The son of a men’s haberdasher, Mervin Jules was encouraged by his parents to pursue a musical career. By the time he graduated Baltimore City College in 1930, he was determined to paint and teach art. After completing a four-year course at the Maryland Institute of Fine and Applied Arts, he enrolled at the Art Students League in New York City where he studied under Thomas Hart Benton. He received his first one-man exhibition in New York City at the age of twenty-five. His career as painter, printmaker, illustrator and art teacher spanned more than five decades. Works by the artist are included in the permanent collections of numerous major museums, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum in New York. |
