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Catalog Data

Artist:
Marguerite Thompson Zorach, 25 Sep 1887 - 27 Jun 1968  Search this
Sitter:
Edith Gregor Halpert, 25 Apr 1900 - 6 Oct 1970  Search this
Unidentified Man  Search this
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
Frame: 56.5 x 74.3 x 4.8cm (22 1/4 x 29 1/4 x 1 7/8")
Type:
Painting
Place:
United States\New York\Kings\New York
Date:
c. 1930
Exhibition Label:
Born Odessa, Ukraine
In 1926, after years working in business, Edith Halpert opened the Downtown Gallery in New York City, resolving to give new and less conventional artists a chance to show their work. She opened her exhibition space to Ben Shahn, William Zorach, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Stuart Davis, and John Marin and over the next decade became an important force in winning acceptance in the art world for various strains of modernism. At the same time, Halpert was passionately interested in long-neglected American folk art traditions. Under her guidance, several of the country’s most distinguished folk art collections were formed.
Painted by Marguerite Zorach, one of the artists Halpert represented, this portrait is set in the Downtown Gallery’s new “daylight gallery.” Halpert and her unidentified visitor sit in swivel chairs conceived by the modernist designer Donald Deskey.
Nacida en Odesa, Ucrania
En 1926, luego de varios años en el mundo de los negocios, Edith Halpert abrió la Downtown Gallery en la ciudad de New York con la intención de ofrecer espacio de exposición a artistas nuevos o menos convencionales. En su galería acogió a Ben Shahn, William Zorach, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Stuart Davis y John Marin, y a lo largo de la década contribuyó notablemente a propulsar la aceptación de diversas vertientes del modernismo estadounidense en el mundo del arte. Al mismo tiempo, Halpert sentía pasión por las tradiciones artesanales americanas, que tan relegadas estaban. Bajo su guía se formaron algunas de las colecciones de arte popular más destacadas del país.
Este retrato de Marguerite Zorach, una de las artistas representadas por Halpert, se pintó en la “galería de luz natural” que acababa de estrenarse como parte de la Downtown Gallery. Halpert y su visitante anónimo aparecen sentados en butacas giratorias creadas por el diseñador modernista Donald Deskey.
Provenance:
The sitter; her estate; private collection; (Kraushaar Galleries New York); purchased 1995 NPG
Provenance according to Kraushaar Galleries.
Topic:
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair  Search this
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Table  Search this
Artwork\Painting  Search this
Interior\Office  Search this
Equipment\Smoking Implements\Cigarette  Search this
Unidentified Man: Male  Search this
Edith Gregor Halpert: Female  Search this
Edith Gregor Halpert: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Dealer\Art dealer  Search this
Edith Gregor Halpert: Visual Arts\Art collector  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Object number:
NPG.95.50
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
Copyright:
© The Zorach Collection, LLC
See more items in:
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location:
Currently not on view
Data Source:
National Portrait Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm41df70c9a-2051-40b9-b5cb-ddc8c3916127
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_NPG.95.50