Ealy Mays Artwork

Described by Jacob Lawrence as the best narrative painter he had ever met, West Texas native and Paris-based Ealy Mays has been the bad boy of contemporary art who has challenged art enthusiasts with his brand of subtle satire and eclectic style for over 45 years.

During his residency at Skowhegan with the likes of Lawrence, Nan Goldin, Gary Hill, Jessica Stockholder, and Anish Kapoor, Lawrence took Mays under his wings.  Today Mays counts Lawrence, Jackson Pollock, Ed Clark, Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, Rufino Tamayo, and Franz Kline as inspirations for his work, which combines social commentary, the raw edge of street murals, classical and contemporary forms, and abstract imagery.

Ealy Mays has the distinction of abandoning his education and training as a medical doctor to pursue his art. The former medical student from Wichita Falls Texas, whose calling was art, is distinguished from many in his lack of a formal degree or training in art.  He is a permanent recurring resident at Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris and is also a local Paris historian with a passion for introducing visiting tourists to the extraordinary African American literary and artistic legacy within the city walls.