Rago Auctions

James Bohary is a contemporary painter working in the tradition of Abstract Expressionism. His signature use of thick paint, gestural marks, and vivid color exemplifies his mastery of the New York School's techniques. Predominantly concerned with materiality, Bohary experiments with layers of under-paint, dripping, splattering, and rhythmic painting. His inspirations derive from the natural landscape: the hills and rivers of upstate New York, the beaches of Puerto Rico, and the greenery of Newfoundland, Canada. By distilling memories of these scenic landscapes, Bohary pulls from unconscious and conscious experiences to create works of intense energy. In addition to the Abstract Expressionists, Bohary counts prehistoric art, Rembrandt and Cézanne among his influences.

Bohary was born in Brooklyn in 1940 to an English mother and an Indonesian father. He took graphic design classes at the School of Visual Arts, New York and graduated from New York University in 1968. He attended the New York Studio School in 1969, where he studied painting under Philip Guston. He has had numerous solo exhibitions and his work is represented in collections including The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C, the Hood Museum of Art and Greenville Art Center, among others. He was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1983, an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1985 and the recipient of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant in 1999. He has taught art at Parsons School of Fine Arts, New York and the New York Studio School, and is currently a Professor of Studio Art at Binghamton University, New York.