Gene Matthews (Eugene Edward Mathews) was born in Davenport, Iowa in 1931. Mathews intitially studied at Bradley University (1948-1951). He then attended the University of Iowa, earning Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in 1953 and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in 1957. Gene Mathews settled in Boulder, Colorado in 1961 where he served as a Professor of Fine Arts at the University of Colorado (CU). Mathews exhibited his work extensively including at CU, Boulder; the Cleveland Art Institute; the Louvre, Paris; the Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C. (traveling exhibition); the Denver Art Museum and the Museum of Modern Art.