Max Fernekes

BORN: July 7, 1905 in Milwaukee, WI

DIED: November 28, 1984 in Lampasas, TX

Fernekes' father was a local architect who encouraged him to study engineering at Marquette University. However, Max dropped out to become a full time artist. He attended Wisconsin State Teachers College for a year (1928-1929) and studied painting and printmaking under Gustave Moeller.

Fernekes' goal was to devote his career full-time as a professional artist. He survived the Great Depression by selling his art in the streets of Milwaukee with his wife the artist Ava Avery Fernekes. His work often depicts rural Wisconsin landscapes, documents its architecture, cityscapes, and the daily lives of peoples.

Fernekes worked as an illustrator for the 1930s Index of American Design, a catalog of pre-1880s decorative arts of Wisconsin, written by Clarence F. Hornung. This project was financed by the Works Progress Administration, which provided jobs to indigent American artists. One of his notable pieces was 'Arch Grill' (1938) which helped launch his career as an illustrator. Fernekes was also commissioned by various Milwaukee journals, magazines, and newspapers.

Fernekes was a prolific artist with many devoted fans. Among them was the former CEO of Bank Mutual, who collected his paintings, and displayed them throughout Bank Mutual's corporate headquarters. When Associated Banc-Corp bought Bank Mutual, more than 90 paintings by Fernekes were donated to the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Ava and Max moved to a farmhouse in Mineral Point in 1940, where they would remain for the rest of their lives. There they raised a family and started the first art community in the area. His subject matter continued to celebrate the history and contemporary daily life of Wisconsin, although he was also known for his depictions of Mexico.

In 1981 the Milwaukee Art Commission honored him for enriching the city’s cultural life through art. 

On November 28, 1984, Max Fernekes died at his winter home in Lampasas, Texas.