Provincetown Artist and Jeweler Earle Pilgrim
Exhibition and Discussion with Peter Stebbins
By: Charles Giuliano - Sep 24, 2024
Tall and slender Earle Montrose Pilgtrim (1923-1976) was an imposing presence. He had a sartorial flair and renowned flamboyance. The artist Tony Vevers referred to him as "The Earle of Pilgrim." That was largely a thing of the past when I befriended Earle and his attorney wife, Lily, while residing in New York in the late 1960s. I found my way to him through the many robust stories spun by the hipster, Dr. Gonzo William J. Cardoso, the former editor of the Boston Globe Magazine.
The Earle that I met in their New York loft was subdued and melancholy but infused with wit and wisdom. There were years of instablity with Lily as loving care provider. It was a relatively rare night out when I would escort him to Max's Kansas City to hang with other artists. Much of his cutting edge work had been lost over the years. These included colorful elaborate sets constructed in the Boston loft which Cardoso recalled with gusto.
In 1986 Ellen O'Donnell, then director, commissioned me to curate a major exhibition for the Provincetown Art Association and Museum. The curatorial essay for Kind of Blue: Benny Andrews, Emilio Cruz, Earle Pilgrim and Bob Thompson was published in the fall, 1986 issue of Provincetown Arts Magazine. It presented the work of four African American artists who worked in Provincetown. Thompson was later given a retrospective by the Whitney Museum of American Art.
There was a poignant meeting with Lily, then a widow, in her Washington, D.C. apartment. Works by Earle covered the walls but were concealed with fabric covers. As we discussed the work she explained that it was unbearable for her to look at them. That weekend we immersed in discussion of the artist and his work. I packed the car and drove to Provincetown where I delivered the paintings to the museum. The show then traveled to Northeastern University where I organized a panel discussion with art historian Patricia Hills and MFA adjunct curator, Edmund Barry Gaither. Judith Wilson, a curator of the Thompson Whitney retrospective, attended the event. I later invited her to write a cover story on Thompson for a Provincetown issue I edited for Art New England. She delayed past the deadline and I had to scramble to fill the space. She wrote a dissertation on Thompson so it seemed like an easy assignment.
Lily contacted me as she was setting up a foundation to sustain his work. That continues now with Peter Stebbins as its head. What follows is the press release for the upcoming exhibition at the library in Truro.
Looking for Earle, Earle Pilgrim Paintings and Jewelry from 1951-54
October Exhibition and Discussion with Peter Stebbins
Exhibition: October 1 – 31, 2024
Discussion with Peter Stebbins: Thursday, October 3rd at 6:00 p.m.
Truro Public Library, 7 Standish Way, North Truro, MA 02652
Free Admission / Call 508-487-1125 or email tpl_mail@clamsnet.org
More information: www.trurolibrary.org
Looking for Earle–and finding Hawthorne and Hensche–is a selection of paintings by Earle Pilgrim (1923-76), who lived and worked in Provincetown from 1951-54, studying with Henry Hensche, and taught jewelry making in the Truro Adult Vocational Classes. During this time, he operated Earle Pilgrim Jewelry at 393 Commercial Street. The paintings will be on view during October in the Anne H. Brock Community Room with examples of Pilgrim’s jewelry will be on display in the main library’s display case. On Thursday, October 3rd at 6:00 p.m. curator Peter Stebbins will discuss the process of discovering and promoting the work of Earle Pilgrim.
Focusing on the period in which Earle Pilgrim came to Provincetown to study painting in earnest with Henry Hensche, this focused exhibition finds Hawthorne and Hensche influences in its selections of paintings, many unsigned, untitled, and undated, as was Pilgrim’s tendency. While some of these works have been previously exhibited, according to labels affixed on the backs of the frames and other records, this body of work was never exposed in commercial galleries.
Established in 2016, in the year before Mrs. Pilgrim’s death, The Lily and Earle M. Pilgrim Art Foundation promotes the visual art of the African diaspora, an appreciation of artists who lack public recognition, and public access to art through best practices in preservation and placement of culturally important artworks. The Foundation is dedicated to Earle Montrose Pilgrim, a Black Atlantic artist whose family came from Barbados to New York City at the end of the 19th century, and is led by Peter Stebbins.
About Peter Stebbins
Peter Stebbins is the custodian of the private studio-based collection of artwork created by David Bethuel Jamieson, which he has stewarded since the artist’s death from AIDS-related causes in 1992; and the President of the Lily and Earle M. Pilgrim Art Foundation.