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John L Fraser (artist)
John Fraser was born in Vancouver, Canada, in 1938, where he spent his childhood. As a young man, Fraser left Canada to travel in Europe and India, before settling for a period in London, England, where he studied at the Regent Street Polytechnic (1958-1960). The rich imagery of Fraser’s work draws deeply from these childhood impressions of the West Coast and the experiences of his early travels.

In 1963 Fraser returned to Canada, where he collaborated with the architects McCarter and Nairn on projects of Art Applied to Architecture. Among Fraser’s early commissions was a series of murals for the University of British Columbia, which included a collaboration with celebrated Canadian artist George Norris to create a brick mosaic embedded within the exterior wall of the university’s engineering department.

Venezuela
Fraser moved to Venezuela in 1972, where he now lives and works. His public commissions in Venezuela include a metal door for the Teresa Carreño Theatre in Caracas and a large mural for the Porlamar International Airport.

Magic realism
Since 1988 Fraser has worked uniquely through the medium of paint, establishing himself as a significant figure within the movement of magic realism. The enthusiastic wonder and whimsy in his work show strong affinities with Latin American magic realism. Critic Paul Varnell says, “Fraser’s style is fully representational but manages to trick the mind by combining discordant objects. His paintings are challenging, intellectually intriguing, even fun.” As the artist says of himself, “I have a debt to Magritte and was blessed as myopic, or was it astigmatic?”

Public recognition
Fraser’s work has been exhibited to critical acclaim at numerous shows in the UK, Spain, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, and the United States and many of his paintings can be found among notable public and private collections in Europe and the Americas.