Margaret Ralston Gest (1900-1965) was an American painter. She was a member of the Philadelphia Ten.[1]
Gest was born in 1900 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[2] She attended the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art from 1920-1924, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1924-1928, and L'Academie Scandinave [fr], Paris from 1928-1929.[3] Gest was known for her Cubist style, primarily in watercolors[4] and multicultural approach.[5]
From 1927 through 1960 Gest exhibited regularly at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.[4] She was a member of the Philadelphia Water Color Club, the Contemporary Club, the North Shore Art Association, the Plastic Club, and the Woodmere Gallery.[4][6]
Gest lived most of the year in Philadelphia. spending summers in Gloucester, Massachusetts.[4][3] She died in 1965.[4]
In 1977 her library was auctioned at Sotheby's in London.[7]
Gest's work was included in the 1998 retrospective, "The Philadelphia Ten" at the Moore College of Art & Design.[6] Gest was a benefactor of Haverford College with a religious theme.[5] and the Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections offers a "Gest Fellowship"[8]