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.
In 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 away from specific imagery towards pure abstraction. Compositions became more fluid and dynamic, with layered and juxtaposed shapes. Shallow spaces were fragmented into planes of colour open to chance and random encounters.
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