herb mears memoirs of a mid - century master a fifty year retrospective
february 8-march 21, 2020
Herb Mears: Memoirs of a Midcentury Master—A Fifty Year Retrospective. Herb Mears (American, 1923-1999) is remembered as one of Houston’s most active and visible figures in the emerging art scene of the 1950s and 1960s. His story is one of drive and dedication, and his love of life, people, and simply being, can be seen and felt throughout his work. After serving in Europe during World War II, he returned to study with Fernand Leger in France from 1948-1950. At Atelier Leger, stylistic foundations were solidified as were his interests in figuration and architectural renderings. Originally from New York, Mears came to Houston in 1951 with fellow art student, David Adickes, that he met at the Atelier Leger. Together they opened a short-lived art school and were among the first wave of postwar artists to carve their niche in the Houston art scene. Throughout his career, Mears taught at the Museum School of Art, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and was an intermittent adjunct at Rice University and the University of Houston. From the 1950s forward, Mears was prolific, showing his work at esteemed early Houston galleries, such as with Bute, DuBose, Wilhelm and Nolan-Rankin galleries. Like his contemporaries, Mears was a frequent exhibitor in the Houston Annuals, winning numerous awards, including the Museum of Fine Arts Houston Purchase Prize in 1959. Additionally, the artist showed works at the Delgado Museum in New Orleans and The University of Houston. Herb Mears’ works can be found in many important corporate collections, including Humble Oil, Shell Oil, Mitchell Energy, Texas Instruments and Hines Interests. Almost twenty years after his passing, this retrospective exhibition takes a close look at the development of his work, displaying a wide breadth of works from the Estate, many which have not been publicly shown before, ranging from early works to some of his last. Amongst the works is an incredible grouping of late 1940’s works created during his time in Paris studying with Fernand Leger, the 1960’s figures and architecture that we relate to Mears, and also later fauvist-inspired cityscapes and landscapes.
1. Austin, Texas, c. 1980 oil on Masonite 24 x 30 in
13. Greek Port, 1984 oil on mill board 16 x20
2. Bathers, 1949 graphite on paper 10 x 8 in
14. Headdress and Dog oil on Masonite 46 x 28 in
3. Bay Bridge oil on board 24 x 48 in
15. Historic Galveston oil on board 24 x 30 in
4. Beautiful Valley, c. 1988 oil on Masonite 30 x 48 in
16. Inviting Sunset, c. 1988 oil on Masonite 16 x 30 in
5. Blue Forest, 1990 oil on Masonite 30 x 40 in
17. La Femme oil on Masonite 32 x 24 in
6. Blue Hills oil on Masonite 30 x 24 in
18. Man Listening oil on Masonite 8 x 10 in
7. Canyon Lake #6, 1985 oil on Masonite 36 x 48 in
19. Man with Bird Cage oil on canvas 54 x 42 in
8. Dancers oil on Masonite 30 x 40 in
20. Man with Boat mixed media on paper 8.50 x 11 in
9. Far West, 1988 oil on Masonite 15.75 x 36 in
21. Man with Hat and Birds, c. 1965 oil on board 36 x 24 in
10. Figures with Umbrella, 1986 oil on Masonite 14.50 x 13.50 in
22. Night Reflections, 1997 oil on board 10 x 16 in
11. Four Figures oil on Masonite 10 x 8 in
23. Orange Steeple oil on Masonite 48 x 36 in
12. Golden Port oil on Masonite 40 x 30 in
24. Paris CafĂŠ oil on board 8 x 8 in
25. Pierce Elevated mixed media on paper 8.75 x 11.50 in
37. The Gymnasts, 1949 Lithograph 9 x 6.75 in
26. Pierce Elevated Blue mixed media on paper 10 x 14 in
38. The Gymnasts, 1949 graphite on paper 13.25 x 10 in
27. Promenade, c. 1965 oil on board 24 x 36 in
39. The Humble Building oil on Masonite 24 x 30 in
28. Public School 108, Brooklyn, New York, c. 1965 oil on Masonite 24 x 30 in
40. The Jockeys drawing on paper 8.50 x 11.75 in
29. Red Mesa, 1988 oil on Masonite 10.50 x 36 in 30. Rio Grande, 1989 oil on canvas 48 x 48 in 31. Road to Mesa, 1988 oil on Masonite 14 x 14 in 32. Rose Port oil on Masonite 36 x 48 in 33. Siena Cathedral, c. 1985 oil on board 48 x 36 in 34. South of Alpine, 1988 oil on Masonite 20 x 24 in 35. Still Life With Red Hat On Chair c. 1965 oil on Masonite 18 x 47.50 in 36. The Chief, c. 1965 oil on Masonite 24 x 18 in
41. The Long Road West, 1990 oil on Masonite 30.50 x 40 in 42. The Mission, c. 1980 oil on board 30 x 48 in 43. Three Guys, c. 1990 oil on Masonite 20 x 24 in 44. Three Revelers, 1996 oil on board 14 x 24 in 45. Twilight Over Town Square oil on Masonite 36 x 48 in 46. Two Figures Unmasked, c. 1960 oil on canvas 60 x 36 in 47. Untitled, c. 1949 graphite on paper 12.50 x 10.25 in
48. Untitled, c. 1949 graphite on paper 13.50 x 10.50 in
49. Untitled, c. 1949 graphite on paper 13 x 10 in
61. Untitled (Seated Figure), c. 1949 graphite on paper 7.50 x 5 in
50. Untitled, c. 1949 gouache on paper 7.25 x 6.25 in
62. Untitled (Still Life with Bottle), c. 1949 gouache on paper 3.75 x 7.25 in
51. Untitled, c. 1949 gouache on paper 8.75 x 5.25 in
