Elizabeth Tracy


When Elizabeth Tracy married Pierre Montminy in 1941, she changed her name to Tracy Montminy. When Mrs. Montminy passed away in 1992, she left her estate to the Boone County Historical Society, Columbia, Missouri. The Montminy Art Gallery was constructed for showcasing regional artists and displaying the work of Tracy and Pierre Montminy. Elizabeth Tracy graduated with honors in Fine Arts from Radcliffe College in 1933. She then studied at the Art Student's League in New York City in 1934-35. Additionally, she received a Guggenheim Fellowship in Painting in 1940. Mr. & Mrs. Montminy eventually settled in Columbia, MO where they both worked as professors of art, Tracy working at the University of Missouri Art Department until 1981. According to the records of the Boone County Historical Society, she created five murals for the WPA as well as the Treasury Department's painting and sculpture division. The dates, titles, and locations of those murals are as follows:

As to the current condition of these murals, the Saugus mural was restored late 1990s and dedicated at the Saugus town hall October 12, 2000. The Kennebunkport mural was removed, not destroyed. Its current location is unknown; Karal Marling in Wall to Wall America wrote that it was placed in storage after removal. At this time the exhibit, "Painted Walls," is on display and will continue through March 2006. There are images of Mrs. Montminy's murals, as well as study sketches and details from a few of the murals. (Contact: Amy Heggemeyer, Associate Curator, BCHS, who was involved in preparation of the exhibit).

Thanks to Amy Heggemeyer, Associate Curator, Boone County Historical Society, who contributed the above information

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