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Kristians Tonny
French Neo-Romantic Surrealist Painting "Circus" by Kristians Tonny

c. 1926

About the Item

Kristians Tonny (French, born Holland; 1907-1977) Circus Oil on prepared board, 16 1/2 x 13 inches Framed: 22 x 19 inches (approx.) Inscribed on reverse: (in pencil) "cadre noir/avec filet or..." PROVENANCE: Carl Van Vechten (1880-1964), New York, an important photographer, writer, and critic, and an influential figure in the American avant-garde (probably purchased in France in 1928); William Jepson, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia; until 1983 REFERENCE: Eugene R. Gaddis, Magician of the Modern Chick austen and the Transformation of the Arts in America (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000), pp. 131, 150- -53, 189, 255, 284, 318, 323-26, 337. The painter and illustrator Kristians Tonny was born in Amsterdam but moved to Paris when he was ten years old. At age twelve, he started exhibiting fantastic landscapes, Dances of Death, and visions of the Apocalypse, influenced by such Flemish old masters as Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Brueghel the Elder. In 1926 the Galerie Drouet in Paris had a group show that included works by Tonny, Eugene Berman, Christian Bérard, and Pavel Tchelitchev, to whom the term Neo-Romantic was later applied to distinguish their works from those of the Cubists, who dominated the European art world at that time. These artists were taken up--at least for a short time--by Gertrude Stein, and, through her Tonny met members of the American avante-garde, who would soon further his career in the United States. Tonny’s work, like that of the other “Neo-Romantics,” retained figurative elements and was often linked with the Surrealist movement that thrived in Europe during the 1920s and 1930s.
  • Creator:
    Kristians Tonny (1907 - 1977, French, Dutch)
  • Creation Year:
    c. 1926
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 22 in (55.88 cm)Width: 19 in (48.26 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: RS 13211stDibs: LU2390214065962
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