Skip to main content

Michael Frary Paintings

American, 1918-2005

Michael Frary was born in Santa Monica, California on May 28, 1918. His father died when Michael was six months old. Relatives from the east moved him, his mother and siblings from California to Florida. He graduated from Palm Beach High School in 1934 and returned to California where he accepted a swimming scholarship from the University of Southern California. During his time at USC, he became a champion swimmer and captain of the USC varsity water polo team. In 1940, he graduated with a bachelor of architecture degree and a master of fine arts in painting the following year. At the outbreak of World War II, Fraryjoined the United States Navy, eventually receiving his discharge as Lieutenant at the war's conclusion in 1945. Upon his return to California, he became assistant art director first for the Goldwyn Studios, Paramount and then finally Universal Studios. His hectic lifestyle, although glamorous, did not allow him enough time to pursue his love of painting. To fulfill this need Frary began teaching night classes in painting. Shortly thereafter UCLA offered a full-time teaching position and he made a permanent break from art director to painting instructor. During his teaching career in California, Frary also taught at Los Angeles City College and the Chouinard Art Institute.

In 1949, Frary moved to Texas to serve as the artist in residence and faculty chairman for the irrepressible Marion Koogler McNay in San Antonio. He taught at her burgeoning art school for several seasons. It was during this time in San Antonio that he met Peggy Mathewson who he married in 1950. He accepted a teaching position as an assistant professor with the University of Texas at Austin, which named him Professor of Art in 1970 and upon his retirement from teaching in 1986 he was named Professor Emeritus of Art. Frary’s artwork and love for the state in which he lived for more than half a century resulted in the publication of three books: Impressions of the Big Thicket, University of Texas Press, 1973, Impressions of the Texas Panhandle, Texas A&M University Press, 1977 and Watercolors of the Rio Grande, Texas A&M University Press, 1984. Through his writing and watercolors, these books vividly convey the breadth and scope of the land that provided his inspiration. In pursuit of this inspiration, Frary and his wife, Peggy also traveled across the United States, South America, South Africa, England, Mexico, Italy and France.

During his career, Frary received over 175 awards and purchase prizes and earned over 200 one-man exhibitions.  During his career spanning almost 70 years, Frary influenced the course of art, not only in Texas, but in the United States as well. He was a seminal figure in the art movement known as modernism and with his contemporaries on the faculty of the Art Department at the University of Texas, he changed the face of art on a national scale. Now widely celebrated as a Texas Modernist, Frary’s influence has also shaped the lives and careers of the countless thousands of students whom he taught both in a classroom setting and through hundreds of watercolor seminars and workshops throughout the southwest. Frary’s works are housed in 100s of private and public collections worldwide including the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institute, the Los Angeles County Museum, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the Virginia Scott Museum, Pasadena. His works are also housed in The Springfield Museum of Art, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Phillips Petroleum Building, the Dallas Museum of Fine Art, the Panhandle-Plains Museum, Museum of the Big Bend, the Amarillo Art Center, McNay Art Museum, the Texas Instruments Collection, the Austin Museum of Art and the University of Texas at Austin.

Frary also received many important commissions, which included, among others, the selection of his painting, Antelope Country by the National Gallery for presentation by President and Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson to the New Zealand Prime Minister and his wife at the Manila Conference. He was also commissioned in 1972 by the U.S. Department of Interior to paint at reclamation sites in four states, resulting in four of his paintings being shown at an exhibition at the National Gallery. In 1974, the Austin Chapter of the American Institute of Architects awarded Frary the Medal of Honor and the Texas Society of Architects presented him with the Citation of Honor, both in recognition of his book Impressions of The Big Thicket. In 1978, he was commissioned to paint the Psyche Prize for the Fourth Biennial International Film Festival of Canada. Frary died on Tuesday, August 30, 2005.

to
1
1
1
2
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
5
1
3
1
5
4
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
5
5
6
760
757
731
671
3
4
5
Artist: Michael Frary
"STILL LIFE FRUIT" MID CENTURY
"STILL LIFE FRUIT" MID CENTURY

"STILL LIFE FRUIT" MID CENTURY

By Michael Frary

Located in San Antonio, TX

Michael Frary (1918 - 2005) Austin Artist Image Size: 16 x 20 Frame Size: 17.5 x 21.5 Medium: Oil "Still Life Fruit" Biography Michael Frary (1918 - ...