63. Untitled (Still Life with Guitar), c. 1949 gouache and graphite on paper 4.25 x 7.75 in
52. Untitled, c. 1949 gouache and graphite on paper 7.50 x 4 in 53. Untitled, c. 1949 gouache on paper 5.50 x 7.75 in 54. Untitled, 1949 gouache and graphite on paper 5.25 x 7.50 in 55. Untitled (Cubist Figure), c. 1949 graphite on paper 10.25 x 7 in 56. Untitled (Figure), 1949 Lithograph 9 x 6.75 in 57. Untitled (Figure), 1949 graphite on paper 12.50 x 9.50 in 58. Untitled (Figure), 1948 graphite on paper 12.50 x 9.50 in 59. Untitled (Reclining Figure), 1950 graphite on paper 12.75 x 9.75 in 60. Untitled (Seated Figure), c. 1949 graphite on paper 9.25 x 6.75 in
64. Untitled (Three Men), 1949 Lithograph 9 x 5.25 in 65. Untitled Figure, 1949 graphite on paper 11 x 8.50 in 66. Untitled Figure, 1949 Lithograph 9 x 7 in 67. Untitled Figures, 1949 Lithograph 9 x 6.75 in 68. Valley, c. 1988 oil on Masonite 36 x 48 in 69. Venice, 1997 oil on Masonite 16 x 21 in 70. Westward Ho (The Roadster), 1987 oil on board 14 x 48 in 71. Woman with Birds at St. Mark's Square, c. 1985 oil on Masonite 14 x 22 in
Herb Mears Austin, Texas, c. 1980 oil on masonite 24 x 30 in $4,200.00
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Herb Mears Bathers, 1949 graphite on paper 10 x 8 in
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Herb Mears Bay Bridge oil on board 24 x 48 in
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Herb Mears Beautiful Valley, c. 1988 oil on masonite 30 x 48 in
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Herb Mears Blue Forest, 1990 oil on masonite
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Herb Mears Blue Hills oil on masonite 30 x 24 in
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Herb Mears Canyon Lake #6, 1985 oil on masonite 36 x 48 in
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Herb Mears Dancers oil on masonite 30 x 40 in
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Herb Mears Far West, 1988 oil on masonite 15.75 x 36 in
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Herb Mears Figures with Umbrella, 1986 oil on masonite 14.50 x 13.50 in
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Herb Mears Four Figures oil on masonite 10 x 8 in
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Herb Mears Golden Port oil on masonite 40 x 30 in
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Herb Mears Greek Port, 1984 oil on mill board 16 x 20 in
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Herb Mears Headdress and Dog oil on masonite 46 x 28 in
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Herb Mears Historic Galveston oil on board 24 x 30 in
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Herb Mears Inviting Sunset, c. 1988 oil on masonite 16 x 30 in
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Herb Mears La Femme oil on masonite 32 x 24 in
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Herb Mears Man Listening oil on masonite 8 x 10 in
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Herb Mears Man with Bird Cage oil on canvas 54 x 42 in
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Herb Mears Man with Boat mixed media on paper 8.50 x 11 in
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Herb Mears Man with Hat and Birds, c. 1965 oil on board 36 x 24 in
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Herb Mears Night Reflections , 1997 oil on board 10 x 16 in
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Herb Mears Orange Steeple oil on masonite 48 x 36 in
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Herb Mears Paris Cafe oil on board 8 x 8 in
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Herb Mears Pierce Elevated mixed media on paper 8.75 x 11.50 in
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Herb Mears Pierce Elevated Blue mixed media on paper 10 x 14 in
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Herb Mears Promenade, c. 1965 oil on board 24 x 36 in
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Herb Mears Public School 108, Brooklyn, New York, c. 1965 oil on masonite 24 x 30 in
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Herb Mears Red Mesa, 1988 oil on masonite 10.50 x 36 in
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Herb Mears Rio Grande , 1989 oil on canvas 48 x 48 in
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Herb Mears Road to Mesa, 1988 oil on masonite 14 x 14 in
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Herb Mears Rose Port oil on masonite 36 x 48 in
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Herb Mears Siena Cathedral, c. 1985 oil on board 48 x 36 in
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Herb Mears South of Alpine, 1988 oil on masonite 20 x 24 in
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Herb Mears Still Life With Red Hat On Chair, c. 1965 oil on masonite 18 x 47.50 in
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Herb Mears The Chief, c. 1965 oil on masonite 24 x 18 in
