Self-taught artist Melvin Way dies at 69
Melvin Way, the self-taught American artist known for intricate ballpoint pen drawings combining text, equations, and scientific motifs, died on February 4, 2024. Born in South Carolina, he moved to New York City in the 1970s, earning a technical degree as a machine operator and playing music. While living in a shelter for unhoused people in the 1980s, he met artist Andrew Castrucci at an art workshop and began producing drawings. His work has been exhibited at the American Folk Art Museum, New York; Hayward Gallery, London; and la maison rouge, Paris, and is held in collections including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Centre Pompidou, Paris; and Collection de l’Art Brut, Lausanne. Recent solo shows were at Salon du Dessin, Paris; Outsider Art Fair, New York; and Andrew Edlin Gallery, where a third solo exhibition was planned for 2024.
Key facts
- Melvin Way died on February 4, 2024.
- He was a self-taught American artist associated with folk art.
- He worked primarily in drawing with ballpoint pen and ink on paper.
- His works combine text, mathematical equations, and scientific elements.
- Born in South Carolina, he moved to New York City in the 1970s.
- He met artist Andrew Castrucci at an art workshop in a shelter.
- His work is in the collections of MoMA, Centre Pompidou, and others.
- A third solo show at Andrew Edlin Gallery was planned for 2024.
Entities
Artists
- Melvin Way
- Andrew Castrucci
Institutions
- American Folk Art Museum
- Hayward Gallery
- la maison rouge
- Museum of Modern Art
- American Visionary Art Museum
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Centre Pompidou
- Collection de l’Art Brut
- Salon du Dessin
- Outsider Art Fair
- Andrew Edlin Gallery
Locations
- South Carolina
- United States
- New York City
- New York
- London
- United Kingdom
- Paris
- France
- Baltimore
- Washington, D.C.
- Lausanne
- Switzerland