Manon Cleary (November 14, 1942 – November 26, 2011) was an American artist based in Washington, D.C. who specialized in photo-realistic paintings and drawings. She often focused on the human form and light. Many of her works were inspired by events in her life. Cleary received her bachelor's degree from Washington University in her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. She later received her master's degree from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia. In 1970, shortly after graduation, Cleary moved to Washington, D.C. where she worked at the University of the District of Columbia as a professor for thirty years. Cleary's style of art is highly realistic; it is said that she would often win awards for her work in the photography category by mistake. She often worked in a reductive fashion by using graphite powder, tissues, and erasers. This style allowed her to create works that were softer and more personal, but still realistic. Cleary died in 2011 at the age of 69. She suffered for many years from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Her work is held by many museums throughout the United States, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Brooklyn Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the National Gallery of Art. She held numerous solo exhibitions and was a part of many exhibitions worldwide. Biography Manon Cleary was born on November 14, 1942, in St. Louis, Missouri with her identical twin sister, Shirley Cleary-Cooper. Cleary and her twin were very similar growing up ,and Cleary stated in an interview that they were dressed alike by their mother until adulthood. Her father was a general practitioner in St. Louis and brought home almost every disease and epidemic that hit the city. This meant that Cleary and her sister were at home sick for amuchof their childhood. It was during this time at home that they both turned to art. They continued their artistic careers by associating with the art museum and majoring in art in high school. Cleary went to Washington University in St. Louis and received her degree in 1964. Cleary's education there was very mechanical and traditional. She was only taught technique, not content. Cleary struggled at first with the teaching style, and she was one of the few artists who drew figures regularly. Cleary took to drawing highly erotic images; the images gave