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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