Walter Inglis Anderson

Walter Inglis Anderson was born in New Orleans in September 1903, but would call the Mississippi Gulf Coast home for most of his life. He studied art at New York’s Parsons School of Design, and in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and won a scholarship to study in France.

In 1941, he moved with his family to Oldfields, the family home of his wife, Agnes “Sissy” Grinstead, in Gautier, Mississippi. This was one of his most prolific periods, as he drew inspiration from his children and the fairy tales they loved, carving block prints and illustrating some of his favorite novels.

The Anderson family returned to Ocean Springs in 1947. Anderson spent much of his time isolated in his cottage studio and on the uninhabited barrier islands of the Mississippi coast. He immersed himself in nature – creating thousands of works portraying the area’s flora and fauna.

After his death in November 1965, Anderson’s family discovered a treasure of artworks hidden away in his cottage. His art went virtually unnoticed during his lifetime. Today, he is considered by many to be the South’s greatest visual artist. You can learn more about Walter Anderson and view his fascinating body of work at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Ocean Springs.