Description:

Ronald Markman
American, (1931-2017)
untitled
mixed media on paper
signed lower right.

Biography from the Archives of AskArt: "Annapolis artist who drew from imaginary kingdom of Mufka dies," By Chase Cook, Contact Reporter for Capital Gazette, Annapolis, MD, June 2, 2017

Ronald Markman, an Annapolis artist known for paintings drawn from a fantasy world he created, died Tuesday after a bout with pneumonia. He was 86, and died a day after his birthday.

He had a six-decade career as an artist with his work most recently on display in the Elizabeth Myers Mitchell Gallery at St. John's College. The exhibition was titled "The Fantastic World of Ronald Markman."

His work also has been included in the collections of many major museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

In an obituary written by his family, Markman's work is described as imaginative and brightly colored. He used an imaginary realm he called Mufka, an island nation of unbridled absurdity "that became the wellspring of his art in 1962," the family wrote.

"Markman created a limitless stream of imaginative constructions, elaborately painted with his trademark bright colors and quirky cartoon-like characters," his family wrote in the obituary.

In a 2005 story in The Capital, he said he conceived the kingdom while studying in Italy on a Fulbright scholarship more than 40 years ago. While there, he saw lots of maps and decided one day to make one of his own. He chose the name Mukfa because he said he wanted a word that sounded "slightly obscene," but was also sort of lyrical.

"I love the world," Markman said at the time. "I love Beethoven, Van Gogh. On the other hand, I see the horror of the world."

Markman said Mukfa embodied that dual quality. "I don't see myself as a mean artist, but I do like to poke fun, " he said in the article.

Markman grew up in the Bronx and even as a young boy wanted to be an artist. His mother encouraged his interest. His early work was more abstract in nature. Once he settled in his kingdom, though, he never felt the need to leave.

He was drafted into the Army during the Korean War, where he worked as a sign-painter. He used the G.I. Bill to enroll in Yale University School of Art, earning both a bachelor's and master's degree.

His work was put on display in the early 1960s in the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum, and some items were acquired by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington.

Markman retired to St. Margaret's just outside Annapolis in 1998 after his wife, Barbara Miller, died.

A memorial service will be held in September in Annapolis. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to the Mitchell Gallery at St. John's College or the Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake.

He is survived by companion" Barbara Cabot; daughter Ericka Markman and her husband Joshua Horwitz; three granddaughters, Tanya, Julia and Charlotte Horwitz; and his brother, Peter Markman.

  • Dimensions: 15"H x 7"W (sight), 20 1/4"H x 22 1/2"W (frame)
  • Medium: mixed media on paper

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July 20, 2023 1:00 PM EDT
Indianapolis, IN, US

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