Lawrence Graham Bigelow: An Artist Sees for His Country

Lawrence Graham Bigelow was an American artist who achieved prominence in the mid 20th century, while at the same time working undercover for the CIA. His luminescent watercolors often framed landscapes from his travels around the world, as he sought to blend his public and private occupations. Bigelow was born in Paris in 1925 to Foreign Service parents, and was a decorated war hero in World War II before becoming an OSS agent in Italy and later joining the CIA.By the early 1960s, Bigelow's paintings began to sell well, and were shown at prominent galleries in New York, London and Dublin. His watercolors captured the expressive aura of shrouded landscapes, or explored the mystery of abstract form. Critics praised his work, comparing him to Turner and Whistler.While his paintings no longer command the audience they once did, his life and artistry remain a captivating tale of a double-life.