Category

1960s American Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Oil

"THE CLOWN" MICHAEL FRARY MID CENTURY MODERN TEXAS ARTIST
"THE CLOWN" MICHAEL FRARY MID CENTURY MODERN TEXAS ARTIST

"THE CLOWN" MICHAEL FRARY MID CENTURY MODERN TEXAS ARTIST

By Michael Frary

Located in San Antonio, TX

Michael Frary (1918 - 2005) Austin Artist Image Size: 16 x 12.5 Medium: Oil "The Clown" Biography Michael Frary (1918 - 2005) Michael Frary was born in Santa Monica, California on Ma...

Category

1960s American Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Oil

"NEW HORIZON" LARGE MID CENTURY MODERN ABSTRACT

"NEW HORIZON" LARGE MID CENTURY MODERN ABSTRACT

By Michael Frary

Located in San Antonio, TX

Michael Frary (1918 - 2005) Austin Artist Image Size: 51 x 35 Frame Size: 59 x 43 Medium: Oil Dated 1970 "New Horizon" Biography Michael Frary (1918 - 2005) Michael Frary was born in...

Category

1970s American Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Oil

"THE PITCHER"  Mid Century Modern Texas Painting Oil
"THE PITCHER"  Mid Century Modern Texas Painting Oil

"THE PITCHER" Mid Century Modern Texas Painting Oil

By Michael Frary

Located in San Antonio, TX

Michael Frary "THE PITCHER" Mid Century Modern (1918 - 2005) Austin Artist Image Size: 20 x 16 Frame Size: 27 x 23 Medium: Oil on Masonite Signed Lower Right Circa 1940s "The Pitcher...

Category

1940s American Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Victoria Tower England"  Mid Century Modern Texas Painting Oil

"Victoria Tower England" Mid Century Modern Texas Painting Oil

By Michael Frary

Located in San Antonio, TX

Michael Frary (1918 - 2005) Austin Artist Image Size: 40 x 30 Frame Size: 41 x 31 Medium: Heavy Textured Acrylic on Canvas 1966 "Victoria Tower" Signed Biography Michael ...

Category

1960s Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Oil

Related Items
"Don't Cry Long" Abstracted and Distorted Self-Portrait, One Crying Eye
"Don't Cry Long" Abstracted and Distorted Self-Portrait, One Crying Eye

"Don't Cry Long" Abstracted and Distorted Self-Portrait, One Crying Eye

Located in Detroit, MI

"Don't Cry Long" is a self-portrait of the artist and an unusual one at that in which the artist portrays herself shedding tears. Perhaps it is an expression of some grief experienced by Ms. Woodlock, but it also admonishes her to not "Cry Long" while at the same time poking fun because of her elongated face and the one lone "long" tear tracing a pattern down her face. In addition to self-portraits, Ethelyn painted commissioned portraits. In this painting her head is cocked and her famous bangs hang down her forehead. Compare two self-portraits, “Up From Under”, and “M’Eyes" to "Don't Cry Long." The major differences are the close facial view and the brilliant blood red paint that fills the entire canvas. This painting is included in the book, "Dreams Have Wings: An Artist's Journey into Magic and Mystery" printed in the United States, 1985. She describes "Don't Cry Long" as showing how funny looking we are, if we cry too long. Ethelyn Woodlock...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Oil, Masonite

Early 20th Century 1920s Spring Floral Still Life
Early 20th Century 1920s Spring Floral Still Life

Early 20th Century 1920s Spring Floral Still Life

Located in Soquel, CA

Elegant floral still life of a beautiful spring bouquet in an antique ivory soup tureen by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Forbes (Dallam) (American, 1875-1933). Exhibition placard on verso signed "Elizabeth Forbes...

