Jewels of Impressionism and Modern Art
Jewels of Impressionism and Modern Art
The late 19th and early 20th century was a fertile moment in art history as artists began to challenge the status quo in their search for new expressions. This exhibition brings together outstanding treasures representing the dynamic ideas and theories that sprung forth from this time. Starting with the Impressionist pioneers Claude Monet, Gustave Caillebotte, and Alfred Sisley, these artists turned towards technological and scientific advances to capture a rapidly changing society both in the city and in the countryside. As the impact of Impressionism spread, artists like Frederick Carl Frieseke, John Hubbard Rich, and Henry Richter put a uniquely American spin on the movement’s tenets. At the same time, other artists springboarded into a new modernism. From the representational modernism in John Singer Sargent, Robert Henri, Jessie Arms Botke, or Henrietta Shore to the abstraction in Fernand Leger to the surrealism of Salvador Dalí, these artists pushed our understanding of art and the boundaries of what was possible to achieve on a canvas. Other artists synthesized both the representational and the abstract within their canvases including Oswaldo Guayasamin and John Marin, the latter voted the greatest painter in the United States in 1948. Aesthetically beautiful and brimming with artistic theory, the artworks in this exhibition highlight the outstanding reach of artists now considered monumental figures in art history. Highlights in the exhibition include Singer’s Mrs. Huth Jackson epitomizing his portraiture at the turn of the 20th century. The painting conveys all of the incredible attention to detail Singer could convey along with the incredible luxury, prominence, and intelligence of his sitter, Claire Annabel Caroline Grant Duff (the eponymous Mrs. Huth Jackson). Claude Monet’s Le Mont Riboudet a Rouen au Printemps captures the countryside outside of the rapidly developing Rouen. His careful brushstrokes of the fields and houses contrast with the muted tones of the soft sky, all in an effort to capture the changing light of a rural spring. Rouen would become a site that Monet returned to often. This painting was acquired by Paul Durand-Ruel who supported and championed the Impressionists. It was subsequently bought by fellow Impressionist, Gustave Caillebotte, whose work is also in the exhibition. Fernand Leger’s Composition à la Plante Verte represents Leger’s interaction with the historical tradition of still lifes as he brings his own form of cubism. Painted at a critical point in European history, the artwork’s bright color was an escape for Leger from the harshness facing the continent. Nevertheless, the sensuous and vivid forms in the painting speak to the vibrancy in modern life. This painting was owned by the important art dealer and publisher Aimé Maeght.
Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894) Vue du Jardin de l’Artiste et de la Vallée de Yerres oil on canvas 19 1/8 x 25 1/2 in. 1877 Provenance Mary Cassatt, Chateau de Beaufresne, Mesnil-Theribus, until 1926 Private Collection, by descent Sale at Chateau de Monneville 1946 Jean and Francois Ryaux, France Collection of David Schaff, Washington Sotheby’s NY November 11, 1987, no. 9 Sale, Sotheby’s NY May 18 1990, no. 317 Private Collection, Canada, 1990 Private Collection Exhibited 2014, Yerres, Ferme ornée, Caillebotte à Yerres, au temps de l’Impressionnisme, p. 94 Literature P. Wittmer, Caillebotte au jardin. La période d’Yerres (1860-1879), Saint-Rémy-en-l’Eau, Edition d’Art Monelle Hayot, 1990, illustrated pg. 65 M. Berhaut, Gustave Caillebotte, Catalogue Raisonné des peintures et pastels, Paris, 1994, no. 82, illustrated pg. 103
Caillebotte’s scenes from his country home at Yerres display soft brushwork and a pastel palette typical of the Impressionists. Although closely associated with that movement, Caillebotte drew inspiration from other approaches as well, resulting in a style closer to Realism than many of his contemporaries. His noteworthy urban scenes employ flatter colors and dramatic perspectives inspired by Japanese wood block prints. Here, the artist’s delicate paint handling compliments his measured use of color. Naturalistic hues of the artist’s garden and the valley beyond – a bed of cool green and blue that divide the canvas into contrasting swaths of heavy and light tones – underscore the details touched by light. Caillebotte not only contributed his painting to the Impressionist movement, but also became a crucial benefactor upon receiving a sizable inheritance. He helped to fund exhibitions, purchased works for his own collection, and even paid rent for Claude Monet’s studio.
Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) Les Yeux Fleuris oil on canvas 27 x 19 3/8 in. 1944 Provenance Marquis Georges de Cuevas, Monte-Carlo Hans Schemke, France Private Collection, France Private Collection, England Private Collection, California Literature Robert & Nicolas Descharnes, "Dalí, Le dur et le mou, Sortilège et magie des formes, Sculptures et objets", Azay-le-Rideau, 2004, no. 580, illustrated p. 228
In 1942 — a few months after his retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York — Salvador Dalí parlayed the idea of accumulated, or “flowering,” eyes into a grand oil and tempera painting for the set of his 1944 ballet Mad Tristan. In this painting from the same year, Les Yeux Fleuris, Dalí depicts three rows of four eyes with long lashes and a tear dropping on a brick wall backdrop. Its provenance traces to Marques Jorge de Cuevas, who also owned a similar painting by Dalí — the 15-foot-wide Yeux Fleuris, a 1931 tempera and oil on canvas that was used on the set for Mad Tristan. Eyes appear in Dalí paintings throughout his career — as late as the 1981 painting Argus, which has five eyes. Most notably, the eye appears in paintings Dalí made for the dream sequences of the film Spellbound starring Ingrid Bergman and directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Dietz Edzard (1893-1963) Jeune Homme Reveur (Self Portrait) Signed lower left, "Edzard" oil on canvas 45 x 25 3/4 in. 1921 Provenance Private Collection, Arizona
Dietz Edzard was born in Bremen in northwestern Germany, and his early experiences with painting included studies under the Realist painter Wilhelm Trubner in Karlsruhe and with Max Beckmann in Berlin. As he traveled through Germany, Holland, and France, the artist’s work drew upon influences of his Expressionist contemporaries as well as Impressionist masters. The subject matter of his paintings dances from Parisian café scenes, to delicate portraits, to lively depictions of his brief time traveling with the circus. In 1914, the start of the First World War drew Edzard into direct confrontation with the horrors of trench warfare. In the infantry for several years, he suffered psychological trauma that manifested in his paintings. This canvas from 1921, Jeune Homme Reveur (Self Portrait), comes from this darker period of Edzard’s career. The haunting figure, presented in a dark palette with a dramatic contrast of pallid skin, exemplifies the German Expressionist movement, which sought to emphasize personal expression over traditions of the artistic establishment. Soon after completing this piece, Edzard would distance himself from reminders of the war, moving to Paris where he spent the majority of his life. While his work in France often featured lighter subject matter, it retained the focused solemn character of his earlier works.
Frederick Carl Frieseke (1874-1939) Afternoon Tea on the Terrace Signed lower right, "F.C Frieseke" oil on canvas 55 x 57 in. 1905-1906 Provenance Commissioned by the Shelburn Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey David David Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Sothebys New York, May 1986 Sothebys New York March 1995 Private Collection, Midwestern United States Private Collection, Dallas, Texas 2007 Exhibited Richmond, Virginia, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, "A Special Exhibition Sponsored by the Confederation International des Negociants en Oeuvres d'Art," April-June 1983 Literature "L'Art Decoratif," Revue Mensuelle d'Art Contemporain, July-December, 1906. T. LeClere, La Decoration d'Un Hotel American, p. 195-200 The International Studio, March-June 1911, vol. XLIII, nos. 169-172 E.A. Taylor, The American Colony of Artists in Paris, p. 263-280, illustrated
Frieseke was a leader of American Impressionism as well as an influential member of the Giverny art colony and the form of Decorative Impressionism that sprang from there. Frieseke’s paintings often featured women in outdoor settings. In this painting, women of leisure enjoy the luxury of tea outside. Their outfits showcase the latest in late Gilded Age fashion while Frieseke pays close attention to the flowers and the particular play of light of the late afternoon. The artist was originally commissioned to paint a mural for the Grand Deluxe Shelburn hotel in Atlantic City. The mural was instead divided into seven pieces that were displayed in the hotel dining room. The commissioner was Rodman Wanamaker, department store magnate and the founder of the PGA Professional Golfers’ Association. With Palm Springs as the “Golf Capital of the World”, it is fitting to exhibit this painting here given its ties to Wanamaker.
