This biography from the Archives of AskART:
| Walker Wayne Tackett was noted for his paintings of landscapes, street
scenes, portraits, and clowns. He was born in 1902 in
Champaign, Illinois. His unusual first name was a family surname
and he was named for his paternal grandfather. His father
invested in real estate, and this income allowed Walker and his
brothers to be educated in private schools. Around 1910 the
family relocated to Muskegon, Michigan where they lived for about ten
years. In 1920, Walker's father died and the family moved to
Chicago, Illinois.
In 1923, Walker Tackett married Elizabeth Howe, and they soon had two
children. They moved to France around 1926 where Tackett painted
many street scenes. During the Depression, his family's
investments produced a reduced income, and the family returned to
Illinois. He began to look for a practical way to support his
family.
Tackett traveled to Hollywood, California and obtained a job at the MGM
studios where he painted portraits and other paintings for the
movies. He and his wife had one more child and then
divorced. He then married Linda Harlan with whom he had one
child. Around 1960 Walker and Linda moved to Honolulu, Hawaii,
where Walker died in 1963.
Source:
Information submitted December 2005 with the following note from K.L. Aguilar:
"I am Walker's grandaughter and he moved to Hawaii when I was a small
child. I do not have any expertise in art; I am the family
genealogist. I simply wanted to write to correct the
misinformation included on your site regarding my grandfather,
especially the impression given that he was from France. The
Tackett family has actually been in the United States since the 1670's." | |
This biography from the Archives of AskART:
| Walker (Walk) Wayne Tackett was born in Champaign, IL in 1902. Tackett was from a family that dated back to the American Revolution. He spent his childhood in Muskegon, Michigan and was educated in private schools. By 1920 he was living in Chicago and in 1926 he moved to France where he painted many street scenes.
During the 1930s he settled in Los Angeles and soon was active in the local art scene while working in the art department of MGM. After retiring to Honolulu in 1960, he died there in 1963. A skilled colorist, his rare paintings include landscapes, clowns, and views of San Pedro Harbor.
Exhibited: Painters & Sculptors of Los Angeles, 1936.
| Source:
Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940"
Census. | | Nearly 20,000 biographies can be found in Artists in California 1786-1940 by Edan Hughes and is available for sale ($150). For a full book description and order information please click here. |
This biography from the Archives of AskART:
| Note
from AskART:
There is some confusion about the correct name of this
artist between the names of Walker, Walter and William Tackett. Edan Hughes in
his book Artists in California, 1786-1940, lists the name as Walter,
but a California collector, Gary Alexander states in a bulletin to
AskART: "My wife is a relative of Walker Tackett. It was Walker Tackett
who worked as a set painter for the movie studios. He also painted. We
have six Walker Tackett paintings including a portrait of my wife's
father painted by Tackett. Another was a wedding gift to my wife's
parents. All are signed, so I would be happy to verify anyone's
signatures." |
This biography from the Archives of AskART:
| The following, submitted August 2001, is from Vera Hinton:
I
was told Mr. Tackett came to the United States from France in the
1920's or 30's (can't remember exactly), and went to work as an artist
for MGM Studios. This information was given to me by his
daughter. She lived in Peoria, Illinois between 1985 and 1990 in
the Timber Ridge apartments.
I have a painting that was given to me as a Christmas present from her, which was painted by her father. It is called The Place in St. Michel France. The front of the painting is signed 'Tackett.'
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