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Mariette LydisBeautiful May, Boston, 1936: intimate art deco modernistportrait of young woman1936
1936
About the Item
A rare and captivating original portrait drawing by Mariette Lydis, executed during her important 1936 journey to America.
This work showcases Lydis’s mastery of line, colour, and psychological depth. The artist, known for her delicate yet intense portraits of women, creates an instantly compelling subject who embodies the sophisticated melancholy often found in interwar European art.
May, the sitter, is rendered with characteristic precision using graphite, accented by subtle washes of watercolour and pastel to illuminate the eyes and give definition to the strikingly painted lips. Her expression is complex—direct yet distant—a hallmark of Lydis’s ability to imbue her subjects with an inner life. The stylish, almost turban-like cap and the faint floral pattern on her dress anchor the piece firmly in 1930s fashion.
The drawing is annotated "May" (the name of the sitter) and signed and dated 'M. Lydis, Boston 1936' on the lower right. This marks the work as a product of Mariette's crucial period in the United States, where she travelled for the exhibition of her work at the MoMA in New York and at the Marie Sterner Galleries.
Works explicitly located and dating from Mariette Lydis's American travels are scarce, making this piece extremely desirable. The drawing is executed on vellum paper and is presented in a period-appropriate, muted grey custom frame.
It is a beautiful and historically acquisition for any collector of 20th-century figurative art, interwar portraiture, or works by woman artists. Works by Mariette Lydis are held in international collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University, and Davidson Galleries in Seattle.
As wrote the New York Times in January 1936:
"Mariette Lydis, Viennese by birth and education but now a resident of Paris, is having her first American one-man show, which opened yesterday at the Marie Sterner Galleries, 9 East Fifty-seventh Street, to remain until Feb. 8.
She comes to us warmly endorsed by A. M. Hind, keeper of prints and drawings at the British Museum. It may be deemed likely that Dr. Hind, who thinks the newcomer "should find an immediate response in America," has been in particular impressed with her drawings and lithographic work. Mme. Lydis's line is very delicate, yet it can also be almost robust when the occasion demands. As a rule, the drawings, often touched with color, are highly finished, an exception being the head of “Charlotte,” which seems to be a preliminary sketch for more searching study of the same subject (...)"
- Creator:Mariette Lydis (1887 - 1970, Austrian)
- Creation Year:1936
- Dimensions:Height: 19.69 in (50 cm)Width: 16.54 in (42 cm)Depth: 0.79 in (2 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Norwich, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU991317179882
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