1980s Museum Abstract Expressionist Artist James McCray, Painting for Sale -Dated ‘85, Signed 22.25” X 31”

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This original watercolor by noted California modernist James McCray is executed on Arches paper, the renowned 100% cotton rag watercolor … Read more This original watercolor by noted California modernist James McCray is executed on Arches paper, the renowned 100% cotton rag watercolor paper long favored by professional artists. Measuring approximately 22¼ inches high by 31 inches wide, the work is signed, embossed with the artist’s seal, and dated 1985.

A Personal Note from Colin Fisher, Colin Fisher Studios (est 1979)

As an art dealer and collector for more than 50 years, I have always followed one rule when buying art for myself or recommending it to others: never buy a painting simply because someone tells you it is going to increase in value.

Buy it because you love it.

That said, occasionally an artist comes along whose accomplishments, exhibition history, and historical importance seem remarkably substantial in comparison with the prices his work currently commands. In my opinion, James McCray is such an artist.

His paintings have been exhibited by major American institutions, his career placed him at the center of an extraordinary period in California modernism, and his work reflects firsthand study of some of the most important developments in twentieth-century European art.

The McCray works we are presently offering represent, in my judgment, an exceptional opportunity for collectors. But ultimately, you should be the judge—and you should buy one only if you love it.

About James McCray

James McCray earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, where he would later return for a distinguished teaching career.

In the late 1930s, McCray received a grant for advanced study at the prestigious Barnes Foundation in Pennsylvania, whose extraordinary collection exposed him to European modernism and particularly to the revolutionary approaches to color, composition, and abstraction represented by artists such as Henri Matisse and Piet Mondrian.

McCray subsequently continued his studies in Europe during the years immediately preceding World War II, where he studied the work and ideas of leading European modernists, including Matisse, Mondrian, and Robert and Sonia Delaunay.

These experiences became important to McCray’s artistic development. Mondrian’s geometric abstraction influenced his early work, while the brilliant use of color associated with Matisse and the Delaunays would resonate throughout his career. McCray absorbed these influences and transformed them into a distinctly personal visual language.

During the 1940s, he developed sophisticated geometric abstractions incorporating linear grids, vivid color planes, and intersecting forms. His work received important recognition, including the Anne Bremer Memorial Prize for abstract painting in 1945, and one of his geometric abstractions was subsequently included in an important Art Institute of Chicago exhibition of abstract and surrealist American art.

McCray also joined the faculty of the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco during an extraordinary period when the school became one of America’s most influential centers for progressive modern painting. Artists associated with its faculty during this era included Clyfford Still, Mark Rothko, Ad Reinhardt, David Park, Elmer Bischoff, Richard Diebenkorn, and Clay Spohn.

He later returned to the University of California, Berkeley, where he taught for decades while continuing to develop his own work. His paintings were exhibited extensively, including at the San Francisco Art Association, the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Named Professor Emeritus at UC Berkeley in 1982, McCray continued painting until his death in 1993.

Today, his career provides a fascinating bridge between European modernism and the development of postwar modern painting in Northern California. His work combines disciplined structure, expressive freedom, and an extraordinary understanding of color.

About This Painting

Created in 1985, this watercolor comes from McCray’s mature period and demonstrates the confidence and freedom of an artist who had spent more than half a century developing his visual language.

The painting remains in excellent, collector-quality condition and is offered unframed.

Several accompanying photographs illustrate how beautifully the work can present when professionally framed. Because McCray’s compositions are visually strong, we believe minimalist framing is particularly appropriate—allowing the painting itself, rather than the frame, to command attention.

Should you wish, we would be pleased to arrange professional custom framing in a simple, understated style similar to those illustrated. Please request a quotation.

James McCray’s distinguished teaching career, important exhibition history, connection to the development of California modernism, and sustained exploration of European modernist ideas make his work particularly compelling.

For the collector who responds to the painting itself, this 1985 watercolor offers the opportunity to acquire a beautifully preserved work from the mature period of a significant and still under recognized American modernist.

The artwork is in mint condition. The framed photos in the additional photos provided, illustrate how great the art looks framed in a variety of styles. If you wish for us to have this painting framed, simply DM us for a price quote and the necessary time needed and we will get right back to you.
Thank you, Colin See less