Background
Merle Armitage was born on February 12, 1893, in Mason City, Iowa, United States.
editor publisher author art critic
Merle Armitage was born on February 12, 1893, in Mason City, Iowa, United States.
Originally a civil engineer, Merle Armitage switched careers to do modern stage design, then became a manager of touring artists. Settling in Los Angeles in 1921, Armitage founded the Los Angeles Grand Opera Association and later managed the Philharmonic Auditorium, bringing Martha Graham and Leopold Stokowski here and staging the first L.A. performance of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. From 1924 to 1930, he was its general manager. From 1950 to 1951, he also was the president of the American Institute of Graphic Arts. His last post was an editorial and art director for Look magazine (from 1949 to 1954).
Armitage pursued art and writing in addition to his collecting, which he began as a teenager. His highly personal collection, one that represents a modern sensibility: the prints, drawings, and photographs that he generously donated to the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science, and Art (today's LACMA).
(A comprehensive and fascinating look at the passenger and...)
1952("Fit For A King" is the Book Of Food by Merle Armitage.)
1939
Merle Armitage, one of America's leading advocates of modern culture, collected with the same zest he demonstrated in aspects of his remarkable life.