Oswaldo Guayasamin (1919-1999) Atahualpa en Cajamarcas Signed lower right, "Guayasamin" oil on canvas 28 x 19 1/2 in. Provenance Butterfields Auctioneers, Los Angeles, October 24, 2001 [Lot 2016] Private Collection, Beverly Hills, California Heather James Fine Art, California
Oswaldo Guayasamin’s emotionally and politically charged paintings center on themes of oppression, poverty, class division, and the experience of indigenous people in South America. Lauded as a national treasure in Ecuador, he graduated from the School of Fine Art in Quito in 1941 and won first prize at the Ecuadorian Salón Nacional de Acuarelistas y Dibujantes in 1948. He also won first prize at the Third Hispano-American Biennial of Art in Barcelona, Spain (1955), and, in 1957, he was named the best South American painter at the Fourth Biennial of São Paulo. One of his most important and well-known series, The Age of Anger, consists of 260 works. Inspired by universal human tragedies, the series is esteemed for its powerful subject matter as well as its masterful fusion of Cubism, Expressionism, and Latin American styles. Atahualpa en Cajamarcas is a strong example of the artist's Cubist-styled portraits. In this piece, the artist depicts the Inca ruler who was captured by Spanish forces in Cajamarca, leading to the fall of the Inca Empire. As with all of Guayasamin's best-known works, this piece is marked by the expressive representation of struggle, tragedy, and humanity.
Robert Henri (1865-1929) Girl with Muff Signed lower left, "Robert Henri" oil on canvas 57 1/4 x 38 3/4 in. c. 1900 Provenance Private Collection, North Carolina
Robert Henri’s Girl with Muff exemplifies the modernism emerging in America. Henri was a leading figure of the Ashcan School of American realism. He helped to organize a group of artists known as “The Eight” who pushed the boundaries of acceptable art. The Ashcan School steered art away from academic style paintings and depictions of the upper class. Instead, this group of artists lead by Henri brought a realism both in style and in content. Henri lead the charge in challenging the cultural beliefs of the Gilded Age. The portrait showcases Henri’s individualized realism and exuberant humanism of everyday life. Henri pushed against the repressive luxury of contemporaneous paintings and instead sought to integrate the world he inhabited and how to express the world he saw. This painting exemplifies his ability and interest in portraying people from all classes and backgrounds. The portrait highlights the burgeoning modernism in American art around the turn of the 20th century.
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) In the Garden Signed lower right, "Homer" watercolor 9 1/4 x 6 3/4 in. 1874 Provenance Samuel P. Avery J. H. Stedwell (purchased: Clinton Hall Sale Rooms, Messers. Leavitt, Auctioneers, New York, May 11, 1876) Mr. and Mrs. Ambrose Topping, New York Mabel Gardiner Adams Lawrence Babcock Nita Babcock (by bequest) Robert Keene Bookshop and Gallery, Southampton, New York Collection of Arthur G. Altschul, New York, 1964 Mrs. Arthur G. Altschul (by bequest) Sotheby's New York: Wednesday, December 3, 2003 [Lot 00018] Private Collection, Pennsylvania Exhibited The Centry Association, New York, November 1874 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 200 Years of Watercolor Painting in America, New York, December 1966 - January 1967, no. 68, p. 16 Whitney Museum of American Art, Winslow Homer, New York, April - June 1973, no. 79, p. 137 Yale University Art Gallery, Winslow Hommer Watercolors, New Haven Connecticut, March - November 1986, pp. 28, 29, 40, 50 n.32, 69, 245, illustrated in color p. 30, fig. 16; traveled to National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Winslow Homer, New York, October 1955 - September 1996, no. 50, pp. 119, 408, illustrated in color p. 119; traveled to National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts
In the Garden is a rare work on paper by Winslow Homer. The artist began to use watercolor as a separate means of artistic expression at the age of 37 after he had established himself as a professional illustrator. By 1875, the artist quit working as an illustrator owing to the success of his watercolors and paintings. Homer is now celebrated as much for his watercolors as his illustrations. In this work, Homer combines a variety of brushstrokes to create textural differences between the lush foliage and the figure. The woman and her dress are finely painted in pale colors in contrast with the dazzling array of flowers and vegetation. Homer achieves a play of light and color through astute brushwork and conveys a sense of leisure for those in the late 1800s.
