With the passing of Charles Dee Mitchell, who died on Friday at the age of 74, the Dallas art world has lost one of its leading lights who helped shape the local artistic culture as a critic, curator, collector, patron and general all-around wise man of the arts.
After getting a theater degree from SMU, and a brief period teaching at Greenhill School and living in New York, Mitchell began working in 1972 at a small startup called , eventually becoming chief buyer. Retiring early, he devoted his considerable talents and resources to the flourishing of the visual arts in Dallas.
For many years, Mitchell had a major voice in representing the North Texas art scene to the broader art world, in sharp, penetrating reviews published in and , among other magazines. (When I tried to educate myself about Dallas art before I moved here in 2009, reading Mitchell鈥檚 impressive publications set my expectations at a high level.)
Unlike many who write about art, though, the breadth and depth of Mitchell鈥檚 literary and cultural knowledge set his work apart. A glimpse at the index of his at the Dallas Museum of Art, or even his eccentric , suggests the range of his thinking. Later he exercised this range as president of the literary and poetry organization from 2010 to 2018, which was credited with helping nurture a in Dallas.
His , designed by the architect , was made to showcase his , which Mitchell developed with razor-sharp, unerring taste. Far from simply pursuing the blue-chip or fashionable, as so many collectors do, Mitchell thought deeply and committed whole-heartedly. Among his outside-the-box interests was , of which he was a significant collector, which brought together media, culture and politics.
The work of the local artists he supported, such as (whom Mitchell curated at The Box Company), or (to whom Mitchell turned over his as an exhibition venue), was invariably among the most exacting creative work, demanding viewers鈥� full attention 鈥� never something that could be viewed distractedly or lazily. Like all of Mitchell鈥檚 projects, these curatorial projects brought together eye and mind at an elevated level, setting a high standard for those who follow.
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