Three Artists Remembered
Bill Condon
Paul Maxwell
Herb Mears
Three Artists Remembered Bill Condon - Paul Maxwell - Herb Mears In the Alcove, viewers will find a long-overdue tribute to three of Houston’s most active and visible artists of the 1950s and 1960s. Bill Condon, Paul Maxwell and Herb Mears were among the first wave of postwar artists to carve their niche in the Houston art scene. They epitomized the earliest modes of “mid-century” style in the Bayou City, and like the three pioneering women artists we feature this month, these artists were at the forefront of the development of Houston’s vibrant and energetic art scene after World War II. They made lasting contributions to the cultural life of the city through their art, as well as through their capable instruction and professional mentorship to succeeding generations of 3. Condon, Zocolo, Taxco Houston painters. They were also mainstays in the establishment of the Contemporary Arts Association - Houston’s first local organization for contemporary art and artists. While all have passed from the Houston scene today, they are far from forgotten by those who understand and appreciate the evolution of the arts in our city. To honor these fine artists, William Reaves Fine Art is pleased to offer a selection of their mid-century works. This exhibition serves as a remembrance of these three important Houston painters. We think that the works assembled here convey something of the creative joy that each of these gentlemen brought to their task, which enlivened and enriched the arts during a burgeoning period.
Bill Condon (1923-1998) was a native to our city and one of the truly ingenious artists of his day. Educated in the architectural program at the Rice Institute, Condon graduated in 1949 after military service in World War II. “Moonlighting” as an artist while continuing his practice in architecture, Condon excelled as both printmaker and painter. As an artist, he experimented with a broad range of media and materials. His diverse compositions are at once clever and distinctive, and bear a creative flair all their own. He exhibited with Ben DuBose at the Bute and DuBose galleries, and from 1954-1962 at the MFAH’s Annual Exhibition of Work by Houston Artists. He also exhibited frequently in the Texas General Exhibitions, winning prizes in both print-making and painting. His works are included in the permanent collection of the MFAH. Paul Maxwell (1925-) was a fixture on the local arts scene from 1949 through the early 1960s, when he departed for Oklahoma City (and later to California). While Maxwell’s tenure in Houston was brief, it was significant. He worked prodigiously during his time in the city and left an admirable track record. The artist developed a distinctive “feathering” pattern in his still-lifes, landscapes and seascapes of the period, an effect which beautifully accentuates his subject matter, while suggesting a transient energy and connectivity within his canvases. Maxwell taught at the University of Houston, as well as the Museum School of Art from 1953-1958, showing his works during this period at the Bute and Cushman galleries. Like most local artists of the period,
Maxwell exhibited regularly in the Houston Annuals, winning prizes there in 1949, 1954 and 1955. He was awarded the Julian Onderdonk Purchase Prize by the San Antonio Art League during the Texas General Exhibition in 1954, and received the Award of Merit in the D.D. Feldman Competition for Texas Painters in 1956. His works were included in the permanent collections of The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Dallas Museum of Art, The Witte Museum and the Fort Worth Art Center.
Museum in New Orleans, The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and The University of Houston. Besides the MFAH, works of Herb Mears are included in important corporate collections including Humble Oil, Shell Oil, Mitchell Energy, Texas Instruments and Hines Interests.
Herb Mears (1923-1999) was one of the city’s best known and most beloved artists. His vibrant and colorful paintings are cherished art objects in innumerable collections within the city, bearing the distinctive 8. Maxwell, Untitled (Still Life) influence of his French School training. Originally from New York, Mears came to Houston in 1951 to open an art school along with his friend and fellow art student at the Atelier Leger, David Adickes. Though the art school was a short-lived endeavor, Mears remained in the city, working for Humble Oil Company from 19511964. He painted prolifically, showing his works at various times with the 14. Mears, Mexican Cathedral Bute, DuBose, Wilhelm and Nolan-Rankin galleries. Mears also 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. Like his contemporaries, Mears was a frequent exhibitor in the Houston Annuals, winning the MFAH Purchase Prize in 1959. Additionally, the artist showed works at the Delgado
