Celebrating the Life and Legacy of a Texas Art Icon

Vernon Fisher, 80, died just six days before the world premiere of "Breaking the Code," a documentary about his life and work. Born in 1943 to rural Texas farmers, Fisher grew up in Granbury, Texas, where his early exposure to painting was limited to its use as "something you did to houses." Despite these humble beginnings, he became one of Texas’s most celebrated contemporary artists. Known for his intellectual curiosity, quick wit, and technical prowess as a painter, Fisher could have lived anywhere but chose to spend his life and career in Fort Worth with his wife, artist Julie Bozzi.

Fisher earned a B.A. in English Literature from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, in 1967, followed by an M.F.A. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in 1969. He taught art at Austin College in Sherman, Texas, from 1969 to 1978 before joining the University of North Texas, where he retired in 2009. His teaching and mentorship influenced countless young artists, curators, and gallerists.

Fisher's multimedia work combined visual narratives with text, often blurring boundaries between images and language. He was best known for his "blackboard paintings," which mimicked chalk drawings on school blackboards and incorporated incongruous elements, such as in "Fish," held in the collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art. Influenced by artists such as Edward Ruscha and John Baldessari, Fisher developed a unique style that garnered international acclaim. His work appeared in two Whitney Museum of American Art Biennials and over 80 solo exhibitions worldwide. Pieces by Fisher are included in the collections of more than 40 museums, including the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the Art Institute of Chicago, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Throughout his career, Fisher received numerous prestigious awards, including the National Endowment for the Arts Individual Artist’s Fellowship (1974, 1980, 1981), the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award (1984), the College Art Association’s Distinguished Teaching of Art Award (1992), and the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship (1995). His contributions to the art world, coupled with his dedication to teaching and mentorship, earned him UNT’s highest honor as a Regents Professor.

A kind gentleman and esteemed intellectual, Fisher left an indelible mark on the world of art, as well as on the community he cherished in Fort Worth. His legacy continues to inspire those who knew him and those who encounter his art.

Vernon Fisher installation images: Talley Dunn Gallery