In Memoriam: Frank R. Mulvey

Frank Mulvey taught art, notably photography, at Sir George Williams and Concordia Universities, starting in 1967. His son, Frank Mulvey, Jr., has sent a tribute which in part, reads as follows.

“Frank taught a range of design courses, and encouraged his students to experiment freely. He devoted much research, both pedagogical and artistic, to the optical effects of color and light.

“In 1969, Reinhold Book Corporation published his book Graphic Perception of Space. It explored spatial representation, featuring a playful interplay of natural and manufactured forms, in combination with typographic elements.

“In 1971-72, Frank created and taught the first photography course offered in the Department of Fine Arts at Sir George. He brought to this course his love of the photogram, expanding on the pioneering research of György Kepes. Kepes was one of the founders of the New Bauhaus in Chicago, and a teacher at the Center for Advanced Visual Studies at MIT, where Frank studied.”

Mulvey’s office was remarkable, his son writes.

“On entering, one forgot that VA-014 was a windowless space with concrete walls. Inhabiting every nook and cranny were rare posters, paper samples, optical illusions, gadgets, flipbooks, photographic references, slide collections, and other visual material to keep him company and to pique the curiosity of his students.

“He taught at Concordia University until his retirement in 1990, and donated an extensive slide collection to Concordia. He continued to be productive as an artist until his unexpected passing on Aug. 24, 2005. He left a legacy of paintings, drawings, photographs, slides, negatives, photograms, monotypes, notes, experimental devices, and digital art.”

He is survived by his loving wife Hélène, his sons Carl and Frank Jr., his daughters-in-law Gwen and Michèle, and his grandson Dylan.