Tom Young: Painter, Teacher, Fighter Pilot

On August 4, 2008 (just before his 84th birthday), the Ogden Museum opened an exhibition of the works of Tom Young. That night, Tom and his wife, Caroline, were in attendance. Tom is a great storyteller with a wealth of experience to draw from. In WWII, Tom served as a fighter pilot for the Army Air Force. After the war, he became involved in the abstract expressionist movement of 1950's New York. As founding member of the important 10th Street artist's cooperative gallery, between 1953 and 1969 Tom was closely associated with artists such as Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning, Philip Guston, Paul Georges, Roy Lichtenstein, and David Amram. As artist-in-residence at the University of Mississippi in 1960 and 1961, he met a young William Eggleston, becoming a great influence on the development of Eggleston's style. Tom has been department head at Auburn University, and developed the M.F.A. program at the University of New Orleans, of which his student, Margaret Evangeline, was the first graduate. Tom and his wife, Caroline, still live in the New Orleans area. The photo at the top, taken by Bradley Sumrall, shows him in front of his large untitled abstract painting from 1970 as featured in the Ogden exhibition. Below is an image of Tom in his Metairie home taken by David Houston.