Stephen Von Mason
We are excited to debut Stephen Von Mason's newest work, Tea Garden, 2024 (oil on canvas 60 x 72in)*please contact us for details on pricing and availability This painting is the first piece of a series titled Cultural Healing. From the artist's own words:"Transforming pain into strength while celebrating Black Love, Black Excellence, and the Beauty that lies within our Culture. This painting is also in honor of a dear friend Gary Heit, may he rest in peace. His friends Steven Grant Firestone and Carol Tang who stood by his side until the end, found solace and peace at the Japanese Tea Garden, [San Francisco]"
For more on the artist and his work, please check out his recent works and bio below.
works from recent series
"Something All Our Own: The Creation of a Fine Arts Museum" The museum is named after Reginald F. Lewis, the first African American Wall Street Billionaire.
“Champions of the Kentucky Derby & Beyond: The Early Years, 1860 – 1923” A celebration of the African American Jockey and his dominance in the Sport of Kings.
Additional works
The following are paintings from a variety of historical series by Mason.
For information on pricing and availability, please reach out to
info@antonartagency.com
Please note that works "not for sale" from private collections are included to showcase the artist's greater body of work. Please contact us regarding commissioned pieces.
Stephen Von Mason b. 1954
Artist Bio:
Stephen was born in South Bend, Indiana in 1954. As a child, he loved to draw and paint rodeo riders and football stars which carried over into High School. Even as a young man, he knew he wanted to be a professional artist. He was accepted into the John Herron School of Art in Indianapolis where he received a BFA in printmaking, followed by a scholarship to study at the San Francisco Institute of Art.
For Stephen, The Art Institute was a wonderful place to go to school due to its acclaimed visiting artist program. He attended the institute from 1977 to 1979 and during that time was exposed to artists like Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, David Hockney, and Merce Cunningham. Angela Davis taught women's studies at the Institute which made a huge impact on Stephen. These influences ultimately helped mold him into the artist he is today.
Stephen graduated from the SF Art Institute with an MFA major in printmaking and a minor in painting. After graduate school, Stephen decided he no longer wanted to work in printmaking and started painting right away. He found the process was much more direct than pulling prints to make etchings.
The 1980's were exciting times for Stephen as he started on his journey of exhibiting and being published in newspapers and magazines. He has published/illustrated three children's books. His solo book is a folklore piece titled Brother Anansi and the Cattle
Ranch from the Ashanti tribe of West Africa.
As Stephen continued exhibiting and traveling to Europe to exhibit in England, he always maintained employment often working as an artisan in Museums and Galleries to maintain a steady stream of income.
Eventually, Stephen transitioned to education and taught middle school art. In 2012 he was invited by President Barack Obama to showcase his art department at the President's Committee of the Arts and Humanities headed up by Michelle Obama. There, Stephen had the honor of speaking about his craft alongside other prominent artists including the actress Alfre Woodard.
Stephen views himself as living a three-pronged artistic existence - as an
artist, artisan, and educator. All three professions have kept him busy his entire life
and he's enjoyed every bit of it.
Stephen has led an accomplished career on the national and international scale. His works have been acquired by museums and private collectors in the US and abroad. For more information on his solo and group shows, publications and awards, and media coverage please see his full CV below.
Stephen currently lives in Vallejo, California the greater San Francisco Bay Area where he paints and creates from his home studio. His oils tend to be large in format - six-foot canvases mixed in with some smaller ones.
In Stephen's words: I showcase and celebrate my culture with an edge because of the need for a cultural healing. This is something I am very passionate about and I put my heart and soul into each and every painting to express my vision. I have so much respect for art history so as I come through it, sometimes I also want to be a continuum of it that is always connected to it as I push my ideas. I am a widower, retired Art Teacher, and practicing artist.
