Expand the Nate McClain Art Gallery
Learn about the Gallery history, help find "lost" art, and support the Gallery shop
About the Nate McClain Gallery
Friendship is at the heart of the Gallery. Founded by Kris Barks a best friend of McClain's since childhood, the Gallery opened in 2003 on what would have been McClain's 30th birthday. The Gallery aims to be a place of interaction for old & new friends to Experience the collected artwork, Explore the artist legacy, and Expand the Gallery collection. Our exclusive collection includes over 130 privately owned paintings, watercolors, illustrations, and drawings as well as over 80 personal photographs provided by the Gallery community. In addition to the crowd-curated collection, the Gallery has also mobilized the community into grassroots action saving McClain's Ultimate Sports mural and holding a 20th Anniversary memorial exhibition of McClain's work.
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Proceeds help support the Nate McClain Gallery
Painting The Town: The Art of Nate McClain is a 150-page definitive collection of Nate McClain's artwork, spanning his first published piece at age 4 to his untimely death in 1997 at age 24. Features over 130 of McClain's original paintings, vibrant portraits, & early works.
"…we lost a great, great artist. Being able to do those paintings of the Self Portrait, the John Belushi, the Guy at Bar at 18, 19, 20 years old…Truly, he was a fabulous artist. Watercolors, drawings, cartoons. His paintings blew me away, his drawings blew me away. He could have gone anywhere. He could have done anything." – Mike Peters, Pulitzer-winning cartoonist and creator of "Mother Goose & Grimm"
"Nate McClain was a genuinely exuberant painter with a real feeling for the times he lived in, mixing his irrepressible sense of fun with a deep sensitivity to suffering and pain. He enhanced the lives of the people around him with his public art, and it's a tragedy that his career was cut short when it had only just begun." – Julian Spalding, English art critic, author, and former curator
"Nate made one sweeping circular line to draw a face already formed in his brain. I remarked to myself, 'Wow! He knows exactly what he wants to do (draw).'" – Shelli Lipton, founder of Hello Studios, Inc.
Permanent Display
Nate McClain's artwork is on public display in his hometown of Granite City, IL at Ernie & Annie's Tavern and Coolidge Jr. High.
​His remaining artwork is privately owned in the St. Louis MO metro area, Portland OR, Santa Monica CA, Kansas City MO, Chicago IL, Denver CO, Charlotte NC, Charleston SC, and New York, NY.
​View the map for details (no private residences are listed).
Painting The Town: Legacy of Nate McClain
September 8th - 9th, 2017 @ St. Louis ArtWorks
Retrospective honoring the 20th Anniversary of McClain's passing​
THANK YOU for a successful Exhibit!
Lost Art (Owner Unknown)
Help the Gallery find the owner of these "missing" McClain paintings.
​If you have any information, please contact us so the Gallery can connect with the owner
Ozzie Smith Retires
Arrowhead Stamp
No More Murray
Hand Bell
Pot Head
Sleeping Girl in a Field
St, Louis Fireworks
Busy Businessman
Milestones & Media Coverage
20th Anniversary of Nate's passing honored with "Painting the Town: Legacy of Nate McClain" Exhibit and Book (2017)​
Rebuilt the Gallery with digitally restored Artwork featuring larger and clearer images (2016)
​Portfolio expanded to 100 pieces of McClain's art as part of Gallery 10th Anniversary (2013)
10th Anniversary of Nate's passing honored with redesigned Gallery reflecting web aesthetics of the time (2007)
Magazine Cover featured ​"The Alcoholic" on Hablemos an international publication from Argentina (2005)
Presented at Museums & the Web Int'l Conference on "Impacting & Inspiring Communities" (2005)
St. Louis media helped search for 9' by 7' Ozzie Smith Retires mural. Painting location remains unknown (2005)
Posthumous Art Exhibit features 23 original McClain pieces at the dedication for Ultimate Sports (2005)​
Saved 16' by 8' Ultimate Sports mural from demolition & relocated it to Coolidge Middle School via grassroots effort (2004)
Opened the Nate McClain Gallery as crowd curated gallery with 30 art pieces in honor of Nate's 30th birthday (2003)​
The Nate McClain Gallery has been featured in print, television, & online coverage including
Museums and the Web "Impacting & Inspiring Communities" published for International Conference
St. Louis Post-Dispatch articles related to finding Ozzie Smith mural and saving Ultimate Sports mural
FOX 2 St. Louis KTVI interview related to finding Ozzie Smith mural
Jefferson City News Tribune article related to finding Ozzie Smith mural
Granite City Press Record article for saving Ultimate Sports mural
Playback Magazine article for saving Ultimate Sports mural
Delta Chi Alumni Newsletter article about McClain's artistic contributions to the Fraternity​​
The Nate McClain Gallery (www.natemcclain.com) is a crowd curated experience that preserves and promotes the art & life of Nate McClain (1973 - 1997). Nate McClain is an American visual artist from St. Louis MO best known for his large-scale murals which have gained posthumous acclaim. The Gallery aims to be a place of interaction & inspiration to Experience the collected artwork, Explore the artist legacy, and Expand the Gallery by sharing crowdsourced content. Twenty years after his passing, McClain's story continues to resonate and inspire.
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