Some Answers and Articles: Why Now?

I have been asked over the decades to speak about my father. My family and I rarely gave any answers. Like most people who lose someone they love, the grief can be overwhelming. For my mother, it was unbearable to lose the love of her life. When my father passed away, he had one request for all his children. He asked that we move forward and celebrate his life/our lives.

My father asked my mother not to continue the exhausting pace of the art world. For the next 30 years, she learned to live a different life. She loved speaking to groups, friends, and family about my dad but would not sell or promote the small amount of work we owned. Besides her love for dancing, music, golf, canasta, and bingo, she took up gardening, photography, and doing puzzles and was a voracious reader of books. She loved nature, plants, and animals and never said no to a trip to a zoo, rookery, nature park or waking early to observe birds.

A few weeks before my mother passed, she spoke to me about her recurring visions/dreams. She said she saw me promoting my father's art but gave no explanation. In my family -we think of her words as planting a seed. I did not know we would lose her soon after, but I thought about what she said. My mom did not repeat herself unless she was making a point. She was passing the torch to me to reintroduce my father. Discovering Emanuel Schary is one part of the story. Judy Schary, my mom, his wife, manager, business partner and Mother of three is the other part. They were a perfect fit.

This website is dedicated to Emanuel and Judith Schary.

Discovering Emanuel Schary 1924-1994 By David Schary

I am excited to share many stories about my father. He is described as gentle, kind, humble, deeply rooted in Judaism, quiet, and patient. He chose his words carefully and put much thought into everything he did. Every picture was more than a picture, and “every title was as important as the image he drew.” 

My dad was an artist, but he was more. He was a historian, scholar, technician, perfectionist, sports enthusiast, cultured father to three children, devoted husband, and friend to all. What I loved about my father were his values - he never wavered in his beliefs. He remained true to himself. Through his art, he kept Jewish traditions and culture alive.

From an early age (teens), my father traveled to many villages and towns around Palestine/ Israel. His journeys included making friends, learning about other cultures, and trading stories. He painted pictures on the scraps of paper he brought along of everything interesting to him. His paintings and drawings were a diary he shared with his family and friends. At 18, he left Israel with his older brother to fight in WW2. I recently discovered his war diary with incredible drawings- many shared on EmanuelScharyArt.com 

After the war, he moved around, but at the urging of his family, he settled in the USA and enrolled in art school (Carnegie Institute Technical School, Arts Student League, Pratt). He worked odd jobs in New York to keep himself fed. He met my mother making a delivery and fell in love with her. She was 18, and he was 27. They dated for three months and married. My mother saw his gift and pressed him to use his talent. Shortly after, he found work in advertising with a publishing company. Years later, he built a successful advertising company but was never truly happy. After suffering a major heart attack at age 40, he listened to my mother and his heart and began his next journey. He became a full-time artist and, for the next 30 years, never looked back. My mother was his agent and devoted her life to marketing my father. During his lifetime, his works were exhibited in hundreds of galleries, museums, and private collections worldwide.

 My father was meticulous about everything he did. He was deeply connected to his large family in Palestine/Israel and kept diaries, notes, and sketchbooks his entire life. If he had an idea, no matter the time of day or night, he wrote it down or drew it. My family and I are excited to share early sketches, watercolors, and oils that have never been published or shown to anyone outside our family. Discovering and detailing his life made me realize the man I called dad was not an ordinary father. I always knew how special he was, but now I am in awe after working on this website. According to many art critics, he was a modern-day Rembrandt, Michaelangelo, Plato, Cohen, and Rashi.

From Anne - youngest daughter

My dad was an extraordinary man. He was my hero, my biggest fan, and my dad.  We spent many hours in the car singing and just “talking.”  He drove me everywhere I needed and wanted to go.   When it came time to register for dance classes, he had been with me for over 15 years. He sat through every recital from beginning to end.

His voice came through his art. Dad was soft-spoken and gentle. Fame did not change the man he was. He enjoyed visiting schools to teach students how to draw. He would paint many pairs of sneakers with animals on them for me to wear. His love for art taught me about my passion for things I love. I was privileged to call him my dad, and I miss him every day. - Anne

From Abby - oldest daughter

I was fortunate to have two loving parents who gave me much love, encouragement, and guidance. My dad was an extremely talented artist, photographer, music lover, intellectual, kind, gentle, and humble man. He was my mentor, sharing his knowledge of photography, the natural world, and his love for family and Israel.

While I shared many special moments with my dad, several remain dear to my heart. I will never forget sitting in our home’s basement, where my dad worked at his drafting table, and I sat in a highchair. While he drew and painted, he would help me with my homework or listen to me talk. In addition, the best times were on the weekends when we watched many of the old mysteries, including Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto, and Sherlock Holmes.  

He provided me with my first camera, and going out together to photograph was always a special time for me. We visited Butterfly World and Parrot Jungle in Florida, where butterflies surrounded him as he walked or sat, and at Parrot Jungle, five parrots landed on his head and arms. My dad photographed flowers in my gardens and painted an iris series, one of which I  have hanging in my home. Like my dad and his cameras often in use, I, too, have developed a love of photography (thank you, Dad). I could not be prouder to have called and still call Emanuel Schary my dad. - Abby

My Mother, Judith Schary

My mother enjoyed telling the story of how she and my father met. She said it was love at first sight. After dating for only three months, they married. My mom was 19 years old, my father 28.

My mother was my father’s business manager and pushed him to pursue his love of painting. They worked together, respecting each other's talents for over thirty years. My mother was proud to say she was tough but fair to everyone. To my father, she was an angel.

During her last few days of life, my mom shared many stories with me. She had no regrets and was so proud of her entire family. She looked forward to seeing my father again, never doubting he was waiting for her.

Before she passed away, I asked her what she wanted most of me. She said,” It is time to share Discovering Emanuel Schary with the world.” 

We have waited over 30 years to share the artwork of Emanuel Schary. 

David Schary