Michael Filmus, born in 1943 in New York City, artist, fine woodworker and skilled archer, died on July 3 at his home in Great Barrington.
Michael was a graduate of Boston University where he studied philosophy and fine art. He then did further studies at the Art Students League in New York City with his father Tully Filmus, a realist painter of considerable renown. His mother Gladys was a dancer and accomplished pianist. Michael’s landscapes were inspired by the fields, lakes, and streams of the Berkshires. Some of his paintings are in notable collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Butler Museum of Art, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. He was represented in New York by Hirschi and Adler Galleries, David Findlay Jr. Fine Arts, and the Arden Gallery in Boston.
In the early 1990s he moved to Great Barrington, where he designed and helped build a spacious home and gardens that he embellished with his own artful stonework and fanciful wood creations. And Great Barrington was where he met Barbara Mabel, who was to remain his loving and devoted mate for the rest of his life.
Those who knew Michael knew a person who was kind, humble, and extraordinarily talented. He had many loyal friends, and they will miss him greatly.
Michael is survived by Barbara Mabel and by his devoted brother Stephen Filmus, also of Great Barrington.
Donations can be made to HospiceCare in the Berkshires and the People’s Pantry in Great Barrington. Services will take place at the Elmwood Cemetery in Great Barrington.
