James Magee, an extraordinary artist known for his multifaceted creations, passed away on September 14, 2024. Magee’s legacy is tied to his enigmatic body of work, which spanned sculpture, poetry, and painting. His most famous creation, The Hill, located in the vast plains of West Texas, is a monumental stone installation that has been compared to the scale of Stonehenge. This mysterious, awe-inspiring piece took over four decades to construct and stands as a testament to Magee’s vision of art that fuses architecture, nature and poetry.

Magee was born on June 3, 1945 in Fremont Michigan to parents Robert Magee and Mary Branstrom Magee and was Ivy League educated. As an attorney he worked with The Quakers and the United Nations on bills concerning the right to conscientiously object to military service. Later he continued to work with the United Nations on the “Law of the Sea.” Magee eventually settled in El Paso, Texas. There he adopted additional personas—Anabell Livermore and Horace Mayfield—under which he produced distinct bodies of work, particularly paintings. Magee’s metal collages and sculptures were often paired with poetic titles, and were exhibited across the US, Mexico, and Europe.

James Magee’s work, especially “the Hill”, eludes simple categorization, evoking a mix of awe, solemnity and even sacredness in those that experienced it. His artistic and literary legacy including his poems published in “Letters to Goya: Poems, Titles and Letters to the Dead”, remains an enduring influence on contemporary art and poetry.

He is survived by his partner Camilla Carr (partner), Barbara Kemble (sister), Susan Wente (sister) and Dale Wente (brother-in-law), as well as countless nieces and nephews. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at St Mark’s Episcopal Church in Fremont Michigan on November 16 at 1pm. In May 2025, a Celebration of James will be held at The Hill, near El Paso, Texas.

In lieu of flowers a gift can be made to the Cornudas Mountain Foundation Fund below.