Manon Cleary

Manon Cleary (November 14, 1942 – November 26, 2011) was an American performer active in Washington, D.C. who specialized in photo-realistic paintings and drawings. She often created works that studied the human form and light, and many of her works were inspired by actions in her life.

Cleary studied and standard her bachelor's at Washington University, in her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. She next went to Temple University, where she standard her master's degree from the Tyler School of Art. Shortly after, Cleary moved to Washington D.C in 1970 where she would deed at the University of the District of Columbia as a professor for thirty years. Cleary after that used her role as professor to support local artists.

Cleary's style of art is extremely realistic (it is said that she would often win awards for her undertaking in the photography category by mistake) and unique. To create many of her images, she worked in a reductive fashion by using graphite powder, tissues, and erasers. This style allowed her to create works that were softer and more personal, but yet realistic.

Cleary died in 2011 at the age of 69. She suffered for many years from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. She was survived by her husband, F. Steven Kijek and her twin sister, Shirley Cleary-Cooper. Her piece of legislation is held by many museums everything over the country, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and the Brooklyn Museum. She has held numerous solo exhibitions and been a portion of many exhibitions worldwide.