Michael Beare (born 1953) is an Australian artist. As an art student he was influenced by Surrealism, Pop and contemporary forms of realism and abstraction, which informed his developing approach to composition, colour and subject matter.
After finishing art school in 1974, he explored a quirky form of figuration, which over the years evolved and led to a large exhibition at Wollongong Art Gallery in 2004.
From 2011 he began incorporating fragments of vintage illustrations into his paintings, carefully manipulating them into colourful new configurations. These works were exhibited at Depot 2 Gallery, in Sydney in 2014.
From 2014 he shifted from specific imagery toward abstract compositions emphasizing the materiality of paint and surface. Compositions became more visually dynamic, with overlapping shapes that pressed and pushed against one another. The picture space grew shallow and fluid, intersected by planes of colour.
Beare works intuitively, improvising and experimenting as he paints. An idea can shift into a new composition with different visual relationships, evolving as he responds to colour, line and space. Chance is acknowledged, controlled and carefully rearranged. It’s a collage-like process that nonetheless involves thoughtful shaping of form. Each painting emerges from many adjustments, refinements and revisions.
His work is represented in the collections of the University of Wollongong and Charles Sturt University. He has held several solo shows, participated in numerous group exhibitions, and has been a finalist in major awards including the Sulman Prize, Fishers Ghost Art Award, and Mosman Art Prize.
June 2026