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Herb Mears The Gymnasts, 1949 lithograph 9 x 6.75 in
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Herb Mears The Gymnasts, 1949 graphite on paper 13.25 x 10 in
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Herb Mears The Humble Building oil on masonite 24 x 30 in
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Herb Mears The Jockeys drawing on paper 8.50 x 11.75 in
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Herb Mears The Long Road West, 1990 oil on masonite 30.50 x 40 in
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Herb Mears The Mission, c. 1980 oil on board 30 x 48 in
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Herb Mears Three Guys, c. 1990 oil on masonite 20 x 24 in
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Herb Mears Three Revelers, 1996 oil on board 14 x 24 in
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Herb Mears Twilight Over Town Square oil on masonite 36 x 48 in
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Herb Mears Two Figures Unmasked, c. 1960 oil on canvas 60 x 36 in
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Herb Mears Untitled , c. 1949 graphite on paper 12.50 x 10.25 in
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Herb Mears Untitled , c. 1949 graphite on paper 13.50 x 10.50 in
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Herb Mears Untitled , c. 1949 graphite on paper 13 x 10 in
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Herb Mears Untitled , c. 1949 gouache on paper 7.25 x 6.25 in
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Herb Mears Untitled , c. 1949 gouache on paper 8.75 x 5.25 in
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Herb Mears Untitled , c. 1949 gouache and graphite on paper 7.50 x 4 in
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Herb Mears Untitled , c. 1949 gouache on paper 5.50 x 7.75 in
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Herb Mears Untitled , 1949 gouache and graphite on paper 5.25 x 7.50 in
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Herb Mears Untitled (Cubist Figure), c. 1949 graphite on paper 10.25 x 7 in
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Herb Mears Untitled (Figure), 1949 lithograph 9 x 6.75 in
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Herb Mears Untitled (Figure), 1949 graphite on paper 12.50 x 9.50 in
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Herb Mears Untitled (Figure), 1948 graphite on paper 12.50 x 9.50 in
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Herb Mears Untitled (Reclining Figure), 1950 graphite on paper 12.75 x 9.75 in
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Herb Mears Untitled (Seated Figure), c. 1949 graphite on paper 9.25 x 6.75 in
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Herb Mears Untitled (Seated Figure), c. 1949 graphite on paper 7.50 x 5 in
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Herb Mears Untitled (Still Life with Bottle), c. 1949 gouache on paper 3.75 x 7.25 in
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Herb Mears Untitled (Still Life with Guitar), c. 1949 gouache and graphite on paper 4.25 x 7.75 in
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Herb Mears Untitled (Three Men), 1949 lithograph 9 x 5.25 in
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Herb Mears Untitled Figure, 1949 graphite on paper 11 x 8.50 in
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Herb Mears Untitled Figure, 1949 lithograph 9 x 7 in
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Herb Mears Untitled Figures, 1949 lithograph 9 x 6.75 in
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Herb Mears Valley, c. 1988 oil on masonite 36 x 48 in
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Herb Mears Venice, 1997 oil on masonite 16 x 21 in
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Herb Mears Westward Ho (The Roadster), 1987 oil on board 14 x 48 in
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Herb Mears Woman with Birds at St. Mark's Square, c. 1985 oil on masonite 14 x 22 in
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Herbert Richard Mears (American, 1923-1999)
Selected Biographical and Career Highlights • 1923, Born in New York, New York • 1940, Studies at Harrison School of Fine Art • 1948-1950, Studies at Atelier Leger in Paris, with Fernand Leger • 1950, Studies at Studio Hinna in Rome • 1951, Moves to Houston and opens the Studio of Contemporary Art with his friend and fellow Atelier Leger student, David Adickes • 1951, Marries Ava Jean • 1954, Begins showing with Dubose Gallery in River Oaks Shopping Center • 1959, Awarded Museum of Fine Arts Purchase Prize • 1946-66, Art Instructor • 1946-48, Teaching, Harrison School of Art, New York • 1951-58, Contemporary Arts Museum Summer School • 1957-59, University of Houston • 1957-65, Museum of Fine Arts School • 1965-66, Rice University • 1953-65, Exhibits with James Bute Gallery, Houston, Texas (three solo exhibitions) • 1965-85, Exhibits with Dubose Gallery, Houston, Texas (nine solo exhibitions) • 1966-67, Resides in Antibes, France • •
