Eye of the Beholder, Circa 1970

Clarence Morgan  

CLARENCE MORGAN (1950 - ): Clarence Morgan is an American painter, draftsman, and printmaker known for abstract works that explore the relationship between order, improvisation, and visual perception. Born in Philadelphia in 1950, Morgan studied painting and drawing at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, earning a four-year certificate in 1975, and received an MFA in painting from the University of Pennsylvania in 1978. His work has evolved from academic representation toward biomorphic abstraction, incorporating organic shapes, repetition, pattern, geometry, drawing, and collage elements. Morgan's compositions are often created intuitively, using networks of forms and subtle color relationships to investigate the tension between structure and spontaneity. His paintings, drawings, and prints have been exhibited in more than 200 solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally, including at the Walker Art Center, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum. His work is held in numerous major collections, including the Cleveland Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis Institute of Art, and Weisman Art Museum. Morgan has received fellowships and grants from organizations including the Bush, McKnight, and Jerome Foundations and has served as a professor and department chair at the University of Minnesota. He lives and works in Chicago.