Frank Herbert Mason (February 20, 1921 – June 16, 2009) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

painter and teacher.

Early life

Frank Herbert Mason was born on February 20, 1921, in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

.Mary Thomas
First exhibit at Point Park gallery impressive
''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...

'', February 24, 2010 His father was a Shakespearean actor and his mother was a violinist and a pianist. He attended the Music and Arts High School in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

until he was awarded a scholarship to study at the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may stu ...

with

Frank DuMond Frank Vincent DuMond (August 20, 1865 – February 6, 1951) was one of the most influential teacher-painters in 20th-century America. He was an illustrator and American Impressionist painter of portraits and landscapes, and a prominent teac ...

Career

In 1951, he began teaching at the Art Students League. His painting, the ''Resurrection of Christ'', can be seen in Old St. Patrick's Cathedral in

. In 1962, he received a commission to paint eight large paintings of the ''Life of St. Anthony of Padua'', which were permanently installed in the 11th-century Church of San Giovanni de Malta, in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, where his paintings hang alongside a painting by

Giovanni Bellini Giovanni Bellini (; c. 1430 – 26 November 1516) was an Italian Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of Venetian painters. He was raised in the household of Jacopo Bellini, formerly thought to have been his father ...

. Consequently, the

Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

conferred upon him the Cross of Merit, Prima Classe. He became the first painter to receive the honor since

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of hi ...

. In response to the overcleaning of the

Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel (; la, Sacellum Sixtinum; it, Cappella Sistina ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), the chapel takes its name ...

, Mason, along with

James Beck Stanley James Carroll Beck (21 February 1929 – 6 August 1973) was an English actor who played the role of Private Walker, a cockney spiv, in the BBC sitcom ''Dad's Army'' from the show's beginning in 1968 until his sudden death in 1973. Ea ...

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

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, helped form the organization,

ArtWatch International ArtWatch International is an American nonprofit organization founded by James Beck, professor of art history at Columbia University, to monitor, and campaign for better practices in, the conservation of art works. The United Kingdom branch, ArtW ...

. Mason served as president of the

National Society of Mural Painters The National Society of Mural Painters (NSMP) is an American artists' organization originally known as The Mural Painters. The charter of the society is to advance the techniques and standards for the design and execution of mural art for the enri ...

for the 1995–96 year.

Personal life

He married Phyllis Harriman, the daughter of banker

E. Roland Harriman Edward Roland Noel "Bunny" Harriman (December 24, 1895 – February 16, 1978) was an American financier and philanthropist. Early life Harriman was born on December 24, 1895, in New York City.Kenneth T. Jackson, Lisa Keller, Nancy Flood, ''The En ...

and philanthropist

Gladys Fries Harriman Gladys Fries Harriman (1896–1983) was an American philanthropist, equestrian and big game hunter. She was an executive at the American Red Cross. She became one of the first female equestrian drivers and big game hunters. Early life Harriman ...

. Together, they had: *Arden Harriman Mason, and artist and musician Mason died in 2009.

Legacy

A full-length documentary film produced by Maestro Films premiered at the

Big Apple Film Festival Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * '' Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show * ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show present ...

in New York City on November 3, 2011.

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Frank 1921 births 2009 deaths Artists from Cleveland Painters from New York City Art Students League of New York alumni Art Students League of New York faculty 20th-century American painters American male painters 21st-century American painters 21st-century American male artists The High School of Music & Art alumni 20th-century American male artists