Category

1920s American Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

1950s "View from the Window" Jack Hooper Mid Century Still Life Oil Painting
1950s "View from the Window" Jack Hooper Mid Century Still Life Oil Painting

1950s "View from the Window" Jack Hooper Mid Century Still Life Oil Painting

By Jack Hooper

Located in Arp, TX

Jack Hooper "View From the Window" c. 1950s Oil on Canvas 32"x25.25" silver and black wood frame 26.5"x33.25" Unsigned Minor wear consistent with age and ...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

George Cecil Carter Mid-Century Modern Abstract Figurative Oil Painting, 1950s
George Cecil Carter Mid-Century Modern Abstract Figurative Oil Painting, 1950s

George Cecil Carter Mid-Century Modern Abstract Figurative Oil Painting, 1950s

Located in Denver, CO

This rare 1950s oil painting by Colorado abstract expressionist George Cecil Carter presents an abstracted figurative portrait of a couple—believed to represent Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz. Rendered with bold brushwork and a dynamic modernist palette, the piece reflects Carter’s distinctive ability to merge abstraction with figuration, capturing both movement and emotional depth. Housed in a custom frame, the painting comes from a private collection in Denver, Colorado. Carter (1908–1993) was a central figure in Colorado’s mid-century modernist movement. A self-taught artist influenced by modernist painter Charles Ragland Bunnell, Carter developed a uniquely expressive style that drew upon his working-class background as a miner and machinist. He exhibited nationally and worked alongside artists including Al Wynne, Mary Chenoweth...

Category

1950s American Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Oil

1994 "Dreamer's Forest" Abstract Painting on Panel William Shields
1994 "Dreamer's Forest" Abstract Painting on Panel William Shields

1994 "Dreamer's Forest" Abstract Painting on Panel William Shields

Located in Arp, TX

William Stephens Shields, Jr., 1925 - 2010 "Dreamer's Forest" 1994 Oil on panel 48"x36" artist framed Signed lower right William Stephens Shields, Jr., 1925 - 2010 He was born in san Francisco, in 1931, Bill moved to Texas, where he grew up. Moved to New York in 1940 and later joined the Naval Air Corps at the age of 18. He served as an Aviation Cadet in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1945. At the end of WWII, Bill returned to Texas. At 21, Bill re-focused his energy and enrolled in the Chicago Academy of Fine Art as an Illustration major. What followed was a whirlwind of success, great friendships and a sense of belonging he had never before experienced. Art was his calling and the art-world could not have been less prepared for the likes of Bill Shields. He took them by storm, first Houston, then San Francisco, followed by New York in the late 60's. For 35 years, Bill produced some of the country's best illustrations: fresh, playful, loose and innovative. His illustrations were coveted by such clients as Bantam Books, Time Life, MacMillan Publishing Co., and were awarded numerous gold medals by the Societies of Illustrators in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and the Houston Artists Guild. Later, following inspirational trips to Mexico and France, Bill shifted his attention to the self-directed world of fine art. After years of sculpting, making assemblages, painting nudes and landscapes, he settled on the exploration of large abstract oil paintings. His paintings have been exhibited in galleries in San Francisco, Connecticut and New York. CV EDUCATION: Chicago Academy Of Fine Art San Antonio Art Institute MAJOR FIELDS OF PROFESSIONAL ENDEAVOR: Freelance graphic design and illustration Instructor of painting and illustration Landscape, figurative and abstract painting ART RELATED EMPLOYMENT: (Professor of Art) California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, CA Academy of Art College, San Francisco, CA San Francisco Art Institute San Jose State University AWARDS FOR ILLUSTRATION, Gold Medals: New York Society of Illustrators Los Angeles Society of Illustrators San Francisco Society of Illustrators Dallas-Fort Worth Art Director's Club Houston Artist's Guild BIBLIOGRAPHY: Feature articles in: American Artist, Communication Arts, Print, North Light. Architectural design featured in: Better Homes and Gardens, American Home, Sunset Magazine, Architectural Digest. ILLUSTRATION CLIENTS: Oil Companies: Champlin Oil Company, Mobil Oil Company, Continental Oil Company, Standard Oil Company, Humble Oil and Refining Company. Industrial: Hughes Tool Company, General Electric, United States Steel, Phelps Dodge, Sylvania Television, Texas Gulf Sulphur, Litton Industries, Houston Lighting and Power Company...