Fernand Léger (1881-1955) Composition à la Plante Verte Signed lower right, "F. LEGER., 39" oil on canvas 38 5/8 x 51 3/8 in. 1939 Provenance Marguerite and Aimé Maeght Collection, Paris Paule and Adrien Maeght Collection, Paris Private Collection, New York Exhibited Biot, Musée National Fernand Léger, Hommage à Fernand Léger 1881 – 1955: Exposition du Centenaire, 1 May – 31 October 1981, no. 77, p.4 Berlin, Staatliche Kunsthalle Berlin, Fernand Léger, 24 October 1980 - 7 January 1981, no. 89, illustrated in colour p.371 Buffalo, Albright Knox Gallery; Fernand Léger, 15 January – 28 February 1982, no. 54, illustrated in colour p. 118; this exhibition travelled to Montreal, Musée des Beaux Arts, 12 March – 18 April 1982 and Dallas, Museum of Fine Arts, 19 May – 4 July 1982 Aalborg, Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum, A proximité des peintres et des poèts, 1 October 1986 – 1 March 1987 Paris, Galerie Adrien Maeght, Fernand Léger, 20 June – 31 July 1986, illustrated in colour p.19 Tate Gallery, Liverpool, Fernand Léger: New times, new pleasures, 23 November 2018 – 17 March 2019 Literature Georges Bauquier, Fernand Léger, Catalogue Raisonné de l’œuvre peint 1938 – 1943, Paris, Adrien Maeght Éditeur, 2003, no. 1058, illustrated in colour p.127
The tradition of still life has invited diverse interpretations across various movements: Edouard Manet called it “the touchstone of painting.” The familiar format often serves to highlight an artist’s singular style. In Composition à la Plante Verte, Fernand Léger presents a Cubist take on the genre, deconstructing the traditional format and setting it off with his distinctive thick black outline. Léger’s still life works from the late 1930s exemplify the artist’s unique treatment of the object in painting. Concerned foremost with composition, Léger presents the elements of this scene with flat colors and sinuous shapes over volume and depth. This piece has been exhibited extensively in museums worldwide, including the major Léger exhibition in 2018-2019 at the Tate Gallery, Liverpool, Fernand Léger: New Times, New Pleasures.
John Marin (1870-1953) Cape Split, Maine Signed lower right, "Marin 45" oil on canvas 22 1/4 x 28 1/4 in. 1945 Provenance Mrs. C. Suydam Cutting, Bernardsville, New Jersey Downtown Gallery, New York Mrs. Walter Buhl Ford, II (Josephine F. Ford), Grosse Point Farms, Michigan Private Collection, Florida, by descent Exhibited New York, An American Place, John Marin-Paintings-1945, November 1945-January 1946 Newark, New Jersey, Newark Museum, From the Collection of Mrs. C. Suydam Cutting, February-April 1954
In Cape Split, Maine, abrupt, gestural brushwork echoes the turbulent waves and snaps of wind at sea. John Marin painted distinctly American subject matter including the cityscape of New York or as in this painting, the Maine coast. He melded post-impressionism with the budding modernism of the early 20th century. Marin made annual trips to Maine, inspired by its coast and landscape. Within this painting, Marin is able to fully realize his idea that “the true artist must perforce go from time to time to the elemental big forms – Sky Sea Mountain Plain”. Marin was part of Alfred Stieglitz's modernist circle and counted among his friends and champion Edward Steichen. A 1948 survey of directors, curators, and art critics voted Marin as the greatest painter in America.
Henri Matisse (1869-1954) Madame Monchaux Signed lower right, "Madame Monchaux Henri Matisse 1916" pencil on paper 13 x 9 1/2 in. 1916 Provenance Collection of Madame Monchaux Russeck Gallery, New York Private Collection, California
Henri Matisse is widely celebrated for his mastery of color as an expressive visual language. One of the artist’s most notable and groundbreaking works is a portrait of his wife, Amélie, an oil painting marked by blocks of vibrant non-naturalistic color – its most distinctive feature is a green stripe down the center of the woman’s face which lends the painting its name. While portraits by Henri Matisse often serve to showcase the artist’s unique handling of color, they also demonstrate the artist’s exemplary draughtsmanship. In this drawing, Madame Monchaux gazes serenely at the viewer. Matisse’s judicious movement of pencil on paper draws the viewer into the subject’s deep eyes framed by cropped hair and a heavy brow. Matisse captures the most striking features of his subject in a few seemingly effortless marks, and he once claimed that drawing was “the purest and most direct translation” of his creativity. These elegant lines are the hallmark of this Modern master. The piece is signed with a dedication to Monsieur Monchaux, husband of the drawing’s subject.
