They love whimsy — and dachshunds — in works of art
Colour acccentuates a sense of lighthearted fun in couple’s home decor
ST. CHARLES, MO.— When people walk into her home, Marianne McGee wants them to take it all in and smile. Or laugh. “But not too much,” she says with a laugh of her own.
From the outside, Marianne and Ken McGee’s house looks just like all the others in their newer St. Charles subdivision. Except the door: It’s painted a bright teal with a gold dachshund sculpture mounted on it. That’s a hint at what’s to come.
Bright aqua walls in the great room ahead signal the treasure trove inside. In the dining room to the left, there’s a seven-foot- tall Mona Lisa wearing sunglasses, painted in vibrant colours; the painting hides a secret china cabinet. Sculptures abound, including, in the entryway, a four-foot bronze goddess. To the right in the entry, a painting of J. Edgar Hoover in women’s lingerie, with a 3-D ruffle concealing his private parts. Everywhere you look, bright, fun art.
The couple, both retired from the U.S. Army, started with a flapper-looking blonde with one breast exposed. Sometimes when company comes over, “we put a Post-it note over it,” Marianne says.
That painting (along with the Mona Lisa in the dining room) is by St. Louis artist Theresa Disney. The McGees bought it in 1986 after finding Disney’s art on birdhouses for sale.
Marianne, 66, fell in love with Disney’s style. “I thought, this person paints like I think … I mean, I like Monet, but I think if he put frogs on those lily pads it would be so much better.” The McGees, married for 35 years, have always had dachshunds and currently share their home with Elke, Maude and CoCo Chanel.
When their jobs forced them to transfer to Huntsville, Ala., in 1997, they took most of their collection with them. But two of the biggest pieces — the Mona Lisa cabinet and Disney’s take on From Here to Eternity, an eight-foot-long painting — were delivered personally by the artist.
The couple returned to the St. Louis area when they retired in 2007, building a home in St. Charles because it provided easy access to their aging parents.
Collecting pop and whimsical art is Marianne’s hobby in retirement, says Ken, 67. “Sud- denly, our house is a work of art.” And a sculpture of a dachshund by Wentzville artist Steve Jones climbs the walls of the living room.