Category

Late 20th Century American Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

“Central Park in Winter, 1949” Manhattan New York City Snow Day Sleds Children
“Central Park in Winter, 1949” Manhattan New York City Snow Day Sleds Children

“Central Park in Winter, 1949” Manhattan New York City Snow Day Sleds Children

Located in Yardley, PA

With a studied hand, Sloan captures the human theater of a snow-covered Central Park filled with bundled-up New Yorkers, sledding, walking, chatting, and caring for children. The exp...

Category

1940s American Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Tempera, Oil, Masonite

Vintage American Modernist Gallery Exhibited Hawaiian Farm Landscape Painting
Vintage American Modernist Gallery Exhibited Hawaiian Farm Landscape Painting

Vintage American Modernist Gallery Exhibited Hawaiian Farm Landscape Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage American modernist landscape oil painting. Oil on canvas. Unsigned. Framed. Provenance from a gallery collection. Handsomely framed in a giltwood molding. Excellent conditio...

Category

1960s Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Mid Century Modern Swedish Abstract Oil Painting - Memory of a Landscape
Mid Century Modern Swedish Abstract Oil Painting - Memory of a Landscape

Mid Century Modern Swedish Abstract Oil Painting - Memory of a Landscape

Located in Bristol, GB

MEMORY OF A LANDSCAPE Size: 41 x 48 cm (including frame) Oil on board A bold and abstract mid-century composition, painted in oil onto board. This painting is composed of large, so...

Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Mid Century Floral Still-Life in Oil on Canvas-Wrapped Illustration Board
Mid Century Floral Still-Life in Oil on Canvas-Wrapped Illustration Board

Mid Century Floral Still-Life in Oil on Canvas-Wrapped Illustration Board

Located in Soquel, CA

Mid Century Floral Still-Life in Oil on Canvas-Wrapped Illustration Board Classic mid century floral still-life with impasto in warm, autumn colors by Frances Christensen American, ...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Illustration Board

A Cheerful 1950s Mid-Century Modern Still Life of a Colorful Bouquet of Flowers
A Cheerful 1950s Mid-Century Modern Still Life of a Colorful Bouquet of Flowers

A Cheerful 1950s Mid-Century Modern Still Life of a Colorful Bouquet of Flowers

By Francis Chapin

Located in Chicago, IL

A Fabulous, 1950s Mid-Century Modern Still Life Painting of a Colorful Bouquet of Spring Flowers by Notable Chicago Artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Completed in the vibrant,...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas, Board

Wind Flowers in a Tzu Chow Vase

Wind Flowers in a Tzu Chow Vase

By Ethelyn Cosby Stewart

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Wind Flowers in a Tzu Chow Vase, 1933, oil on canvas board, signed and dated lower right, 20 x 16 inches, label verso with title and original price ($185.00), exhibited 44th Annual E...

Category

1930s American Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Previously Available Items
Landscape

Michael FraryLandscape

Sold

H 18 in W 24 in

Landscape

By Michael Frary

Located in Austin, TX

Title: Lanscape Artist: Michael Frary Medium: Watercolor Size: 18" x 24" Framed

Category

20th Century Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

"TOTEMIC SHAPES" LARGE MID CENTURY MODERN ABSTRACT OF TOTEM POLES
"TOTEMIC SHAPES" LARGE MID CENTURY MODERN ABSTRACT OF TOTEM POLES

"TOTEMIC SHAPES" LARGE MID CENTURY MODERN ABSTRACT OF TOTEM POLES

By Michael Frary

Located in San Antonio, TX

Michael Frary (1918 - 2005) Austin Artist Image Size: 47.25 x 65.5 Frame Size: Medium: Oil "Totemic Shapes" "New Horizon" Biography Michael Frary (1918 - 2005) Michael Frary was bo...

