#francis cunningham

[arielfrank]

[arutai]

Francis Cunningham

[joesartoftheday]

Francis Cunningham

[fedartnyc]

Francis Cunningham, David Potoff's Tools (2004) oil on linen 37x51 ($65,000)

Raised in Massachusetts and a graduate of Harvard, Francis Cunningham spent time in the Marines before settling in New York and a life of art.  Realism is key to his work as is an overall narrative even in the inanimate: "Objects, and the nude, have a story to tell.  Their stories are more basic than those of descriptive reporting . . .  Their stories are pre-mythic, for the objects speak of themselves, free from the associations of other people, other things.  Their meaning is determined by you, for you are the storyteller." 

Over a lengthy career of both teaching art and making his own, Cunningham also co-founded The New York Academy of Art with Barney Hodes, a sculptor, in 1983.   Having shown extensively both in solo and group shows, in the United States and abroad, he is currently represented by the Laurel Tracey Gallery.

Cunningham's art which follows the less abstract element of the Federation's lineage will be shown at their 75th Anniversary show.