John Pusey

Artist / Maker Christian Petersen (Danish - American, 1885 - 1961)

Date1934

MediumPlaster, painted

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LinePurchased by University Museums with funds provided by Robert and Beverly Boles. In the Christian Petersen Art Collection, Christian Petersen Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberUM2013.61

Status

Not on view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Label TextFrom the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025: John Drake Pusey (1905-1966) was a muralist born in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He graduated from Northwestern University and attended the Art Institute of Chicago and Yale University School of Fine Arts before moving to France to study art at the Musee du Louvre and Musee du Luxembourg. Pusey returned to the United States before the Great Depression began but was later fortunate to be commissioned by the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) to create murals in public buildings under the direction of well-known American artist Grant Wood (1891-1942). Under Wood’s supervision and guidance, Pusey further developed his artistic style. While working on the library murals for Iowa State at the PWAP studio at the University of Iowa, he met Christian Petersen who was working on the design for the History of Dairying Mural for the Dairy Industry Building also for Iowa State. He and Petersen, whom Pusey often addressed as Pete, began a friendship and correspondence that outlasted their time on the PWAP. Like Petersen, Pusey continued working as an artist after the New Deal programs ended. He spent two years painting a mural in the home of the wealthy Eli Lilly, worked as a set designer for Universal Studios, and painted murals at the San Francisco World Fair in 1939. After retiring from the military, Pusey continued creating murals and became the Artist in Residence at Dickinson College in 1957.

Locations