Skip to content

Biography

Paul Manes - Artists - Cris Worley Fine Arts

Paul Manes b. 1948 — Paul Manes has never been one to conform to the artistic trends of the day. His inspirations come mostly from the past — Rembrandt, Velasquez, Goya, Cezanne, Pollock, and Johns. Thus, Manes’ work pulls from hundreds of years of inspiration, culminating in an artistic technique that stands independent and unique. His adept handling of oil paint allows for fluidity of style between abstraction and representation; the subject matter varies from foreshortened stacks of wood to fighter planes, to tumbling stacks of bowls and complex fields of hexagonal nets. In each work, the artist provides the viewer with something new, powerful, and unequivocally “great.” Says Manes, “I paint both abstractions and figurative works. I make no distinctions because what I am thinking of is space, light, and form.”

With shows beginning in 1983, Manes’ work has been on display for over four decades. His early abstract works appeared in Houston magazines and Collision: The Contemporary Art Scene in Houston, 1972-1985 where it stood as a backdrop for Barbara Rose, the celebrated art historian and critic. As Manes’ career grew, his work became a subject in and of itself, becoming a compelling presence that demanded attention in collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Guggenheim. It is not easy to define Paul Manes’ work, and perhaps, that is what is so enticing about it. He is not contained by any one style or subject, but rather, his oeuvre shows how he is a master in his own right. However, one of the clearest changes we can see in Manes’ work happened when he moved from New York to Colorado a decade ago. Bringing techniques from his past, Manes paints the lush nature around him, creating landscapes in a way that references the entirety of his career. At the same time, Manes continues to paint abstracted subjects, as well as subjects he has known for decades. Manes cannot be understood in any one definition of the “artist”, but rather, his work must be defined as a reflection of him and his experiences.

Paul Manes has had an extensive career since studying at the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Hunter College (New York). Domestically he has shown cross-country, in museums and galleries alike, including in Los Angeles, New York, Palm Beach, Atlanta, New Orleans, Beaumont, Austin, Dallas, and Houston. Internationally, Manes has exhibited in Milan, Monte Carlo, Rome, Paris, Bologna, and Munich, and most recently in Brussels, Belgium, in the epic, Painting After Postmodernism exhibition, curated by Barbara Rose. Manes’ work is frequently collected in both the public and private sectors and can be found in the collections of the Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Art Museum of Southeast Texas; Yoko Ono and Emeril Lagasse. His monumental work, The Entry of Christ into New York, was acquired for the lobby of the Brussels Hôtel de Ville (City Hall).

Installation Views

Focus: Paul Manes: 5.20.23 - 6.29.23

Paul Manes | Focus | 5.20.23 - 6.29.23 | Installation View

Paul Manes | Focus | 5.20.23 - 6.29.23 | Installation View

Paul Manes | Focus | 5.20.23 - 6.29.23 | Installation View

Paul Manes | Focus | 5.20.23 - 6.29.23 | Installation View

Paul Manes | Focus | 5.20.23 - 6.29.23 | Installation View

Paul Manes | Focus | 5.20.23 - 6.29.23 | Installation View

Paul Manes | Focus | 5.20.23 - 6.29.23 | Installation View

Paul Manes | Requiem | 10.8.22 - 11.12.22, Installation View

Paul Manes | Requiem | 10.8.22 - 11.12.22

Installation View

Paul Manes | Requiem | 10.8.22 - 11.12.22, Installation View

Paul Manes | Requiem | 10.8.22 - 11.12.22

Installation View

Paul Manes | Requiem | 10.8.22 - 11.12.22, Installation View

Paul Manes | Requiem | 10.8.22 - 11.12.22

Installation View

Paul Manes | Requiem | 10.8.22 - 11.12.22, Installation View

Paul Manes | Requiem | 10.8.22 - 11.12.22

Installation View

Paul Manes | Requiem | 10.8.22 - 11.12.22, Installation View

Paul Manes | Requiem | 10.8.22 - 11.12.22

Installation View

Paul Manes | Requiem | 10.8.22 - 11.12.22, Installation View

Paul Manes | Requiem | 10.8.22 - 11.12.22

Installation View

Paul Manes | Requiem | 10.8.22 - 11.12.22, Installation View

Paul Manes | Requiem | 10.8.22 - 11.12.22

Installation View

Paul Manes | Requiem | 10.8.22 - 11.12.22, Installation View

Paul Manes | Requiem | 10.8.22 - 11.12.22

Installation View

Paul Manes | Requiem | 10.8.22 - 11.12.22, Installation View

Paul Manes | Requiem | 10.8.22 - 11.12.22

Installation View

Paul Manes: Recent Paintings

Paul Manes: Recent Paintings
February 20 – March 27, 2021

Paul Manes: Recent Paintings

Paul Manes: Recent Paintings
February 20 – March 27, 2021

Paul Manes: Recent Paintings

Paul Manes: Recent Paintings
February 20 – March 27, 2021

Paul Manes: Recent Paintings

Paul Manes: Recent Paintings
February 20 – March 27, 2021

Paul Manes: Recent Paintings

Paul Manes: Recent Paintings
February 20 – March 27, 2021

Paul Manes: Recent Paintings

Paul Manes: Recent Paintings
February 20 – March 27, 2021

Paul Manes: Recent Paintings

Paul Manes: Recent Paintings
February 20 – March 27, 2021

Paul Manes: Recent Paintings

Paul Manes: Recent Paintings
February 20 – March 27, 2021

Paul Manes: Recent Paintings

Paul Manes: Recent Paintings
February 20 – March 27, 2021

Paul Manes: Recent Paintings

Paul Manes: Recent Paintings
February 20 – March 27, 2021

Paul Manes: Desire October 13 – November 10, 2018

Paul Manes: Desire
October 13 – November 10, 2018

Paul Manes: Desire October 13 – November 10, 2018

Paul Manes: Desire
October 13 – November 10, 2018

Paul Manes: Desire October 13 – November 10, 2018

Paul Manes: Desire
October 13 – November 10, 2018

Paul Manes
Paul Manes
Paul Manes
Paul Manes
Paul Manes
Paul Manes
Back To Top