To commerate Veteran`s Day this year, the local `Missourian` newspaper published an article chronicling the rediscovery of an all but forgotten mural painted circa 1945 in a building that once housed a Black Officer`s Club at Ft. Leonard Wood, an Army training base in southern Missouri. Although a mystery for many decades, the identity of the artist was confirmed in recent years by diligent detective work. The 4 x 10 foot mural was painted over the building`s fireplace by Staff Sergeant Samuel Albert Countee, and the pastoral scene depicts an African -American couple having a picnic while the man quietly strums a banjo. The small building`s stone works and chimney were constructed by POWs.
The work was completed when the end of World War II was in sight. All soldiers, regardless of race, longed for peace, demobilization, and resuming life at home. University of Missouri professors are working to have the historic oil-on-wood mural restored.
Albert Countee (1909-1959) was an aspiring young artist who earned a scholarship at the Boston Museum of Art and later became its Artist-in-Residence. He was briefly an art fellow/instructor at Harvard. He painted scenes of African-American culture including “My Guitar” in 1936 which celebrates the 6 string instrument`s role in black folk music and its offspring- the blues.
The US Armed Forces were desegregated by Executive Order #9981 issued on July 26, 1948, by President Harry S. Truman, a Missouri native son. The BRC founder salutes all his fellow veterans and gratefully thanks all men and women in uniform for their service to our nation.
2 Comments
The artist is Samuel Albert Countee, my uncle. The staff at FLW has been working on this since the 90’s . I am honored to have verified his signature for Steven Smith .
From the BRC:
Thank you for sharing with us your family connection with this very special artist. With appreciation from the BRC, Barry
(Ed. Steven Smith was the researcher from the South Carolina Institute of Archeology and Anthropology who successfully identified Countee as the mural`s artist in 1998.)