Conger Metcalf and the Pashgian Galleries

Adjacent to the Perrine Gallery, two smaller galleries are home to 45 paintings by Conger Metcalf, a 1936 Coe graduate who, for years, has made his home in Boston. One of the galleries, in fact, is named for Metcalf and the other for Reva and John Pashgian of Pasadena, California. The Pashgians' son donated the rug in the Perrine Gallery and also the Portuguese hand-loomed rya-style rugs used in the two smaller galleries.

Conger Metcalf, Kneeling Draughtsman, Watercolor and Graphite, 27.5"h. x 25.5"

In contrast to the Wood and Cone paintings with their Iowa themes, the Metcalf works show a preoccupation with Italy, particularly in his use of earth colors and in the choice of subject matter: landscapes, still lifes, flowers, and street urchins. The Italian connection is not surprising: the artist served in Italy during World War II and revisited it for many summers while he was teaching in Boston.