Together with their peers, these artists were instrumental personalities in a dynamic, albeit loosely knit, art colony which sprung up in the city in the aftermath of WWII. Their collective output helped to energize and catapult the arts in a thriving city, and they literally paved the way for contemporary artists in our town. The works here evidence the fanciful textures, bold brush work, resonant color and creative compositions that dominated mid-century taste in Houston. This exhibition merits the time and attention of all Houston art lovers, and we invite you to become reacquainted with three of Houston’s most prominent early artists. We’re certain that after viewing these works, you’ll agree with us that Houston was fortunate to have been home to Condon, Maxwell and Mears - three artists worthy of recall. -Bill Reaves
Artist Bio: Bill Condon Selected Biographical and Career Highlights • • • •
1923, Born in Houston, TX Serves in military during WWII 1949, earns B.A. in architecture From Rice Institute Works for Broesche and Condon Architects
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1998, dies at Houston residence
Selected Exhibitions • • • • • • •
1954-1962 Annual Exhibitions of Works by Houston Artists Texas General Exhibition 1956, Gulf Caribbean Art Exhibition 1958, Texas Oil ´58, A Salute to the Oil Industry of the State by Texas Painters 1962, The Southwest: Painting and Sculpture Bute Gallery DuBose Gallery
Selected Collections •
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas
Artist Bio: Paul Maxwell Selected Biographical and Career Highlights • • • •
1925, Born in Crossett, Arkansas 1950, Earns B.A. in art at Principia College 1951, Graduate studies at Scripps College, Claremont, California (under Millard Sheets) 1952, Assistant Director of Drama Dept. at Putney School, Vermont
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1953-58, Art Instructor at the University of Houston and the Museum of School of Art, Houston 1954, Awarded the Julian Onderdonk Purchase Prize by the San Antonio Art League during the Texas General Exhibition 1962, Director of Hightower Gallery, Oklahoma City
Selected Exhibitions • • • • • •
1951, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA 1953, James Bute Gallery, Houston, TX 1955, Beaumont Art Museum, Beaumont, TX 1957, Witte Museum, San Antonio, TX 1958, Cushman Gallery, Houston, TX 1963, The Alley Gallery, Houston, TX
Selected Collections • • • • • •
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX Witte Museum, San Antonio, TX Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX First National Bank, Dallas, TX Philbrook Art Center, Tulsa, OK Smith College Museum, Northampton, Massachusetts
Artist Bio: Herb Mears 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 1959, Awarded Museum of Fine Arts Purchase Prize Instructor at the Contemporary Arts Museum, the Museum of School of Art, the University of Houston, and Rice University 1999, Dies at Houston residence
Selected Exhibitions • • • • • • •
Houston Annual Bute Gallery DuBose Gallery Wilhelm Gallery Nolan-Rankin Gallery The Delgado Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana The Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Texas
Selected Collections • • • • • •
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas Humble Oil Shell Oil Mitchell Energy Texas Instruments Hines Interests
Exhibition Checklist Artist
Title
Date
Medium
Size (inches)
1. Condon
Taxco, Mexico
1964
mixed media
13 1/2x11
2. Condon
Taxco, Mexico
1964
mixed media
13 1/2x11
3. Condon
Zocolo, Taxco
1964
mixed media
13 1/2x11
4. Condon
St. Mark’s Cathedral
1965
oil/canvas
48x48
5. Condon
Bird King & Queen
1966
oil/canvas
12x10 3/4
6. Condon
Italian Cathedral
1966
oil/canvas
50x30
7. Maxwell
Sailboat & Sunset
1959
acrylic/board
24x30
8. Maxwell
Untitled (Still-Life)
1959
oilcanvas
39x27
9. Maxwell
Untitled (Blue Bottles)
1966
oil/canvas
25x30
10. Maxwell
Still Life in Black on Orange Background
1968
acrylic/canvas
24x24
11. Mears
The Magician
1952
oil/canvas
39x32
12. Mears
Four Figures with Violin and Plane
1966
oil/canvas
37x37
13. Mears
Boy in White Hat
n/d
oil/board
12x16
14. Mears
Mexican Cathedral
n/d
oil/board
23x36
15. Mears
Untitled
n/d
oil/board
15 3/4x15 3/4
1. Condon Taxco, Mexico, 1964 mixed media 13 1/2x11 inches
2. Condon Taxco, Mexico, 1964 mixed media 13 1/2x11 inches
3. Condon Zocolo, Taxco, 1964 mixed media 13 1/2x11 inches
4. Condon St. Mark’s Cathedral, 1965 oil/canvas 48x48 inches
5. Condon Bird King & Queen, 1966 oil/canvas 12x10 3/4 inches
6. Condon Italian Cathedral, 1966 oil/canvas 50x30 inches
7. Maxwell Sailboat & Sunset, 1959 acrylic/board 24x30 inches
8. Maxwell Untitled (Still-Life), 1959 oil/canvas 39x27 inches
9. Maxwell Untitled (Blue Bottles), 1966 oil/canvas 25x30 inches
10. Maxwell Still Life in Black on Orange Background, 1968 acrylic/canvas 24x24 inches
11. Mears The Magician, 1952 oil/canvas 39x32 inches
12. Mears Four Figures with Violin and Plane, 1966 oil/canvas 37x37 inches
13. Mears Boy in White Hat, n/d oil/board 12x16 inches
14. Mears Mexican Cathedral, n/d oil/board 23x36 inches
15. Mears Untitled, n/d oil/board 15 3/4x15 3/4 inches
Houston’s Gallery for Early Texas Art
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