Claude Monet (1840-1926) Le Mont Riboudet à Rouen au Printemps Signed lower right, "Claude Monet" oil on canvas 21 1/2 x 28 5/8 in. 1872 Provenance Durand-Ruel, Paris, acquired from the artist in February 1873 Gustave Caillebotte, Paris, acquired from the above circa 1876 Martial Caillebotte, Paris, by descent from the above Albert Chardeau, Paris, by descent from the above Sale: Galliera, Paris, 12th June 1964, lot 94 Maurice Lehmann, Paris Lester Osterman, New York, acquired by 1971 Wildenstein Gallery, New York Private Collection, USA, acquired by 1975 Wildenstein Gallery, New York Private Collection, acquired from the above by the family of the present owner Literature Henri Perruchot, 'Scandale au Luxembourg', in L'Œil, Paris, September 1955, discussed p. 45 Charles Merrill Mount, Monet: A Biography, New York, 1966, discussed p. 226 Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet. Biographie et catalogue raisonné, Lausanne & Paris, 1974, vol. I, no. 216, illustrated, p. 209; vol. V, no. 216, listed p. 26 Daniel Wildenstein, Monet, Catalogue raisonné, Cologne, 1996, vol. II, no. 216, illustrated p. 96
Monet completed this painting in 1872, after which it was purchased by Paul Durand-Ruel, Monet’s major patron and primary dealer, then by fellow painter Gustave Caillebotte for his private collection. The year 1872 saw great inspiration and productivity for Monet. It was the year that he painted the notable Impression, Sunrise, which was exhibited at the now famed 1874 Paris show that served as the debut of Impressionism. Earlier that spring while visiting his brother in a region northwest of Paris, Monet created many oil paintings observing the changing scenery as urban development took hold. Included among them was this more traditional landscape, which embraces the natural beauty of the French countryside, perhaps clinging to the idyllic charm of a rural landscape slowly disappearing. Monet’s delicate handling of soft light on the hillside dotted with houses and foliage translates atmospheric effects to canvas. The piece is a wonderful example of Monet’s characteristic process—to put paint to canvas outdoors, within the very setting that he aims to depict, moving with spontaneity and capturing the light of a fleeting moment.
Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) Les Gardeuses de Vaches Signed lower left, "C. Pissarro 1883" mixed media, gouache and watercolor with charcoal on paper 11 1/2 x 8 1/2 in. 1883 Provenance Galerie Durand-Ruel, Paris (12306), acquired on 25 August 1891 Paul and Joseph Durand-Ruel, Paris Anon. sale, Christie's, London, 3 December 1996, lot 112 Private Collection, Germany Anon. sale, Christie's, London, 24 June 2003, lot 47 Private Collection, USA Private Collection, California
This work shows a favored subject of Pissarro – the country peasant. The idea behind many of the artist’s works on paper is to convey to the viewer a sense of immediacy and relevance particularly of life in the countryside. The work presents his instantly recognizable soft, atmospheric effect in an idyllic setting. Important not only for his artwork, Pissarro influenced the next generation of painters chiefly Paul Cézanne and Paul Gauguin. Cézanne described that “Pissarro was like a father to me”, and fellow Impressionist Mary Cassatt noted that Pissarro “could have taught stones to draw correctly.” This pastel was handled by the most important 19th century dealer of Impressionist works, Galerie Durand-Ruel, who acquired it on 25 August 1891.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) Femme à Corsage à Rayures Jaune et Rouge Ecrivant Stamped upper left, "Renoir" oil on canvas 17 3/4 x 21 in. 1918 Provenance Estate of the artist Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, acquired from the above Private Collection, Paris, acquired from the above Paul Rosenberg, Paris, acquired from the above Placed by the above in the Banque Nationale pour le Commerce et l'Industrie, Giroude Confiscated from the above by Walter Andreas Hofer acting on the orders of the Einsatzstab Reichleiter Rosenberg on September 14, 1941 (inv. no. P.R. 158) Exchanged with Gustav Rochlitz for the Reichskanzlei, June 16, 1942 Stored at Muehlhofen/Meersburg until at least August 15, 1945 Repatriated to the French government and restituted to Paul Rosenberg on July 18, 1946 Paul Rosenberg & Co., New York, acquired from the above in 1952 Private Collection, New York, acquired from the above in October 1961 Private Collection, New York, by descent from the above in 1981 Private Collection, by descent from above Literature Albert André & Marc Elder, Renoir's Atelier, San Francisco, 1989, no. 648, illustrated pl. 202, dated 1898 Guy-Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Renoir, Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles, vol. V, Paris, 2014, no. 4049, illustrated p. 271