Stephen Von Mason
Artist CV
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1954 Born: South Bend, Indiana
1971 – 1972 Studied figure drawing at the University of Notre Dame, South
Bend, IN – college preparatory
1973 – 1977 Studied printmaking and painting at John Herron School of Art,
BFA, Indianapolis, IN
1977 –1979 Studied printmaking and painting at the San Francisco Art Institute,
MFA, San Francisco, California
1981 – 1983 Taught at the University of California, Berkeley, California with the
ASUC division
1991 Lectured at San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA and
the Richmond Art Center, Richmond, CA
2002 Taught summer art school at Washington Elementary School,
Oakland, CA
2003 Taught summer art school at Glenview Elementary School,
Oakland, CA
2008 - 2022 Taught art at Making Waves Academy, Richmond, CA
2010 – 2011 Taught painting over the summer at the Richmond Art Center,
Richmond, CA
2012 Received an invitation from President Barack Obama to present my
Art Program’s success with Making Waves Academy to the
“President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities” at a Salon
hosted by Pamela Joyner in San Francisco. Other presenters were,
Alfre Woodard, Theaster Gates, Louis Vuitton Family and Pixar.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023 Something All Our Own: The Creation of a Fine Arts Museum, Virtual
Exhibition, TeraVarna Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2014 In Search of Humanity, Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts, Blue
Mountain Lake, NY
1988 Without Sanctuary II, Judith Weintraub Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Sanctuary, Pence Gallery, Davis, CA
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 Marin Society of Artists Art Centre, Sculpture and Assemblage – An
Exploration, San Raphael, California
2024 Omnibus Art Gallery - Figuration, International Juried Exhibition, Dresden,
Germany
2024 SwaKarya Art Gallery - Live Art Showcase, Honorable Mention Award
Winner, Malaysia, SouthEast, Asia
2024 Chinwe Russell Art Gallery - Living Artist Contemporary Art Auction,
Featured Article, January Edition 2024 - Doncaster, England
2023 Cross Currents Gallery – Color, Shape, Space, International Juried
Exhibition, 5th Place Award Winner, Wheeling, West Virginia
2023 Brouhaha Art Gallery - Portrait Artist of the Year, International Juried
Art Exhibition, Hong Kong, China
2023 Art Collide Art Gallery - Life, Death, Love, International Juried Art
Exhibition, Notable Entry Distinction, New Delhi, India
2023 The deYoung Museum Open 2023 Triennial, San Francisco, CA
2023 Grey Cube Gallery – “Faces Art Show: July 2023” - International Art
Competition and Exhibition, Helsinki, Finland
2023 Saint Frajou Museum of Painting - 9th International Art Resilience Fair
2023, Saint Frajou, France
2023 Hilton Geneva, HelvetArt - July 2023 Art Competition & Exhibition,
Geneva, Switzerland
2023 TeraVarna Art Gallery, “Color” – Talent Award Winner,
5th International Juried Visual Arts Exhibition, Los Angeles, California
2023 HelvetArt Gallery, March 2023 – Merit Award Winner, International
Juried Visual Arts Exhibition, Geneva, Switzerland
2023 Camelback Gallery, 10th Artist Choice International Juried Visual Arts
Exhibition, Bronze Award Winner, Scottsdale, Arizona
2023 Contemporary Art Gallery Online, 4th Annual BHM National Juried
Visual Arts Exhibition, Silver Award Winner, Middleton, Delaware
2019 Venice Biennale, 58th International Art Exhibition, Biennale Project,
Pavilions at the Giardini, at the Arsenale, Venice, Italy
2019 Coos Bay Museum of Art, 3rd Place Award Winner, “Expressions
West”, Coos Bay, Oregon
2014 Color - Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, Brooklyn, NY
