Michael Ayrton

"Icarus Suspended" Abstract Mythical Figurative Mixed Media

1960

This mixed media on paper from the seminal artist Artis Lane is one of the many model paintings from her long and illustrious career. The subject is a nude male standing in pose. Artis Lane, in her many nudes, chose to depict a diversity of bodies, of all shapes, colors, and sizes. This work was recently exhibited adjunct to the "Steps Towards Justice: Artis Lane's Portraits of Rosa Parks" exhibition at Collected Detroit in 2021. Most recently in January 2021 Ms. Lanes' dynamic sculpture bust of Rosa Parks was chosen from the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC to reside in the President's Oval Office as a reminder to all who visit or see it via press photographs of her courageous demand for equal rights. It is a constant source of inspiration. All my life I have worked on three levels of consciousness: Portraits, Social Injustice & Metaphysics. In my work I strive to heal, uplift and inspire viewers and collectors to find perfection in their own being. - Artis Lane Artis Lane lived and worked in Los Angeles for over twenty years. She knew many celebrities, movie stars and individuals who moved in those circles. She was a sought after portrait painter. This particular painting of the famous movie star, Zsa Zsa Gabor, shows why. Artis has captured the personal essence of her subject, a warm, friendly woman, though famous, is not absorbed in her notoriety. This piece is signed by the artist on the lower right. Born Artis Marie Shreve in 1927, near an all-Black village in North Buxton, Ontario, Canada. After three years of art college in Toronto, Canada, Artis moved to Detroit where she met and married journalist and activist Bill Lane. In Detroit Artis Lane continued her training at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Cranbrook was designed by architect and faculty member, Eliel Saarinen who collaborated with Charles and Ray Eames on chair and furniture design. Numerous creative artists who are alumni of Cranbrook include: Harry Bertoia, Florence Knoll, Jack Lenor Larsen, Donald Lipski, Duane Hanson, Nick Cave, Hani Rashid, George Nelson, Urban Jupena (Nationally recognized fiber artist), Cory Puhlman (televised Pastry Chef extraordinaire), Thom O’Connor (Lithographs), Paul Evans (Brutalist-inspired sculpted metal furnishings), Eugene Caples (small bronze images/abstract), Morris Brose (Bronze Sculptures), Herb Babcock known for blown glass) and Larry Butcher (mixed media abstract artist.) While in the Motor City she painted and sculpted the portraits of many of the business and political leaders of the day; Governor George Romney, Ford family members and Coleman Young, the Mayor of Detroit. After her divorce, she was invited by Diahann Carroll...

This mixed media on paper from the seminal artist Artis Lane is a surreal study based off the model paintings from her long and illustrious career. The subj...

This untitled abstract work by Constance Powell-Teeples is a stark contrast to her usual work, prints of the Detroit skyline and local monuments and buildings. The work is flushed with colors that are reminiscent of the Detroit Tigers...

This mixed media on paper from the seminal artist Artis Lane is one of the many model pictures from her long and illustrious career. The subject i...

David Mellen’s paintings orchestrate a complexity derived both from an intricate style and equally complex notion of painting’s ability to cross boundaries and conception in a time o...

Artist: Victor Chab, Argentine (1930 - ) Title: Untitled - Abstract Bird Year: 1964 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed and dated verso Size: 32 x 25.5 inches (81 x 65 cm)

A rare and powerful example of Michael Ayrton’s mythologically driven output, Birth of Phanes (1958) embodies the artist’s enduring fascination with classical antiquity and metaphysi...

David Mellen (b. 1970, Chicago, IL, USA) attended the American Academy of Art and exhibited his work in his hometown of Chicago until 1994, when he moved to Europe. Over the next fi...