Category

1960s American Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Oil

"CHRISTMAS TREE" HOLIDAY MID CENTURY ABSTRACT
"CHRISTMAS TREE" HOLIDAY MID CENTURY ABSTRACT

"CHRISTMAS TREE" HOLIDAY MID CENTURY ABSTRACT

By Michael Frary

Located in San Antonio, TX

Michael Frary (1918 - 2005) Austin Artist Image Size: 20 x 16 Frame Size: 21x17 Medium: Oil "Christmas Tree" Biography Michael Frary (1918 - 2005) Michael Frary was born in Santa Mo...

Category

1960s American Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Oil

"COLORADO" PANORAMIC VIEW MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPE
"COLORADO" PANORAMIC VIEW MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPE

"COLORADO" PANORAMIC VIEW MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPE

By Michael Frary

Located in San Antonio, TX

Michael Frary (1918 - 2005) Austin Artist Image Size: 11.75 x 36.25 Frame Size: 15 x 40 Medium: Oil "Panoramic View" Biography Michael Frary (1918 - 2005) Michael Frary was born in ...

Category

1960s American Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Oil

" RED PALACE TUNIS "  MID CENTURY MODERN
" RED PALACE TUNIS "  MID CENTURY MODERN

" RED PALACE TUNIS " MID CENTURY MODERN

By Michael Frary

Located in San Antonio, TX

Michael Frary (1918 - 2005) Austin Artist Image Size: 36 x 47 Frame Size: 44 x 55 Medium: Oil "Red Palace Tunis" Biography Michael Frary (1918 - 2005)...

Category

1960s American Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Oil

Abstract Impressionist Facade with Windows Painting
Abstract Impressionist Facade with Windows Painting

Abstract Impressionist Facade with Windows Painting

By Michael Frary

Located in Houston, TX

Neutral tonal abstract impressionist painting of a facade with windows by artist Michael Frary. The work is signed by the artist and is framed in a silver wooden frame. Dimensions wi...

Category

Late 20th Century American Impressionist Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

"Sunrise Over the Islands" Mid Century Modern Texas Painting Oil/Canvas Tapestry
"Sunrise Over the Islands" Mid Century Modern Texas Painting Oil/Canvas Tapestry

"Sunrise Over the Islands" Mid Century Modern Texas Painting Oil/Canvas Tapestry

By Michael Frary

Located in San Antonio, TX

Michael Frary (1918 - 2005) Austin, Texas/California Artist Size: 30 x 36 Frame: Oil on canvas tapestry Medium: Oil Title: "Sunrise over the Islands" Biography Michael Frary (1918 ...

Category

1960s American Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Oil

South Texas Nautical Harbor Scene
South Texas Nautical Harbor Scene

South Texas Nautical Harbor Scene

By Michael Frary

Located in Houston, TX

Lovely south Texas nautical watercolor of fishing boats in a harbor by artist Michael Frary. Signed by artist. Dimensions Without Frame: H 22 in. x W 27.5...

Category

20th Century Impressionist Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

"Notre Dame de Amiens"  Mid Century Modern Texas Painting Oil

"Notre Dame de Amiens" Mid Century Modern Texas Painting Oil

By Michael Frary

Located in San Antonio, TX

Michael Frary (1918 - 2005) Austin Artist Image Size: 48 x 24 Frame Size: 50 x 26 Medium: Acrylic 1948 "Notre Dame de Amiens" Biography Michael Frary (1918 - 2005) Michael Fr...

Category

1940s Modern Michael Frary Paintings

Materials

Oil

Michael Frary paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Michael Frary paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Michael Frary in paint, oil paint, egg tempera and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Michael Frary paintings, so small editions measuring 14 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Virginia Dehn, Harold Vincent Skene, and Tarmo Pasto. Michael Frary paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,800 and tops out at $16,500, while the average work can sell for $3,200.