1973-75, Exhibits in Group Show at William Hoey and Company, Austin, Texas 1975, Teaches summer Life Drawing art workshops, Hill Country Art Foundation, Kerrville, Texas
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1985-87, Exhibits with Wilhelm Gallery, Houston, Texas 1991-94, Exhibits with Mesquite Gallery, Victoria, Texas 1993-98, Exhibits with Nolan-Rankin Galleries, Houston, Texas 1999, Dies at Houston residence
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Selected Prizes, Awards • • • • • • •
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1955 Houston Annual: Purchase Prize (December), 1960 Houston Annual: Cash Prize 1953 Houston Annual: Honorable Mention 1953, 1958 1952 Honorable Mention, The Magician and the Artist, oil 1953 Purchase Honorable Mention and Cash Prize, Italian Caprice, gouache 1955 (December) Purchase Prize, Still Life, oil 1958 Honorable Mention, Elements of Flight, oil
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1960 Purchase Prize, Construction, acrylic polymer 1952 Texas Watercolor Society: Materials Prize 1952 Materials Prize, Don Quixote Mounted, watercolor
Selected Exhibitions • •
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1951 Houston Art League Fair, rented booth with David Adickes, Shamrock Hilton, Houston, Texas 1951 13th Annual Exhibition of Texas Painting and Sculpture 1951-1952, circulated: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Witte Museum, San Antonio, Texas 1952 27th Annual Exhibition of Work by Houston Artists, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (honorable mention) 1952 Texas Watercolor Society 3rd Annual Exhibition, Witte Museum, San Antonio, Texas; Museum of Fine Art, Houston, Texas (materials prize) 1953 28th Annual Exhibition of Work by Houston Artists, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (honorable mention for purchase prize) 1954 29th Annual Exhibition of Work by Houston Artists, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas 1955 17th Annual Exhibition of Texas Painting and Sculpture 1955-1956, circulated: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Fort Worth Art Center, Fort Worth; Witte Museum, San Antonio; Texas Fine Arts Association, Austin, Texas 1955 (December) 31st Annual Exhibition of Houston Artists , Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (purchase prize) 1956 D. D. Feldman Collection of Contemporary Texas Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas 1956 Gulf-Caribbean Art Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, traveled to: Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas; Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; Munson-WilliamsProctor Institute, Utica; Carnegie Institute, Pittsburg; Colorado Springs Fine Art Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado (catalogue) 1956 6th Southwestern Exhibition of Prints and Drawings , Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas, traveled to: Centenary College, Shreveport, Louisiana; Elisabet Ney Museum, Austin, Texas; University of New Mexico, Albuquerque; Texas Tech College Museum, Lubbock; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas; University of Tulsa, Oklahoma; Oklahoma A&M College, Stillwater
1956, Herbert Mears, James Bute Company Gallery, Houston, Texas 1957 7th Annual Houston Post Easter Art Exhibit, Houston Art League Building, Houston,
Texas 1957, Two Texas Artists: Herbert Mears & Joseph Cain, The Texas Fine Arts Association, Laguna Gloria Gallery, Austin, Texas 1957 32nd Annual Houston Artists Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas 1958 33thAnnual Houston Artists Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (honorable mention) 1958 Texas Oil ’58, A Salute to the Oil Industry of the State by Texas Painters , Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, traveled to: Bank of the Southwest, Houston; Dallas Public Library, Dallas; Republic National Bank of Dallas, Texas (catalogue) 1959 34th Annual Houston Artists Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas
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1959 Made in Texas by Texans, Dallas Museum of Contemporary Art, Sheraton-Dallas Hotel, Dallas, Texas (catalogue)
1959, Annual Spring Jury Exhibition, Texas Fine Arts Association, Laguna Gloria Art Gallery, Austin, Texas 1960 35th Annual Houston Artists Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (purchase prize)
