Ray Boynton

Ray Boynton was one of the oldest and most experienced artists on the project, as well as the first Bay Area artist to take up the work of murals in fresco. He was born in Whitten, lowa, on January 14, 1883, and studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. He moved west and became an artist-teacher at the CSFA in 1920, and was appointed to the faculty of UC Berkeley from 1923 until he retired in 1948. In early 1926, Boynton had traveled to Mexico, where he studied with Rivera and saw his work in Chapingo; along with fellow artist/sculptor Ralph Stackpole, Boynton played an important role in bringing Rivera to San Francisco in 1929 to do his work at the Stock Exchange Tower and the CFSA. 

Later in his life, Boynton created other murals in California, including in the Modesto Post Office. Upon his retirement, he and Beryl moved to Albuquerque and painted there until his death on September 25, 1951. 

Works at Coit Tower:

Animal Force and Machine Force