Kelly Fearing was a member of the Fort Worth Circle, a cohort of artists often credited with bringing modern art to Texas and the firsts to steer away from the then dominating regional aesthetic.
13 Facts About Kelly Fearing
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Kelly Fearing attended Louisiana Polytechnic Institute where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1941.
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In 1947, Kelly Fearing enrolled at Columbia University to pursue his Master's degree, owing to the funding efforts of Sam Cantey, a prominent patron of the Fort Worth Circle.
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Kelly Fearing taught at Texas Wesleyan College from 1945 to 1947 as head of the art department, following which he joined the University of Texas at Austin as the Ashbel Smith Professor in Art.
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Kelly Fearing remained at the university as a faculty member and retired in 1987 as a Professor Emeritus.
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Kelly Fearing received the E William Doty Award in 2007, the most prestigious educator recognition given by the university's College of Fine Arts.
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Kelly Fearing was considered a pioneer in arts education, largely due to his Junior Art Project through UT Austin, which offered free university-based instruction and exposure to visual art for children of all ages and economic backgrounds.
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Kelly Fearing's oeuvre reflected his desire to experience metaphysical aspects of life, rather than expressing faith in any religion.
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One of Kelly Fearing's recurring subjects was kite-flying, seemingly symbolic of spiritual quests.
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Kelly Fearing employed renderings of fish to reference the underworld, human evolution, and their roles in religious stories as depicted in pieces like, Tobias and the Angel.
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Kelly Fearing incorporated myriad materials including metal, plastic, stones, broken windshield glass, fabric, seeds, and other organic material in his collages, revealing his playful approach to artmaking.
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Kelly Fearing's works are housed in the permanent collections of the Blanton Museum of Art, Dallas Museum of Art, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, and Old Jail Arts Center.
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Kelly Fearing died due to congestive heart failure at the age of 92 in his home.