Ed Mumma (American, 1908 to 1986)
Edward Mumma (who called himself Mr. Eddy) was born in Milton, Ohio, in 1908. Mumma and his wife, Thelma, farmed and ran an antiques and junk business until her death in 1966, when he retired to Florida to be near his daughter. Mumma joined an art class with his daughter’s encouragement, then quit when his teacher called his work “too sloppy”, continuing to paint on his own. Most of Mumma’s work consists of wide-eyed and close-up faces or hands, repeated with variations in color, hand placement, and dress. He also produced boats, animals, mythical creatures, cars, and a series of portraits of kings. He painted in acrylic, often on both sides of his canvas or board, and made crude frames of scrap wood or plastic. Mumma rarely sold his work. By the time of death in 1986, he had amassed between 600 and 800 works. Work by Mumma can be found in the Mennello Museum of American Art, Orlando, FL; the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA; and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.
Information Courtesy of Rago Arts, October, 2019.