Frederick Conway (1900–1973) was an American painter and muralist.

Early life and education

Conway was born in

Saint Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which ...

in 1900. Conway studied at the

St. Louis School of Fine Arts The St. Louis School of Fine Arts was founded as the Saint Louis School and Museum of Fine Arts in 1879 as part of Washington University in St. Louis, and has continuously offered visual arts and sculpture education since then. Its purpose-buil ...

, and then moved to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

to study at the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...

, and at the Academies Moderne and La Grande Chaumiere.

Art career

Conway was part a community of 20th Century St. Louis artists that included Ed Boccia, Fred Green Carpenter,

Rudolph Edward Torrini Rudolph Edward Torrini (March 31, 1923 – September 5, 2018) was an American artist best known for his sculptures, wood carvings and bronze public monuments in the St. Louis area, including "The Immigrants", "The Union Soldier," and "Martin Luther ...

, Herb Cummings, Werner Drewes, Gustav Goetsch, Bill Fett, Phil Sultz, Jan Sultz, and

Bob Cassilly Robert James Cassilly Jr. (November 9, 1949 – September 26, 2011) was an American sculptor, entrepreneur, and creative director based in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1997, Cassilly founded the idiosyncratic City Museum, which draws over 70 ...

. Conway taught at the art school (now called the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts) of

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

from 1929 to 1970. Conway was one of the teachers of

Billy Morrow Jackson Billy Morrow Jackson (1926–2006) was an American painter. Jackson was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1926. He completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, and later received ...

, and was "a close friend and early supporter of German Expressionist painter Max Beckmann". In the 1930s Conway taught at the

Ste. Genevieve Art Colony The Ste. Genevieve Art Colony was an art collective in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. It was founded in 1932 by Aimee Schweig, Bernard E. Peters, and Jessie Beard Rickly. The Ste. Genevieve Summer School of Art was established in 1934. The colony ...

in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri.

Public murals

Conway's mural, ''The Roundup'', a 1940 oil on canvas painting, hangs in the United States Post Office of Purcell, Oklahoma. It was procured by the

United States Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and t ...

Section of Painting and Sculpture as part of a 48-state competition to create murals for post offices. Another Conway mural, ''The Movement of Time from Redman to Truman'' (1967), is in the

Richard Bolling Federal Building The Richard Bolling Federal Building is a United States federal building located at 601 East 12th Street in Kansas City, Missouri. Completed in 1965, the building is bordered by East Twelfth, East Thirteenth, Locust, and Holmes streets in the Cent ...

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

. His 70-foot long mural ''Oklahoma Land Run'' is installed in Tulsa, Oklahoma's

First Place Tower First Place Tower is a skyscraper located at 15 East Fifth in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was completed in 1973 and has 41 stories. At in height, it is the third tallest building in Tulsa behind BOK Tower and Cityplex Towers, and the fourth ta ...

. Conway was chosen to create the 1950 mural through a $25,000 USD competition run by the First National Bank.

Collections

Conway's work is included in the collections of the

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds o ...

and the

Kemper Art Museum The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum is an art museum located on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis, within the university's Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. Founded in 1881 as the St. Louis School and Museum of Fine Arts, it w ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conway, Frederick 1900 births 1973 deaths 20th-century American artists American muralists Artists from St. Louis Académie Julian alumni Washington University in St. Louis faculty

External links

Gallery of images of Conway's Tulsa Oklahoma mural ''Oklahoma Land Run''.