George Tooker still lives...

"The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." - Mark Twain
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George Tooker happens to be one of my favorite painters.  Until this morning I had been under the false impression that he was dead.  He isn't - he is still alive.  He happens to be the last remaining artist of a threesome whose work came to influence my own; Paul Cadmus, Jared French, and Tooker. 
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George Tooker converted to Catholicism, having left the Episcopal church shortly after the death of his companion in 1973.  Subsequently, he painted stations of the cross, as well as an altarpiece depicting the Sacraments for the church of St. Francis of Assisi in Windsor, Vermont.

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George Tooker still lives in Hartland, Vermont.
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Thank you Tom for calling my attention to this.  My apologies for the mistake.  It actually happened to me once too - someone in Boston told the story I had died and was buried at New Melleray - the story developed after I left Boston abruptly to move back to Minneapolis. 
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Art: Meadow I - George Tooker
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A word about fact checking:  This is the second incident wherein I made a mistake regarding facts on a particular person.  I can't recall what the one before this was - but I welcome any reader to please comment if you disagree or question the accuracy of any of my statements.  I try to verify data, yet in this case I just assumed my information to be factual.  My sincere apologies.  (At least George may have benefitted from my prayers.)