A Special Curation– Patrick McArdle on Glen Davis

Written by Elisabeth Kay

Glen Davis isn’t much of a household name, even in Pittsburgh. Pat McArdle and those who helped with the Benedum Trees Gallery exhibit Eyes on the Point– Glen Davis are in attempts to change that. 

McArdle met Davis while going through art in Louise Pershing’s estate, another artist local to Pittsburgh. Davis and Pershing had painted together briefly, and McArdle had a few inquiries about artwork he was collecting. As soon as he stepped into Davis’ house, he was captured.

Davis lived in an old farmhouse in the West End with his parents before they passed. As the house became his own, he began to mesh the classic look of the place with the abstract, modernist art style of his own work. His house turned into a museum nearly overflowing with his artwork– everything from sculptures, photographs, and paintings could be found on the walls, in boxes, or anywhere else your eyes could land.

When Pat McArdle began collecting work from the estate after Davis’ passing, he knew he’d found a hidden gem. Already entranced by downtown Pittsburgh and its rich history– he coined himself a self-proclaimed Pittsburgh historian– McArdle had hit a goldmine with the photographs Davis had stashed away. 

Davis worked comfortably as an accountant on the fifteenth floor of the Benedum Trees Building during the Pittsburgh Renaissance. He witnessed the destruction of the point, which ultimately led to Pittsburgh’s beloved Point State Park. Thankfully, Davis was good with a camera– photos of our very own Pittsburgh becoming the familiar city it is today are captured through Davis’ eyes. 

-Photo Courtesy of Elisabeth Kay-

But Davis’ art wasn’t exclusively focused on the Pittsburgh Renaissance, or Pittsburgh at all, for that matter. He studied in New York under a French mentor, bringing the European art style back to Pittsburgh. He’d been put in multitudes of gallery shows all over the US with artists like Rothko, but a friend of his remembered Davis would never do a show of his own. He believed working artists who were full-time should have shows of their own, but because he was also an accountant, he never held one of his own. 

With the Pittsburgh Renaissance’s Semi-Sesquicentennial this past May, McArdle knew that it was time for Davis to get his very own gallery show. “It took me a couple days to even pronounce it,” McArdle recalls, “but I know to me, that any word like Semi-Sesquicentennial has gravitas.” To celebrate this, McArdle pulled out the filled boxes of photographs, modernist sculptures, and vibrant paintings to compile this collection. There’s a new scrapbook of Davis’ photos and other mementos for when you think you’ve looked through them all, and some books from his own home on display. “It’s very moving to me,” McArdle admits as he looks around at his curated collection.

-Photo Courtesy of Elisabeth Kay-

This exhibit can be found in theBenedum Trees Gallery, which is easy to find once you enter the building. It’s open Thursdays and Fridays from 4-7 PM, and Saturdays from 10-4 PM until August. It’s free entry and truly something you don’t want to miss.