Ralph Chessé

Ralph Chessé
Born
Ralph Alexander Chessé

(1900-01-06)January 6, 1900
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedMarch 17, 1991(1991-03-17) (aged 91)
Central Point, Oregon, U.S.
Other nameRaphael Alexandre Chessé
EducationSchool of the Art Institute of Chicago
OccupationsVisual artist, puppeteer, stage actor, stage manager, makeup artist
Known forPainting, murals, printmaking, sculpture
SpouseJosephine T. Dupree (m. 1926–1977; her death)
Children3
Websitechessearts.com
Children at Play fresco mural by Ralph Alexander Chessé at Coit Tower in San Francisco
Children at Play (c. 1933), fresco mural by Chessé at Coit Tower in San Francisco

Ralph A. Chessé (January 6, 1900 – March 17, 1991) was an American multidisciplinary visual artist and performer. He was Louisiana Creole, and known as a puppeteer and painter; he also worked as a stage actor, stage manager, makeup artist, muralist, printmaker, and sculptor.[1] He was one of the Coit Tower muralists in the 1930s, and worked for many years as a marionette theater owner and director.

Early life, family, and education

Ralph Alexander Chessé was born on January 6, 1900, in New Orleans, Louisiana.[2] His parents were Marie Henriette (née Ticoulet) and Alexander Laurent Chessé, and both were Louisiana Creole people.[2] He was raised in New Orleans and Chicago.[2][3] As a teenager he became interested in painting.[2]

Chesse attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for a few months starting in 1918.[2]

Chessé and Josephine "Jo" T. Dupree married in 1926 in New York City, and they had 3 children together. His two sons Dion Marcus Chessé (1929–1991), and Bruce Chessé (born 1935) also worked as artists, actors and teachers.[4][5][6]

Career

In 1919, Chessé moved back to New Orleans to work as an actor, makeup artist, and assistant stage manager at Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre.[2] During this period he worked alongside designer Marc Antony.[2] He began his career as a puppeteer and painter in 1920.[7][8]

In 1923, Chessé moved to Hollywood with a goal of working in the motion picture industry, and he remained for one year as he worked at United Artists as a timekeeper.[7][4] In 1924, he moved to San Francisco and was introduced to marionette theatre, and furthered his understanding of puppetry with artist James Blanding Sloan.[2]

Chessé opened the Marionette Theater in San Francisco, where he designed all of the marionettes, as well as the stage sets, the lighting, and he performing the acting; the first show was Hamlet (1927).[9] In 1931, he opened the a new marionette theater at 718 Montgomery Street in San Francisco.[9][10] He continued performing marionette theater performances throughout the 1970s.[9]

During the 1930s, Chessé worked as the marionettes director for Federal Theatre Project, as part of the New Deal.[9] Additionally he painted the 9 feet (2.7 m) x 6 feet (1.8 m) fresco, Children at Play (c. 1933), at Coit Tower in San Francisco, depicting multiple children playing on a playground.[9][11] This fresco was a Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), another New Deal program.[11]

In 1939, Chessé performed puppetry shows at the Golden Gate International Exposition (GGIE) on Treasure Island.[7] During World War II, he continued to make art and worked as a shipbuilder at Marinship in Sausalito, California.[9] He had an exhibition in 1944 of his oil paintings in Moscow.[9]

Chessé created the KPIX-TV children’s television program, The Wonderful World of Brother Buzz (1953–1969).[12][13][4]

He had a small acting role as Jacob in the film Tell Me a Riddle (1980), directed by Lee Grant.[9] In 1984, Chessé moved to Ashland, Oregon for retirement.[9] He continued exhibiting his paintings in Oregon after his move.

Late life, death and legacy

Prior to his death, he suffered from multiple strokes and a heart attack.[9] Chessé died on March 17, 1991, in Central Point, Oregon.[9]

Chessé's work can be found in museum collections, including at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.;[14] the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City;[15] the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City;[16] and the Portland Art Museum in Oregon.[17]

He has had multiple posthumous exhibitions, including at the Georgia Museum of Art (2015) in Athens, Georgia curated by Laura Valeri.[12][5]

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

Group exhibitions

  • California Garden and Home Exposition (1968), Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, California[8]
  • Works of Daniel Robinson, Ralph Chesse, Nelson Sandgren, Al Pearson, Richard Kennedy, and Hal Johnson (2001) ArtSpace Gallery, Astoria, Oregon[20]
  • Constructing Identity (2017), group exhibition, Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon[21]
  • Black Artists of Oregon (2023–2024), group exhibition, Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon[22]

Publications

  • Chesse, Ralph (May 4, 1987). The Marionette Actor. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-0-8026-0011-0.

References

  1. 1 2 Bravo, Tony (May 24, 2024). "Work of playful, prolific artist Ralph Chessé featured in 'A San Francisco Century'". San Francisco Chronicle.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Harter, Christopher. "Finding Aid: Chessé, Ralph (Raphael Alexandre)". ArchivesSpace Public Interface. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  3. ↑ Barney, Tammy C. (October 21, 2024). "Ralph Chessé's art depicted his Black heritage in New Orleans". Verite News New Orleans.
  4. 1 2 3 Chapin, Dwight (December 4, 1979). "Pulling the strings". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 31. Retrieved May 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 Pierce, Midge (February 3, 2017). "Ralph Chessé art". The Southeast Examiner of Portland Oregon. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Obituary for Dion Chesse". The San Francisco Examiner. May 7, 1991. p. 15. Retrieved May 26, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 3 "Ralph Alexander Chesse Biography". Annex Galleries Fine Prints. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Renown Puppeteer To Give Shows At Home Exposition". The Times-Herald (Vallejo, California). May 4, 1968. p. 34. Retrieved May 9, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Zane, Maitland (March 20, 1991). "S.F. Puppeteer, Actor Ralph Chesse Dies at 91". San Francisco Chronicle (obituary). p. 24 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Bay City Theaters Offers Wide Variety". The Sunday Oregonian. March 15, 1931. p. 43. Retrieved May 26, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. 1 2 "Coit Tower: Chesse Mural – San Francisco CA". Living New Deal.
  12. 1 2 3 Chicas, Jennifer (May 18, 2015). "Georgia Museum of Art to focus on artist and puppeteer Ralph Chessé". UGA Today. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  13. 1 2 Hotchkiss, Sarah (May 24, 2024). "Library Exhibit Honors the Prolific Output of an SF Artist and Puppeteer". KQED Inc.
  14. ↑ "Ralph Chessé". National Gallery of Art (NGA).
  15. ↑ "The Village, Ralph Alexander Chesse American". The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
  16. ↑ "Ralph Chessé. Family Group. 1941". The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Ralph Chessé". Portland Art Museum.
  18. ↑ Darrow, Max (May 18, 2024). "S.F. exhibition spotlights legacy of Bay Area artist, puppeteer Ralph Chessé". CBS San Francisco. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  19. ↑ Foley, Kathy (August 24, 2025). "Exhibition Review: Ralph Chessé: A San Francisco Century". PIR Journal. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Northwest artists featured in new show". The Daily Astorian. March 1, 2001. p. 28. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  21. ↑ Rabin, Jennifer (March 9, 2017). "Portland Art Museum's "Constructing Identity" Asks Something Important Of Viewers". Willamette Week. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  22. ↑ Gallivan, Joseph (November 2023). "Black Artists of Oregon". Preview Art Magazine. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
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