Portrait of Ronald J. Strahan
Date2002
MediumMixed media on panel
DimensionsSight: 20 × 16 1/2 inches (50.8 × 41.9 cm)
Framed: 21 3/4 × 17 7/8 × 1 1/2 inches (55.2 × 45.4 × 3.8 cm)
Credit LineGift of the estate of Ronald J. Strahan.
Object number2009.13.2
Copyright© Marcus Kenney.
The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label Text"The portrait of Ron was from a project that was commissioned by the now closed restaurant Cafe Metropole, which was located in the building that currently houses The Grey restaurant. The Metropole was a place that had art shows [and] music shows and had excellent affordable food. It was the hot spot for all the local artists as well as collectors. Ron was a big supporter of the arts and especially young artist[s]. He was also a nightly patron of the Metropole where he would sit at the bar and read The NY Times while drinking a bottle of wine. The Metropole had a five-year anniversary to celebrate their accomplishments and asked the local artist[s] to do a portrait of their favorite patrons of the cafe. I immediately signed up for Ron. He bought it immediately upon seeing it and treasured it."
–Marcus Kenney, 2022
Marcus Kenney moved to Savannah in 1995 and started attending classes at SCAD a year later. He found himself drawn to the detritus and construction materials around a changing and developing downtown, which he embraced as both medium and subject matter for his work. He was influenced by his youth in rural Louisiana, where he would scour the area around his house for abandoned treasures. Kenney played an important role as artist and curator in Savannah’s expanding art scene during the 2000s and remains a prominent artist locally and nationally.
