At 91, Artist and Ursuline Nun Mary Frances Judge Returns to Dallas with a Resurgent Career and Long-Overlooked Work
New York, NY – April 13, 2026 – Ten years ago, Sister Mary Frances Judge’s paintings—more than 150 canvases spanning decades—sat in storage, at risk of being forgotten. Today, at 91, the Ursuline nun and artist is experiencing an unexpected resurgence, culminating in a solo exhibition, The Color of Devotion, at the Museum of Biblical Art in Dallas. The exhibition opens April 26 and runs through August 14, featuring 22 paintings that reflect a lifetime of spiritual and artistic inquiry.
The Museum of Biblical Art, known for presenting religiously inspired works by artists such as Andy Warhol, Marc Chagall, and Salvador Dalí, provides a fitting context for Judge’s deeply contemplative work.
Museum Director and art historian Dr. Scott Peck describes the paintings as “visual prayers,” adding: “They reflect the artist’s belief that faith allows her to venture into the unknown, to trust in the unseen. Each canvas holds a quiet tension between visibility and mystery.”
The artist’s work, circular in form and radiant in color, evokes the infinite orbits of planets and the timeless depths of the universe.
The exhibition marks a meaningful return to Dallas, where Sister Mary Frances served as Artist-in-Residence at the Ursuline Academy in the 1970s. There, she found both a creative home and a spiritual community that nurtured her early artistic development. During her April visit, she will be honored at several events recognizing her lasting connection to the city, including by the Jesuit Dallas Museum, which holds several of her works.
The renewed attention to Judge’s art reflects a growing effort to preserve and place works by overlooked artists whose paintings risk disappearing after a lifetime of work. Art consultant Steven Montgomery and appraiser Jane St. Lifer have placed more than 150 of Judge’s paintings in museums, universities, and community colleges across the country. Their work with Judge has also led them to assist other senior artists with substantial inventories, including Gloria Klein and Liz Whitney Quisgard, and has prompted inquiries from additional artists and estates facing the same challenge—underscoring how many accomplished creators leave behind bodies of work that may never be seen.
One notable outcome of their efforts on behalf of Judge was the 2024 exhibition Spiritual Light at the Museum of Friends in Walsenburg, Colorado, which helped reintroduce her work to a wider audience.
After more than five decades of steady artistic practice, Sister Mary Frances reflects on this late recognition with quiet gratitude: “At 91, after a lifetime of work, setbacks, and years when my art was no longer visible, it is deeply gratifying to see it reaching new audiences again. I am grateful that the paintings continue to speak.”
Please contact art consultant Steven Montgomery; [email protected]; 646-267-9113
Mary Frances Judge and “La Danza,” 2010, acrylic on canvas
Mary Frances Judge at Museum of Friends, presenting an artist talk
Museum of Friends brochure – Museum of Friends
Appraiser Jane St. Lifer and Art Consultant Steven Montgomery ship paintings to Texas
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/oC_PwcoDy_Q
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Company Name: Steven Montgomery
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City: New York
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Website: https://www.biblicalarts.org/sister-mary-frances-judge