In the 1870s, a group of painters that included Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir diverged from the artistic establishment, holding exhibitions independently of the Paris Salon. Renoir displayed six paintings in the first exhibition of the Impressionist movement in 1974. He became one of the most celebrated among this group of innovative artists, painting in a style marked by bright color, loose brushstrokes, and light-hearted scenes. The subject of this painting is likely Renoir’s last model, Andrée Heuschling (“Dédé”), who cared for Renoir in the last years of his life and later married his son, filmmaker Jean Renoir. Her characteristic red hair appears in many of Renoir’s significant works of the early 20th century, and some critics have said that Dédé renewed Renoir’s motivation, inspiring him to create during his final years. Classical landscapes, bathers, and portraits of women and children in domestic scenes occupied the artist’s late works. Inspired by Renaissance and Baroque masters such as Titian, Raphael, and Rubens, his traditional subject matter of this period takes on rich colors and uninhibited interpretations of the human figure. It was just a few years before his death in 1919 that the 72-year-old artist stated, “I’m starting to know how to paint.”
John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) Mrs. Huth Jackson Signed lower left, "John S. Sargent 1907" oil on canvas 60 1/2 x 40 1/8 in. 1907 Provenance Private Collection, Mrs. Huth Jackson, 1907 Private Collection, Mr. H. Christian Sonne, 1941, a Huth Jackson family friend Private Collection, daughter of H. Christian Sonne Private Collection, since 2005 Exhibited London, Royal Academy, 1908, no. 504 Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery, Collective Exhibit of Works by the late John S.Sargent, R.A., 1925,no. 129 London, Royal Academy, Exhibition of the Works by the Late John Singer Sargent, R.A., Winter Exhibition, 1926, no. 52. Leeds, London, Detroit, Leeds Art Galleries, Leeds. National Portrait Gallery, London. Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, John Singer Sargent and the Edwardian Age, 1979, cat. no 50 Edinburgh, National Gallery of Scotland, Portrait of a Lady: Sargent and Lady Agnew, August 8- October 19, 1997, cat. no. 22, ill. Plate 2 Literature Sir Evan Charteris, John Singer Sargent, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons and London: William Heinemann, 1927, p. 274 Charles Merrill Mount, John Singer Sargent, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1955, p. 439 [077]; 1957 ed., p. 349 [077] William Howe Downes, John S. Sargent, His Life and Work, Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1925,p.231 Cannadine Rolfe, McConkey & Mellers, The Portrait of a Lady- Sargent and Lady Agnew, Edinburgh: National Gallery of Scotland, 1997, ill. plate 21 Richard Ormond and Elaine Kilmurry, The John Singer Sargent Catalogue Raisonne:The Later Portraits, London and New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003, no. 538
John Singer Sargent is one of the most important American artists of the late 19th and early 20th century. His portraits of the Gilded Age high society sparkle with personality, elegance, and luxury. While movements like cubism and abstract art would blossom during his career, Sargent’s portraits and their relation to Old Master painters like Rembrandt, Van Dyke, and Velåzquez speak to a painterly tradition and of a conversation with art history. This painting depicts Claire Annabel Caroline Grant Duff, daughter of Sir Mountstuart Grant Duff, a member of the British Parliament from 1857 to 1881 and from 1881-1886 the Governor of Madras, in South India. Claire married Frederick Huth Jackson who worked in the family bank, Frederick Huth & Co. As a couple they moved through the high society of London and on the Continent. Duff and her husband were frequent visitors to the Anglo-American enclave at Broadway in the Cotswolds. It was in Broadway that Sargent painted his landmark Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose now in the Tate collection. Duff was a lively hostess and made her own name as a frequent contributor to the Spectator and as the author of A Victorian Childhood, detailing her incredibly life. Claire had known Sargent for many years before he painted her in 1907. The portrait was done in his Tite Street studio in London where he arranged her on his Louis Seize-style daybed with a coral-pink cushion framing her dark brown hair. Her shoulders are draped by the artist's cashmere shawl; the shawl features in his famous and enigmatic painting Cashmere.