Figuratively Speaking - Agora Gallery, Chelsea New York, NY
SeeMeTakeover Times Square, New York, NY
2013 Saatchi Screen - Saatchi Gallery. London, England
Angel Orensanz Foundation for Contemporary Art, New York, NY
Story of the Creative - See//Exhibition Space, Queens, New York, NY
Faith - San Francisco 49ers Vernon Davis Gallery 85, San Jose, CA
2011 Faculty Exhibit - Richmond Art Center, Richmond, CA
1997 Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA
1995 Emanuel Walter Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1993 M. H. De Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco, CA
Rotterdam Art Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
1992 Stedelijk Museum of Schiedam, Rotterdam, Holland
Bomani Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Crocker Museum of Art, Sacramento, CA
De Krackeling Museum, Amsterdam, Holland
1991 Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA
Bomani Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Richmond Art Center, Richmond, CA
1990 Porter Sesnon Gallery, Santa Cruz, CA
1988 Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA
1986 Crocker Museum of Art, Sacramento, CA
1985 Stephen Wirtz Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“Introductions 85”
1984 Cartwright Hall, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England
1983 Zaner Gallery, Rochester, NY
Allen Priebe Gallery, Oshkosh, WI
1977 Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN
Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, IN
AWARDS and RECOGNITION
2023 Camelback Gallery - 10th Artist Choice International Juried Art
Exhibition, Bronze Award Winner, Scottsdale, Arizona
2023 HelvetArt Gallery – Merit Award Winner, March 2023 International
Juried Art Exhibition, Geneva, Switzerland
2023 Contemporary Art Gallery Online - 2nd Place Award Winner, 2023
BHM National Juried Art Exhibition, Middleton, Delaware
2023 TeraVarna Art Gallery – Talent Award Winner, 5th Color
International Juried Art Exhibition, Los Angeles, California
2019 Coos Bay Museum of Art, “Expressions West”, 3rd Place Award,
Coos Bay, Oregon
2014 ArtSlant Prize - Showcase Winner, 4th round – painting,
ARTslanT - Chicago, IL
Fourth Annual Figurative Exhibition – Special Recognition Award
in Painting, LSTOL Gallery – Jupiter, FL
1992 Eureka Fellowship Finalist, Fleishacker Foundation, nominated by
Robert Flynn Johnson – Achenbach Collection – Palace of the
Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
California Palace of the Legion of Honor, the Achenbach Collection
of Works on Paper, San Francisco, CA
Rotterdam Art Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Crocker Museum of Art, Sacramento, CA
Goldman Sachs, New York, NY
Fairmont Hotels, New Orleans, LA, and Dallas, TX
Health America, Nashville, TN
LITERATURE and JURIED EXHIBITIONS
2019 McCormack, Geoffrey, South Coast Beat – “Expressions West”, Coos
Bay Museum of Art, Coos Bay. Oregon
2018 Talib, Ayesha, Scene & Heard Magazine – 2 page spread – A Journal
of Artistic Reflections,
2014 Reid, Graeme, Director of Collections & Exhibitions at the Museum of
Wisconsin Art, “Art Kudos” – an International Juried Art Competition
& Exhibition 2014-15, Atlanta, GA
Lauren Hinkson, Assistant Curator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim
Museum, “Color”, Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition,
Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY
Math, John R, “Fourth Annual Figurative Exhibition, LSTOL Gallery,
May - Exhibition Event Catalogue – Issuu.com, Jupiter, FL
2012 Aldrich, Jeffrey, “Art Takes Miami”, See//Exhibition Gallery, New
York City, NY (Coffee Table Book)
1997 Hillhouse, Susan, “African American Painters’, Triton Museum of
Art, Santa Clara, CA (catalogue)
