Michael Frary in the manner of Roualout - Untitled

12 x 18 inches

Framed: 18 x 26 inches

Oil on Canvas

Michael Frary (May 28, 1918 – August 30, 2005) was an American Modernist artist from Santa Monica, California, who was known for his interest in structural forms and architectural compositions, as well as for his Surrealist impulses. A versatile artist, Frary experimented with a range of mediums and constantly refined his approach to his subjects.Early life and careerFrary graduated from Palm Beach High School in 1934 and was awarded an athletic scholarship from the University of Southern California (USC). During his time at USC, he became a champion swimmer and captain of the school's water polo team. In 1940, he graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture Degree. He obtained his Master of Fine Arts degree in painting the following year. At the outbreak of the Second World War, Frary joined the United States Navy. He was discharged as a Lieutenant when the war concluded in 1945 and returned to California. [1] Frary subsequently worked as an assistant art director for Goldwyn Studios, Paramount, and Universal Studios. As a member of the Society of Motion Picture Art Directors from 1946 – 1949 Frary assisted with the design of backdrops for films directed by Hollywood luminaries like Orson Welles. He began to teach night classes in painting at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and was soon offered a full-time teaching position at the school. While teaching at UCLA, Frary also taught at Los Angeles City College and the Chouinard Art Institute.Texas Modernist PeriodIn 1949, Michael relocated from California to Texas, after accepting the position of faculty chair at the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Frary continued his studies, taking classes at the Chicago Art Institute and at L' Académie de La Chaudière in Paris.[2] These experiences gave him an appreciation for the forward-thinking work being produced by the European and American Modernists. Frary taught at the McNay Museum until 1952 and, while there, met Lola Marguerite Finch Mathewson "Peggy" Frary, whom he married in 1950.[3]When Frary was offered an assistant professor position at the University of Texas at Austin, he and his wife moved to a contemporary house in the northwest hills of Austin. They would remain there for the next five decades. Peggy Frary, who had a flair for entertaining, turned the home into a gathering place for Austin's burgeoning arts community.[4] Frary was named professor of Art in 1970 and, upon his retirement in 1986, was named Professor Emeritus of Art.Frary's legacy as a seminal Texas Modernist rests of his achievements during his early years at the University of Texas, when he worked alongside notables like Charles Umlauf, Everett Spruce, Ralph White, Kelly Fearing, William Lester, and Loren Mozley to promote Modernism in Texas. Frary and his compatriots helped usher Texas out of its artistic conservatism and into the national and international mainstream.[5]Frary continued to paint and exhibit his work until his death in 2005.Select Solo ExhibitionsDuring his career Frary received over one hundred seventy-five awards and purchase prizes and participated in over 200 one-man exhibitions.[7]1954Dalzell Hatfield Galleries, Los Angeles, CaliforniaBetty McLean Gallery, Dallas, TexasPan-American Galleries, San Antonio, Texas1955Laguna Gloria Art Museum, Austin, Texas1956Dalzell Hatfield Galleries, Los Angeles, TexasFine Arts Department, San Antonio, Texas1957Incarnate Word College, San Antonio, TexasPetite Gallery, New York, New York1958Valley House Gallery, Dallas, Texas1959Gallery of Modern Art, Fort Worth, TexasLaguna Gloria Art Museum, Austin, TexasGallery of Modern Art, Fort Worth, Texas1960Junior League Gallery, Houston, TexasDalzell Hatfield Galleries, Los Angeles, CaliforniaJanet Nessler Gallery, New York, New YorkSpringfield Museum of Art, Springfield, Missouri1961Art Department Gallery, San AngeloCollege, San Angelo, Texas 1962McNay Art Institute, San Antonio, TexasMarion Koogler McNay Art Institute, San Antonio, Texas1963Hill Country Arts Foundation, Ingram, TexasPeabody Museum, Salem, Massachusetts1964Gallery of the Four Columns, Little Rock, TexasThe Street Gallery, Little Rock, ArkansasNorton Gallery, St. Louis, MissouriSul Ross State College Fine Arts Gallery, Alpine, TexasSan Angelo College, San Angelo, Texas1965Shook Carrington Gallery, San Antonio, Texas1966Valley House Gallery, Dallas, TexasDalzell Hatfield Galleries, Los Angeles, California1967Artists West of the Mississippi Exhibition, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs, ColoradoMissouri Southern University Art Department, Joplin, Missouri1968Concordia College, Austin, TexasValley House Gallery, Dallas, TexasShook Carrington Gallery, San Antonio, TexasFrary-Lester Show at University Art Museum, University of Texas at Austin1970Main Place Gallery, One Main Place, Dallas, TexasParkcrest Gallery, 5408 Parkcrest, Austin, TexasTFAA traveling Michael Frary Exhibition: Sul Ross State College, Alpine, Texas; the University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX; Odessa College, Odessa, Texas; Angelina College, Lufkin, Texas; Kilgore College, Kilgore, Texas; McAllen State Bank Patrons of Art, McAllen, Texas; Guadalajara, Mexico1971University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TexasOdessa College, Odessa, TexasSul Ross State University, Alpine, TexasParkcrest Gallery, Austin, Texas1973Laguna Gloria Art Museum, Austin, TexasMeredith Long Gallery, Houston, TexasMarion Koogler McNay Art Institute, San Antonio, TexasDallas Public Library, Dallas, Texas1975University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TexasTexas Lutheran College, Seguin, Texas1977Abilene Fine Arts Museum, Abilene, Texas1979Galveston Art Center on the Strand, Galveston, Texas1984Santa Fe East, Santa Fe, New MexicoSelect Museums and Public CollectionsLos Angeles County Museum, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California.Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio.Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California.Witte Memorial Museum, San Antonio, TexasLaguna Gloria Art Museum, Austin, TexasDallas Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas, TexasMuseum of Fine Arts of Houston, TexasSpringfield Art Museum, Springfield, MissouriJanet Nessler Gallery, New York, New YorkKnoedler Gallery, New York, New YorkBlack Tulip Gallery, Dallas, TexasValley House Gallery, Dallas, TexasThe University of Texas Student Union, Austin, TexasBeverly Fairfax Community Center, Los Angeles, CaliforniaMeadows Building, Dallas, TexasD. D. Feldman Collection, Dallas, TexasTed Weiner Collection, Fort Worth, TexasCoca-Cola Company, New York, New YorkGrumbacher Collection, New York, New YorkBocour Collection, New York, New YorkVirginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VirginiaPhillips Petroleum Company, Bartlesville, OklahomaDallas Morning News, Dallas, TexasNational Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.One Rockefeller Plaza, New York, New YorkState University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, New YorkBureau of Reclamation, Washington, D.C.

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