2005.261: Still-Life with Modigliani Sculpture
Paintings
This object does not yet have a description.
Identification and Creation
- Object Number
- 2005.261
- People
-
Augustus Edwin John, British, Welsh (Tenby, Wales 1878 - 1961 Fordingbridge, England)
- Title
- Still-Life with Modigliani Sculpture
- Classification
- Paintings
- Work Type
- painting
- Date
- circa 1920
- Culture
- British
- Persistent Link
- https://hvrd.art/o/12455
Physical Descriptions
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- framed: 147.32 x 123.19 cm (58 x 48 1/2 in.)
- Inscriptions and Marks
-
- Signed: Inscribed lower right recto: John
Provenance
- Recorded Ownership History
-
A.C.J. Wall Esq., 1954. Arthur Tooth (acquired by Mr. Tooth, by 1974 or later). [Christie's (London), 24 November 2000, lot 29]. The Fine Art Society, sold, to
Patricia Cornwell, 2002, gift; to Harvard University Art Museums, 2005.
Acquisition and Rights
- Credit Line
- Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Patricia Cornwell
- Copyright
- © Estate of Augustus Edwin John / Bridgeman Images
- Accession Year
- 2005
- Object Number
- 2005.261
- Division
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Contact
- am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu
- Permissions
-
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Descriptions
- Description
- A medium-sized, elaborate still-life arrangement including a Modigliani sculpture covered by a shawl, a guitar, a large book, and flowers in a pot resting on a tapestry-covered base.
- Commentary
- Augustus John was a major personality, if not the most talented painter, of early 20th-century British modernism. This work presents a rather complete and perhaps unintentionally comic record of the reception of Continental modernist trends in England, not just with the inclusion of the Modigliani sculpture but also the Matisse-like tablecloth and the nods to Manet's early Spanish-inspired paintings (the guitar and shawl). In addition, the book is reputed to represent Les Chants de Maldoror, a favorite of the artist and the virtual bible of Surrealism.
Publication History
- John Rothenstein, Augustus John, Phaidon Press Limited (Oxford and London, 1945), fig. 90.
- Malcolm Easton and Michael Holroyd, Art of Augustus John (London, 1974), p. 172-173, plate 64
Exhibition History
- Unidentified Exhibition, Temple Newsam, 1946, Temple Newsam, 01/01/1946 - 12/31/1946
- Unidentified Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, 1954, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 01/01/1954 - 12/31/1954
Verification Level
This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Modern and Contemporary Art at am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu