Surely you have wondered about the name Perry House. It is a story of art, influence, and a life well-lived. Perry House was a beloved Houston artist. He touched many corners of Houston’s art scene. He influenced young artists in Houston and beyond.
Perry House was born in Orange, Texas, in 1943. He later received his MFA from California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland in 1971. He taught at Cal State in Bakersfield until the mid-1970s. Then Perry House returned to Houston.
Over his career, Perry House showed his work in notable Houston galleries. These included William Graham and Davis/McClain. Other galleries were Barbara Davis, Inman, McMurtrey, and d. m. allison Gallery. Deborah Colton Gallery represented him in recent years.
Perry House was an early pioneer of abstraction. His works are in the Houston Museum of Fine Arts collection. He received an NEA fellowship award in 1990. He had a solo exhibition at Diverse Works in 2000. Another solo show was at the Galveston Arts Center in 2004. Clint Willour curated that show. Perry House retired from Houston Community College. He taught there for 30 years. He continued painting full-time until he passed.
Perry House once said teaching was necessary for him. He did not want to chase collectors aggressively. He felt selling paintings could be a nasty business. His art explored particular opposites. These included elegance and violence. He also explored humor and horror. The sacred and the profane also featured. Perry House said things were sectioned, distorted, and exploded in his art.
Perry House’s “Enigmatic” exhibition opened in May 2015. It showed elements of his earlier series. These series were Happyville and Helter Skelter. It also drew on elements of his pop-mystic imagery. That imagery dated back to the 1980s. Perry House said he was just painting. He mixed things up and did not work for a show necessarily.
Perry House referenced the tradition of Vanitas. Vanitas was a style popular in the Netherlands in the early 1600s. Vanitas works contained objects symbolic of death’s inevitability. They also showed the transience of vanity and earthly achievements.
Perry House’s work often stripped away decoration. He removed narrative, sex, politics, and traditional perspective. At the same time, he evoked the passage of time. He showed weight, depth, and our mortal coil. Perry House lived and worked in Houston for 30 years.
So, as you reflect on the story of Perry House, consider his impact. He was an artist, a teacher, and an influence. He left a lasting mark on Houston’s art scene. His legacy lives on through his art and the artists he inspired.