McCall, Robert

American Illustrator 1919-

Robert T. (Bob) McCall, one of the world's leading illustrators of space themes, was named to the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame in 1988. His bold, colorful canvases depict the visions of America's space program since its beginnings.

McCall was born in 1919 in Columbus, Ohio, and now lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona. During World War II, McCall enlisted in the Army Air Corps and became a bombardier instructor. After the war, he and his wife, artist Louise McCall, moved to Chicago and later New York, where he worked as an advertising illustrator. Through the Society of Illustrators, McCall was invited to produce paintings for the U.S. Air Force.

In the early 1960s, McCall was one of the first artists selected for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) fine arts program after producing future space concepts for Life magazine. This connection has led to a number of patch designs for space missions, a U.S. Postal Service commemorative stamp set, and murals at NASA field centers. Several astronauts include his artwork in their collections.

McCall's most visible work is a six-story mural in the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., which is seen by over six million visitors annually. His most widely recognized work is the painting of a massive double-ringed space station for the Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).

McCall's training included studies at the Columbus School of Art and Design and the Art Institute in Chicago in the late 1930s.

see also Artwork (volume 1); Bonestell, Chesley (volume 4); Rawlings, Pat (volume 4).

Pat Rawlings

Bibliography

Asimov, Isaac. Our World in Space, art by Bob McCall. New York: New York GraphicSociety, 1974.

Bova, Ben. Vision of the Future: The Art of Robert McCall. New York: Harry N. Abrams,1982.

Bradbury, Ray. "Introduction." In The Art of Robert McCall: A Celebration of Our Future in Space, captions by Tappan King. New York: Bantam Books, 1992.