Victor Mays

Victor Mays’ uncompromising dedication to perfection allowed him to release only six to ten paintings a year from his marsh-side studio. Historical accuracy, unparalleled detail and sublime emotions are the reasons why his work has found avid supporters among connoisseurs and collectors around the globe.

A graduate of Yale University, Mays pursued a dual career as a naval intelligence officer and a magazine/children's book illustrator/author. After retiring from the Navy at age 50, he began to pursue marine painting full-time, utilizing the hundreds of sketches he had made over the years and the collection of vintage photographs and reference material he had carefully gathered. The result has been a body of work that would be at home on the walls of any museum in the world.

He was a Fellow and member of the Board of Trustees of the American Society of Marine Artists. His paintings won an Award of Excellence nearly every year at the prestigious Mystic International Exhibition. He was twice awarded the exhibition's top honor, the Rudolph J. Schaefer Maritime Heritage Award. His work is included in the permanent collection of Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, CT.