Dick Wray

A Revelation

September 7 through November 2, 2019

Opening Reception: Saturday September 7^th 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Deborah Colton Gallery is pleased to present Dick Wray: A Revelation. This vibrant and bold exhibition of paintings and mixed media works encompasses the entire gallery and is on view from September 7^th to November 2^nd. A public reception will take place on Saturday, September 7^th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

A native Houstonian born in 1933, Dick Wray, was an artist of incomparable talent and personality who played a critical role in the development of Houston’s contemporary art scene since the late 1950s. Often categorized as an Abstract Expressionist, Wray is best known for his explosive and dynamic paintings that have received numerous accolades from Houston’s critical community as well as notable arts figures across the United States throughout his career.

Wray attended the University of Houston’s School of Architecture, followed by being educated at the Kunstakademie Dusseldorf Arts Academy in Germany. Returning to Houston in 1959, he began seriously working as an artist with zest and vigor.  Over the next fifty years, he participated in a large number of important exhibitions nationally and internationally, while locally Wray had his first solo exhibition at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston in 1975, was included in the Fresh Paint: The Houston School at the Museum of Fine Arts in 1985 and many other prestigious exhibitions.  Wray was an instructor at the Glassell School of Art from 1968 until 1982 and also taught seminars in other art institutions throughout the years.  Wray was awarded the Ford Foundation Award in 1962, received a prestigious Artist’s Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1978 and was named Texas Artist of the Year by the Art League of Houston in 2000.  His work is in major collections, including the Albright Knox Museum in Buffalo, National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, the Contemporary Art Museum of Houston and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

“A dynamic and passionate artist who never followed the crowd and thought of himself as different from the more regional Texas Artist, Wray was greatly influenced by his time living and studying in Europe. Dick Wray has revealed his strength as a world-class artist through his bold, well executed creations of forms, rich colors, textures and expression. It is our honor to show a sampling of this artist’s paintings and mixed media collage paintings to a national and international audience through this important exhibition now with our accompanying catalogue. For this statement truly is a revelation which emphasizes the remarkable quality and level of Dick Wray’s exceptional works”. Deborah M. Colton

Deborah Colton Gallery is founded on being an innovative showcase for ongoing presentation and promotion of strong historical and visionary contemporary artists world-wide, whose diverse practices include painting, works on paper, sculpture, video, photography, performance, conceptual future media and public space installations. The Gallery aspires to provide a forum through connecting Texas, national and international artists to make positive change.