1990 Castellon, Rolondo, “Patterns and Patents”, Porter Sesnon Gallery.
UC Santa Cruz (catalogue)
1986 Gordon, Allen, Works on Paper at the Crocker”, Crocker Museum of
Art, Sacramento, CA (catalogue)
1984 Hopper, Robert, “Eighth British International Print Biennale”,
Cartwright Hall, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England (catalogue)
1983 Haldoupis, John, “The American Annual Works on Paper Exhibition
83”, Zaner Gallery, Rochester, NY (catalogue)
Harrington, Bev, “Contemporary Images Watercolor: 1983”, Allen
Priebe Gallery, Oshkosh, WI (catalogue)
SELECTED ARTICLES
Maginnis-Honey, Amy, Daily Republic, The deYoung Museum Open Triennial 2023,
October 29th, 2023
Bammer, Richard, The Vacaville Reporter, The deYoung Museum Open Triennial
2023, September 12th, 2023
Artist Choice X Awards, Art Week Online Magazine, Camelback Gallery,
Contemporary Juried Art Exhibition, page 1 – February 2023
Lemonidou, Eve, a two-page spread with 4 color reproductions, International
Contemporary Artists – Volume VIII, page 198 – May 2014
Sinclair, Theresa, a third page expose with one color reproduction and review,
ArtisSpectrum Magazine – Volume 31, page 44, Agora Gallery - May 2014
Klaber, Karen, color reproduction on the cover and on page 2, The East Bay Monthly –
March issue - 2014
Ventitre01, two color reproductions, Ventritre01-Roma Magazine – spring issue –
published by Ventitre01 Art and Investments – Rome, Italy - 2014
Reeves, Ingrid, four-color reproductions, Artist Portfolio Magazine – “San Francisco vs. Chicago”, Issue 16, pages 42 – 45, spring - 2014
Osmond, Susan Fegley, “Feral Fusion”, Ten full-page color reproductions, The
Washington Post Magazine-The World & I - February, 1993, p. 208-217
Fredriks, Ineke, “BoekieBoekie Kunst te leen”, reproductions and converted version of my book “Brother Anansi and the Cattle Ranch into: Tales from Afrika-TV, a children's TV show called “Anansi Comes to the Netherlands”, September and October – 1992, Rotterdam Art Center Newsletter
Murphy, Anthony, “A Portfolio of Promising Futures”, color reproductions, American Visions Magazine, fall issue – 1992, p. 18 and cover
Rooks, Belvie, “Bomani Gallery on the Contemporary Scene”, San Francisco
Chronicle, February 16, 1992 p. 6 Baker, Elizabeth, “The Figure Identified”, Art in America, Annual Issue, 1992, p. 57 Brzezinski, Jamey, “Reassurance, The Figure Identified”, Art Week, October 17, 1991, p. cover Kirby, John, “Gallery News”, Antiques and Fine Art, spring issue, 1991, p. 93
Dalkey, Victoria, “The New Black Art”, The Sacramento Bee – Encore Section,
January 12, 1986, p. 16
Liss, Andrea, “Introductions 85”, Art News Magazine, October, 1985, p. 115
Burkhart, Dorothy, “Disquieting Presences, Knockout Paintings in San Francisco”, San Jose Mercury News, July 26, 1985, p. 19E
TELEVISION and RADIO
“Anansi en Broer Tijger”, My Children’s Book adapted for Dutch Television,
Vehalen uit Afrika op School T. V., Amsterdam and Rotterdam, Holland,
1992
“Bay Sunday”, Art exhibit at the Ebony Museum,
KPIX Channel 5, Television, An interview with Barbara Rogers,
aired February 6 th 1994, San Francisco, California
Black Renaissance”, an interview with Ben Hazard, Artwork exhibited,
KBHK Channel 44, Television, aired January 29th, 1994 San Francisco,
California
“Catch the Spirit”, Documentary, Children’s Book Press, produced by the,
Nashville Methodist Communications Television also aired on B. E. T.
Cable Television. Twice in November 1989
“Cross Roads”, Interviewed by Cyrus M. Musiker,
KQED National Public Radio, San Francisco, California, aired December
17th, 1990
“Q” Art and Entertainment, Interviewed by Brian Copeland,
KQED Channel 9, Television, aired April 1992