44: JOHN FERRY (MISSOURI 20TH C.) KANSAS CITY OIL ON PANEL

John Ferry
West Bottoms (1996)
The semi-precisionism oil on laminated wood panel, displaying a high impasto surface not perceptible in images, is signed verso and titled West Bottoms after Kansas City's early 1900s industrial neighborhood of historic brick high-rise buildings just west of the city.

It appeared in a December, 1996 Alice Thorson Kansas City Star review of the artist's exhibition coming to Jan Weiner Gallery the following month. Alice points out how Ferry's ..'.fine arts production is less well-known, but this exhibit of 15 new oil...paintings...builds on the momentum created by his 1995 showings...'

She refers to the fact that before 1995, John Ferry was primarily known as an illustrator, receiving commissions from clients around the world, and widespread recognition in the form of numerous grants, awards, scholarships and memberships.

Now well established in his fine art production, John's current dealer, Sherry Leedy Contemporary Art, points out how 'the faded industrial energy of the 19th and early 20th century, with its history of decay and renewal, inspired Ferry's vision.'


John Ferry is an Associate Professor of Illustration at the Kansas City Art Institute. He has an MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York, and a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute. His work is held in the collection of the Stowers Institute, H&R Block Collection. Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, The Wichita Center for The Arts, Hallmark Cards, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, American Century, and many others.
Board measures 24 x 32 with a framed size of 25.5 x 33.5 inches.
Very good original untouched condition. There are no issues of major scratches, losses, repairs, in-painting or touch-up.
Provenance: The Robert W. Steinbach Trust and Steinbach Family Collection, Kansas City, Missouri.
$1,500 - $2,000