About the Artist

A native of the Carolinas, James Crowley is completely self-taught.

Crowley has immersed himself principally in the study of the Old Masters, specifically Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Velasquez, Titian, Piero Della Francesco and other greats of painting. For more than four decades he’s scrutinized and studied hundreds of texts, thousands of paintings and sculptures, and traveled extensively to personally examine great works throughout the world.

The influence of early Florentine mannerists, i.e. Pontormo, Bronzino, and particularly Andrea del Sarto, can be found in Crowley’s work. Combining the ingenious techniques of those artists with his own natural, innate talent, Crowley’s work is marked by the uncanny ability to not only capture the perfect physical likeness of his subjects but also a more complicated reflection of the subject’s personality.

Crowley’s list of commissions includes an NFL team owner and leading faculty at some of the nation’s most prestigious universities. Georgetown University is the single largest holder of Crowley’s paintings. On campus, you’ll find eleven portraits of some of the nation’s leading physicians, businessmen and spiritual leaders.

In 1984, Crowley accepted President Ronald Reagan’s invitation to serve on the inaugural Cultural Property Advisory Committee. The committee was given this charge: investigate and protect the world’s most endangered art and artifacts. Crowley worked along side some of the most prominent archaeologists and museum curators in the world. When President George H. W. Bush was elected to office in 1988, he asked Crowley to serve an additional term.

Horses are also a passion for Crowley. Growing up on the back of hunters and jumpers, he spent the summers of his youth working in barns and his weekends on the show circuit. He helped break racehorses in Tryon, North Carolina. When the leaves turned, Crowley was often found fox hunting in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. His personal expertise with horses is clearly evident in his equestrian paintings.

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