Alfred Sisley (1839-1899) Apres-midi d'aout a Veneux Signed lower right, "Sisley" oil on canvas 21 1/4 x 28 3/4 in. 1881 Provenance Durand-Ruel, Paris, acquired from the artist on 22nd August 1881 Durand-Ruel, New York Durand-Ruel, Paris Dr. Elias, Berlin, acquired from the above on 21st January 1925, Matthiessen, London The Lefevre Gallery, Alex Reid & Lefevre Ltd., London E. J. van Wisselingh & Co., Amsterdam Mrs. Bodmer, Zurich Dr. Fritz Nathan, Zurich Dr. Th. Tobler, Zurich, acquired from the above on 23rd November 1950 Private Collection, received as a gift from Dr. Tobler in December 1966 Sotheby’s, London, November 28, 1989, Lot 10 Private Collection, Switzerland Exhibited Paris, 251 rue Saint-Honoré, Septième Exposition des Artistes Indépendants, 1882, no. 163 Edinburgh, National Gallery of Scotland, A Century of French Art 1840-1940, 1944, no. 232 London, The Lefevre Gallery, 19th Century French Masters, 1949, no. 39. Bern, Kunstmuseum, Alfred Sisley, 1958, no. 48 Literature François Daulte, Alfred Sisley, Catalogue raisonné de l’Oeuvre peint, Lausanne 1959, no. 436, illustrated
Alfred Sisley painted this work in 1881 in Veneux-Nadon, close to Moret-sur-Loing on the left bank of the river Loing in north central France. Sisley lived in Moret-sur-Loing from 1880-82 and the town was a source of inspiration for fellow Impressionists including Claude Monet. Sisley was a French Impressionist painter focusing mainly on landscapes and famed for his views of the sky and rivers including scenes along the River Thames around Hampton Court, and Moret-sur-Loing, which would prove to be a deep source of inspiration for the artist. Sisley’s paintings of Moret can be found in the Art Institute of Chicago, the Tate collection, and Musée d’Orsay. Dr. Julius Elias was an early owner of this Alfred Sisley painting. Dr. Elias was a noted German author and art historian and one of the earliest collectors of Impressionism in Germany. He was instrumental in introducing and establishing Impressionism and Post-Impressionism in Germany.
N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945) Bringing in the Ears (Composition drawing) Signed lower right, "SKETCH by N. C. WYETH" charcoal on paper 26 1/2 x 32 in. 1942 Provenance Minnesota Valley Canning Company, Le Sueur, Minnesota, 1942, commissioned from the artist Private Collection Private Collection, circa 1970, gift from the above Private Collection, Pennsylvania, by descent Literature This drawing is included as no. NCW 1375 in the Brandywine River Museum of Art's online catalogue raisonné of the artist's work
Among the most noteworthy illustrators this country has ever produced, N.C. Wyeth is also the patriarch of one of America’s most esteemed artistic dynasties. His son Andrew and grandson Jamie rank among the most respected artists of their generations. Wyeth’s style, honed by early work at the Saturday Evening Post and Scribner’s, demonstrates his keen awareness of the revealing gesture and visual storytelling, allowing readers to instantly grasp the essence of a scene. This drawing is a compositional study for Wyeth’s Bringing in the Ears (1942), which was used in an advertisement for Niblets Corn in the August 10, 1942 edition of Life magazine. One of the stipulations of this commission was the low perspective, aimed at creating a heroic effect for the central figure. A common thread in Wyeth’s scenes is a sense of majesty and grandeur within the narrative, perhaps best demonstrated in his illustrations for classic literature. He illustrated editions of Treasure Island (1911), Robinson Crusoe (1920), The Last of the Mohicans (1919) and many other classics.
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