LLOYD McNEILL (American, b. 1935)Sign Bearers1963, oil on canvassigned and dated Lloyd G. McNeill 1963 lower right48 x 31 7/8 in., frame: 49 3/4 x 33 3/4 in. Provenance: Property of a Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Collector.Other Notes: American modernist painter Lloyd McNeill is celebrated for his figurative art from the 1960s and his talent as a jazz flutist. In 1963, he was the first person to receive a Masters of Fine Arts degree from Howard University. After graduating from Howard, he spent a year at Dartmouth College as the Artist-In-Residence, during which time he painted Sign Bearers . Following his time at Dartmouth, McNeill moved to Paris to study at L’Ecole des Beaux Arts. Upon returning to the US, he had a varied and successful career as a jazz musician, artist, and arts educator.