

In 2007, the bulk of King’s estate was donated to Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art in Chicago.

Exhibited: Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, MO, 1997

Illustrated and discussed in: Oh For Pity’s Sake, We’ve Already Seen This Opera: The Art of Thomas King Baker; p. 58

HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES AVAILABLE.

Condition: Excellent. Archivally mounted and framed with UV glass.

Price: SOLD

ALL ITEMS GUARANTEED AS REPRESENTED