Johnny Mercer
Artist
Anthony Palliser
(British, born 1949)
Date2009
MediumWatercolor pencil and acrylic on canvas
DimensionsSight: 40 × 29 15/16 × 1 5/16 inches (101.6 × 76 × 3.3 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase.
Object number2009.9
On View
On view
Copyright© Anthony Palliser.
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 Textcame to Georgia and found love
I married a Savannah girl
So this is a form of thanks for discovering a beautiful city It gives me great pleasure to see my painting of Johnny Mercer, a true local legend
On the walls of the Telfair
I hope it evokes gaiety and, of course, unforgettable songs
–Anthony Palliser, 2022
This posthumous depiction of Johnny Mercer, a Savannah native and internationally celebrated lyricist, was commissioned and donated to Telfair Museums through the vision of longtime museum supporter and philanthropist Davida Deutsch Tenenbaum. Taking a photograph from the Mercer Archives in Atlanta as inspiration, Palliser isolates the figure in his trademark style, against an abstract background applied in painterly strokes. Mercer’s ties to the city made this work particularly relevant to Telfair’s collection: The Academy Award-winning songwriter based the lyrics to “Moon River” (1960) on his childhood home and Savannah’s waterways.