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1960, Tri-State Fair Annual Painting & Sculptural Show, Amarillo, Texas 1961 23rd Annual Texas Painting and Sculpture Exhibition 1961-1962, circulated: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Witte Museum, San Antonio; Beaumont Art Museum, Beaumont; Museum, Texas Tech, Lubbock, Texas 1962 The Southwest: Painting and Sculpture, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas 1962, 4th Annual Invitational Exhibition, The Junior Service League, Longview, Texas 1962-63 Museum School Faculty Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas 1963 25th Annual Texas Painting and Sculpture Exhibition 1963-1964, circulated: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Centennial Art Museum, Corpus Christi; Beaumont Art Museum, Beaumont; El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso; Witte Museum, San Antonio; University of Texas at Austin, Texas 1963, Herbert Mears: A One Man Exhibition of Recent Oil Paintings , James Bute Gallery, Houston, Texas 1966, 8th Annual Invitational Exhibition, The Junior Service League, Longview, Texas 1966, Herb Mears: Exposition Paintings & Drawings, James Bute Gallery, Houston, Texas 1967, Herbert Mears New Paintings, Dubose Gallery, Houston, Texas
1969, Invitational Show, The Art League of Houston, Texas 1969, 11th Annual Invitational Exhibition, The Junior Service League of Longview, Texas (illustrated cover image) 1971, Sales and Rental Galleries Exhibition, Laguna Gloria Art Museum, Austin, Texas 1971–72 Texas Painting and Sculpture: The 20th Century, Pollack Galleries, Owen Arts
Center, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, traveled to: Witte Confluence Museum, HemisFair Plaza, San Antonio; University Art Museum, University of Texas at Austin; Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth; The Museum, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas (catalogue)
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1979, The Door Show, Alley Theater, Houston, Texas 1982, Recent Paintings by Herb Mears, Parks Rowe Antiques & Art, Tyler, Texas 1982, Herbert Mears: Recollections , Dubose Gallery, Houston, Texas 1985, The New Nude, Midtown Art Center, Houston, Texas 1990, Retrospective, The University of Houston School of Architecture, Houston, Texas 1992, Herbert Mears: Recent Paintings, Mesquite Gallery, Victoria, Texas
1994, Solo, Mesquite Gallery, Victoria, Texas 1995, Travel Memoirs, Nolan-Rankin Galleries, Houston, Texas 1995, The Revelers, Nolan-Rankin Galleries, Houston, Texas 1996, Audace, Nolan-Rankin Galleries, Houston, Texas 1998, Holiday Open House, Nolan-Rankin Galleries, Houston, Texas 2003, Herbert Mears—A Creative Journey, Beeville Art Museum, Beeville, Texas 2004, A Selection of Art Made in Houston 1950-1965, Brazos Projects, Brazos Bookstore, Houston, Texas
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2006, Houston Art in Houston Collections: Works from 1900 to 1965, Heritage Society Museum, Houston, Texas 2007-08 Urban Texas: Changing Images of an Evolving State, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, Canyon, Texas 2008, Founders of Houston Art: Thirty Artists Who Led the Way, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2009, A Texas Sampler: Vintage Paintings by Thirty Texas Artists , William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2009, Back to the Future: Elements of “Modern” in Mid-Century Texas Art, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2009-10, Texas Art Seen, Grace Museum, Abilene, Texas 2010, Third Anniversary Show: A Tribute to Houston Artists , William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2010, Three Artists Remembered: Bill Condon, Paul Maxwell, Herb Mears , William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2011, Lone Star Modernism: A Celebration of Mid-Century Texas Art, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2012, A Survey of Texas Modernists, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2013, Restless Heart: The Collectors’ Quest to Find Texas in Art, San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, Texas 2013, Rhythms of Modernism, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2014, Houston Founders at City Hall Art Exhibition, City Hall, Houston, Texas 2014, A New Visual Vocabulary: Developments in Texas Modernism 1935-1965, One Allen Center, Lobby Gallery, Houston, Texas 2015, Bayou City Chic: Progressive Streams of Modern Art in Houston, Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, Texas (catalogue) 2015, Midcentury Modern: A Collection of Three Great Midcentury Estates, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2016, Celebrating Houston’s Founding Modernists , William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2017, Celebrating Houston’s Founding Modernists , William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2017, Selections from the John Stone Collection of Texas Art, William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2018, Mid-Century Mod in Motion, William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art, Houston, Texas
Selected Public Collections • Hines Interests, Houston, Texas • Humble Oil, Houston, Texas • Mitchell Energy, Dallas, Texas • Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas • Shell Oil, Houston, Texas • Texas Instruments, Dallas, Texas
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