Chet Kalm

1925 - 2017

Chet Kalm, a Stockbridge resident for more than 26 years, died on April 26 due to complications from pneumonia.

Kalm was born in south Boston on December 30, 1925 and studied at the Boston Museum. A member of the Greatest Generation, Kalm enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 and served in the 5th Rangers Battalion where he was among the first wave of soldiers who landed in Normandy immediately following the D-Day invasion. He was severely wounded a short time later in France and received the Purple Heart.

After World War II, he studied art at Yale University School of Art and later, at the Academie Colarossi and L'Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris.

He eventually settled in New York City where he lived as an artist and book/magazine illustrator. He met the former Vera Bleuer at a dinner party in 1957. Three years later, they married and recently celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary.

In the early 1960s, Kalm joined the faculty at Parsons School of Design in New York City where he later established and led a special curriculum for first year students called the Foundation Year. Kalm continued as a teacher and administrator at Parsons until his retirement in 1990.

An accomplished and recognized painter/sculptor, Kalm's work has been featured in more than 30 solo exhibitions in galleries in New York, Florida, Massachusetts and Europe. His art is included in many private collections around the world.

Kalm is survived by his wife, Vera, his sons Nicholas and Antony, and four grandchildren.

A private ceremony will be followed by a celebration of his life later this year.