about
welcome to frank campion 2.0.
in boston during the 1980s, i showed my work in group shows at the institute of contemporary art, the boston museum of fine arts (which has one of my paintings in their permanent collection), and the danforth museum among others.
i enjoyed a number of critically successful solo shows at the clark gallery and bridgewater state college. after a 30-year career in the advertising business, which brought me to north carolina, i went back into the studio in 2014 and resumed the life of a successful starving artist.
in the studio, clemmons, 2019
in the studio at 197 portland street, boston. probably 1983 or so.
CV + the short form
2026 (solo) dichotomies • the umstead hotel gallery • cary, nc
(two person show) simultaneous contrasts @ ]interval[ • winston-salem, nc
(two person show) selected works • stimmel • winston-salem.nc
2025 (juried online) conversationswithartists.com/online-gallery
(juried group) north carolina artists exhibition • gallery 906 • wilmington, nc
(group show) elemental forces • salem academy & college • winston-salem, nc
(solo show) frank campion: now & then • tag/the art gallery at congdon yards • high point, nc
2024 (solo show) frank campion – selected works • art works • winston-salem, nc
(juried group) the future of non-objective art • atlantic gallery • ny, ny
(juried group) artist’s spotlight • milton rhodes center for art, winston-salem, nc
2023 (juried group) jazz • artspace, richmond, va
(solo show) paintings & works on paper • the gallery at aware • winston-salem, nc
(solo show) frank campion 2.0 • salem academy & college • winston-salem, nc
(solo show) dichotomies • sunset river gallery • calabash, nc
2022 (group show) winter show • greenhill gallery, greensboro, nc
(juried group) abstract national exhibition • mark arts center, wichita, ks
selected for ART OF THE STATE, liza roberts/unc press • contemportary artists/collectors of nc
2021 (group show) better together: reFresh XI • long view gallery, washington, dc
(group show) selections from the collection: abstraction • deCordova museum, lincoln, ma
2020-21 (group show) DRAWN: Concept & Craft • secca, winston-salem, nc
2019 (group show) new year/new artists • long view gallery, washington, dc
(solo show) frank campion • gallery VI, winston-salem, nc
(solo show) frank campion • universal furniture, high point, nc
2018 (solo show) paintings & works on paper • stella g contemporary, charlotte, nc
2017 (solo show) “southern idiom” preview gallery • secca, winston-salem, nc
2014 resumes the life of a successful, starving artist
2013–1985 career in advertising in boston, ma and winston-salem, nc
1984 (juried group) boston now @ boston museum of fine arts, boston, ma
painting acquired by boston museum of fine arts, boston, ma
(solo show) frank campion: new paintintgs @ clark gallery, lincoln, ma
1983 (group show) art new england @
- danforth museum (organizer), framingham, ma;
- stamford museum, stamford, ct;
- virginia polytechnic institute, blacksburg, va
1982 (solo show) paintings @ bridgewater state college, bridgewater, ma
(group show) new painting: new england @ currier gallery of art, manchester, nh
1981 (juried group) boston now @ institute of contemporary art, boston, ma
(group show) “best of boston”@ mona berman gallery, new haven, ct
(solo show) new paintings @ clark gallery, lincoln, ma
(group show) second annual drawing competition @ mills gallery, boston, ma
(solo show) paintings & works on paper @ clark gallery, lincoln, ma
1980 (group show) another look at the figure @ sunne savage gallery, boston, ma
(group show) contemporary new england drawing @ boston athenaeum, boston, ma
1976-1979 apprentice lithographer @ fox graphics, boston
1976 boston studio burns down
1975 (group show) railroad street artists, the lofts on railroad street, keene, nh
(group show) the odd god @ cyclorama, boston center for the arts, bostin, ma
1972-1975 instructor design/drawing/printmaking @ keene state college, keene, nh
1972 Harvard, MFA
collections: the boston museum of fine arts, the deCordova museum, general electric, bank of boston, wang, digital equipment
corporation, and numerous private collections in boston, los angeles, miami, charlotte, chicago, las vegas, new york, washington/DC.
+ the long form
growing up in new york city, i regularly went to the museums with my mother. the met, the guggenheim, the whitney, the museum of modern art. i remember one time we went to moma and i saw a jasper johns painting of the united states map. i thought it was the coolest thing. i was maybe 10 and i remember looking around at all the adults studying the art and wandering the galleries. and it occurred to me that this was something grown-ups took seriously, that it was important. it really lit a fire.
my grown-up art life began in boston, where i had a few successful shows. then i lost everything in a factory loft fire, got a job with a master printer executing limited editions for artists – mostly lithographs. after a few years, i finally got back to doing my own thing.
after about 5 years, i was on the boston art world map. this included group shows at the institute of contemporary art, the boston museum of fine arts, and the danforth museum as well as 3 solos at the clark gallery. but then I kind of hit the wall. long story short, i fell into what i can only describe as a lover’s quarrel with the art world. around the same time, the lease on my studio on portland street was expiring, i owed the art store a lot of money, and, at age 35, didn’t have a car, a house or a health plan. i stepped away from art and into the advertising world on the creative side. after working at a few advertising agencies in boston, i was recruited to an agency in north carolina.
i thought i’d only be there for a few years before moving on, but every time i had my bags packed, an interesting new client, greater responsibilities, and salary were thrown at me, so I stayed.
in 2013 i retired a bit early to tend to my wife, michele who was suffering from a disorder that was never fully diagnosed. as she declined, she asked me to try making art again and i agreed. she had been a big fan. after she died, with a heavy heart and no idea whether i would still be interested, i started doing some little drawings and collages. i was quickly engrossed and engaged with it again.
after seeing the matisse cut-outs exhibit at moma, my hair burst into flames and i knew i had to work bigger and more seriously. in 2016 i completed a large studio off the back of my house. and recommitted myself to making art all over again. frank 2.0.
portland street studio in boston ca. 1983 with "arras" • this painting now hangs in our living room.