Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 18

Herb Mears
"Jockey, Wife, & Lion" Modern Naturalistic Figurative Portrait Oil Painting

20th Century

About the Item

Modern naturalistic portrait painting by well-known Houston-based artist Herb Mears. The work features a detailed rendering of a jockey wearing a yellow and blue outfit standing next to his wife and a young lion. Signed by the artist in the front lower right corner. Retains the original DuBose Gallery label on the reverse. Currently hung in a complementary frame. Dimensions Without Frame: H 48 in. x W 54 in. Artist Biography: Born in New York City in 1923, Herb Mears was interested in art from a young age. He studied under Fernand Leger in Paris and went on to paint and study in various studios in France and Italy before his arrival in Houston in 1951. With colleague David Adickes, whom he had met in Paris, Mears decided to open an art school. Their Studio of Contemporary Arts finally settled in an old building on Main Street with Mears and Adickes hoping to give classes to potential students. However money was tight and Mears found himself as a draftsman for Houston Lighting and Power Company, a job he excelled at and enjoyed. Later, Mears was involved in the Contemporary Arts Association, frequently making trips to ensure security in addition to enjoying the art scene the Association provided. From the CAA to the Art League of Houston and the Museum of Fine Arts, Mears began to gain recognition. An abstract, or non-objective piece as he called it, won a prize at a competition held by the Museum of Fine Arts, earning him a teaching position at the Museum School. Mears also taught at the Contemporary Arts Museum, University of Houston, and Rice University. Mears passed away in 1999.
  • Creator:
    Herb Mears
  • Creation Year:
    20th Century
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 53.13 in (134.96 cm)Width: 59 in (149.86 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Houston, TX
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: A2024.0202.59711stDibs: LU551313966592

More From This Seller

View All
"Mid Summer Journey on Sledge" Impressionist South African Painting
By John Koenakeefe Mohl
Located in Houston, TX
Oil painting on canvas board of a sledge pulled by oxen. The painting is done in an impressionist style. The canvas board is signed by the artist on the front and titled, signed and dated on the back. The board is not framed. Artist Biography: John Koenakeefe Mohl was born on 29 September 1903 in Dinokana, Zeerust in the North-West Province. Mohl's father was a carpenter who sculpted objects such as chairs and mealie stampers. During his youth, Mohl drew with 'pepa' on rocks and made clay objects. He attended primary school in Dinokana where his teachers reprimanded him for constantly drawing in class. Mohl's father eventually withdrew him from school to tend to the goats. Nevertheless, Reverend Hale soon recognized Mohl’s talent and convinced his father to allow him to draw. Mohl attended the Moeding Training Institute (later known as Tigerkloof Training School) where he attained a teacher’s diploma. He subsequently accompanied a German artist to South West Africa (now Namibia) where he studied painting at the Windhoek School of Art. The Missionary Society and the Lutheran Church then sent him to Dusseldorf, West Germany where he studied art at the Kunst-Akademie during the following five years. The artist later returned to South Africa and settled in Sophiatown, where he started running art classes from his home. His art school was known to his peers as the ‘White Studio’. He was one of the first Black artists to be involved in art education and training. In the late 1950s, he was prevented from operating a business; therefore he established the Apollo Art...
Category

1960s Naturalistic Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Tripelconcert" Realist Painting of Two Women with a Flute & Saddlebill Stork
By Poen de Wijs
Located in Houston, TX
Naturalistic realist painting by modern Dutch artist Poen de Wijs. The work features a woman playing the flute in front of a woman with her hair pulled up set against an abstract bac...
Category

1990s Naturalistic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

"Just a Rabbit" Contemporary Pink, Green, & Yellow Figurative Portrait Painting
By Matthew Reeves
Located in Houston, TX
Contemporary pink, green, and yellow toned figurative abstract by Houston based artist Matthew Reeves. The work features and central figure with a white rabbit in the foreground. Si...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Panel

"Bunny Bashing" Contemporary Pastel Surrealist Landscape Painting
By Henry David Potwin
Located in Houston, TX
Colorful, pastel-toned painting by contemporary artist Henry David Potwin. This work features a woman driving a yellow car driving through a group of rabbits. Signed in the front low...
Category

Early 2000s Surrealist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Uczta XIII" or Feast Modern Surrealist Genre Painting
By Romuald Oramus
Located in Houston, TX
Red tonal surrealist genre scene of two male figures sitting at a dining table with turkeys marching over the surface. The piece is signed and dated by the artist on the back of the canvas. The canvas is framed in a gold frame with a burlap matte. Dimensions Without Frame: H 20 in. x W 28 in. x D 1 in. Artist Biography: Romuald Oramus was born 1953 in Poland. He is known for painting and printmaking. His works have a satirical genre theme that reflects Dutch Masters like William Hogarth and Pieter Bruegel the Elder...
Category

1980s Modern Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil

Modern Colorful Tropical Abstract Painting of Two Female Figures and an Animal
Located in Houston, TX
Modern colorful abstract painting by Texas artist Don Snell. The work features two central nude female figures standing next to an animal in a tropical lands...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

You May Also Like

Christmas Sheaf With Birds by Georg Stoopendaal
Located in Stockholm, SE
This painting, created by the Swedish artist Georg Stoopendaal (1866–1953), captures a cherished Nordic tradition: a "julkärve" or Christmas sheaf. The sheaf, made of grain and hung ...
Category

Early 20th Century Naturalistic Animal Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Charming Naivist Painting Depicting a Horse
Located in Stockholm, SE
This charming naivist painting by Swedish artist Olof (Olle) Casimir Ågren (1874–1962) depicts a horse standing gracefully beside a tree. Executed with bold, textured brushstrokes an...
Category

1950s Naturalistic Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

"Five Pelicans" Elizabeth Margaret Rungius Fulda, 1925 Flora and Fauna Painting
Located in New York, NY
Elizabeth Margaret Rungius Fulda Five Pelicans, 1925 Signed lower left Oil on canvas 24 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches Fulda’s story began in 1879 in Berlin's Britz district (formerly Teltow)...
Category

1920s Naturalistic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

"El otro encuentro" - owl, nature, figurative, oil painting, green, blue, brown
Located in Ciudad de México, MX
Nature is a central theme in Alejandra's work, and with this surreal landscape, we can notice her profound curiosity about the cycles that occur in the natural world that turn out to...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Naturalistic Animal Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

Dog - Oil on Canvas by Filippo Palizzi - Second Half of 19th Century
By Filippo Palizzi
Located in Roma, IT
Realized by Filippo Palizzi between 1850 and 1860, in very good conditions. Includes a contemporary wooden gilded frame. Filippo Palizzi is an italian...
Category

1850s Naturalistic Animal Paintings

Materials

Oil

Working Horses - Oil on Canvas by Alessandro Lupo - 1913
Located in Roma, IT
Working Horses is an original oil painting on canvas realized by Alessandro Lupo in 1913. Hand signed and dated lower right. Good conditions, slightly stretched canvas, slight mark...
Category

1910s Naturalistic Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Recently Viewed

View All