Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 15

Ruth McKee
Brutalist Abstract

circa Mid 20th century

On Hold
$1,475
On Hold
£1,096.49
On Hold
€1,283.64
On Hold
CA$2,062.74
On Hold
A$2,303.28
On Hold
CHF 1,201.45
On Hold
MX$28,322.21
On Hold
NOK 15,163.82
On Hold
SEK 14,276.20
On Hold
DKK 9,575.95
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

A fine abstract expressionist oil painting by American artist Ruth McKee (1929-2012). McKee was a Philadelphia native, and is perhaps best known for her romantic and abstract creations of women, often depicted in beautiful, soft landscapes. Although many of her paintings appear as portraits, her subjects are purely a product of McKee's ideals and imagination, and aim to capture the body, spirit and nature of the female. "I think, more than in any other vocation, the artist is so aware of the human condition…Life is so short and we're all so fragile," said McKee. Some of that fragility is on display in McKee's art; a gentle atmosphere, the expert use of light, and even the expressions and visual language of her subjects and their surroundings. Together, the elements create a peaceful, otherworldly effect that is unmistakably Ruth McKee. Working primarily in oil on canvas, McKee has also experimented with acrylics, tiles, porcelain and other mediums, and continues to explore the "all-encompassing reason for life" that she finds through art. The first female recipient of a 4-year, senatorial scholarship to Philadelphia College of Art, McKee distinguished herself from the earliest days of her career. By 1967, she had been named Pennsylvania's "Female Artist of the Year" by Governor William Scranton, and was honored with an invitation by the Philadelphia Sketch Club to be its first female solo exhibitor. By the 1980's, Ruth McKee's work was in demand by some of the country's most prestigious collectors. Oil on canvas, monogrammed RMK lower right, and housed in a chrome lined wooden frame with a black velvet and gilt highlight. Dimensions: 22 in H x 28 in W, actual; 25.5 in H x 31.25 in W x 1 in D.
  • Creator:
    Ruth McKee (1929 - 2012, American)
  • Creation Year:
    circa Mid 20th century
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 25.5 in (64.77 cm)Width: 31.25 in (79.38 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Very good overall condition, with some minor chrome dents and scratches on the frame. Please contact us directly for a full condition report before purchasing.
  • Gallery Location:
    Milford, NH
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 91591stDibs: LU931311167122

More From This Seller

View All
Abstract in Brown Tones
Located in Milford, NH
A fine abstract in brown tones by American artist David Lund (b. 1925). David Lund’s illustrious painting career spans over 65 years. Born in New York, the...
Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Round Blue Cityscape
By Donald Stoltenberg
Located in Milford, NH
A nice abstract oil painting by American artist Donald Hugo Stoltenberg (1927-2016). Stoltenberg was born in Milwaukee, WI, attended public grade school in Chicago, and High School i...
Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Composicion #23
Located in Milford, NH
A fine Mid Century vertical abstract expressionist oil painting by Panamanian artist Antonio Alvarado (b. 1938). Antonio studied under the figurative ...
Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Anticipation
By Richard Lytle
Located in Milford, NH
This large exceptional abstract was painted by American artist Richard Lytle (born 1935). Lytle was born in Albany, New York, studied at the Cooper Union School of Art and the Yale University School of Art, where he received a BFA and MFA. He was included in the Museum of Modern Art’s Sixteen Americans exhibition in 1959. He began teaching in 1960 at Yale, which began a forty year career as a teacher, professor, and dean. He has had numerous one-man and group exhibitions, and he received the Augustus Saint...
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Abstract Still Life with Figures
By Menelaw Sete
Located in Milford, NH
A wonderful large abstract still life oil painting with figures by Brazilian artist Menelaw Sete (aka Sete Menelaw, b. 1964). Menelaw Sete is internationally known as “The Picasso of...
Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Fitulo "Akumal"
Located in Milford, NH
A fine abstract in black, blues, reds, and yellows by Mexican artist Rafael Calzada (b. 1951). Calzada was Born in Mexico City and began studying drawin...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

You May Also Like

Blue Reflection - Colorful Textured Original Oil Painting
By Sergei Inkatov
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Sergei Inkatov’s original, abstract fine art oil paintings have been exhibited internationally. His expressionistic artworks are vivid and richly textured. Inkatov’s paintings radiat...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Night Mountain Landscape, 1974" – Signed Abstract Oil by Ralph Rosenborg
By Ralph Rosenborg
Located in Miami, FL
RALPH ROSENBORG – "NIGHT MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPE, 1974" Oil on Canvas ⚜ Signed Lower Left and on Verso ⚜ Custom Conservation Frame A VIVID ABSTRACT VISION OF MOUNTAINOUS NIGHTSCAPE In "N...
Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Ralph Rosenborg "Landscape: Garden of Flowers, 1973" Oil on Canvas, Signed
By Ralph Rosenborg
Located in Miami, FL
RALPH ROSENBORG – "LANDSCAPE: GARDEN OF FLOWERS, 1973" Oil on Canvas ⚜ Signed and Dated Lower Left and on Verso ⚜ Custom Conservation Frame A VIBRANT ABSTRACT LANDSCAPE BY AN AMERIC...
Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Harmony Sea
Located in Roma, GB
100x100cm original painting on canvas hand signed one-of-a-kind The canvas is shipped rolled, not framed Katarina's works are in private collections in Luxembourg, Copenhagen, Pal...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Harmony Sea
$1,805 Sale Price
20% Off
"House, & Flowers, & Moonlight" Oil Painting on Canvas by Ralph Rosenborg Framed
By Ralph Rosenborg
Located in Encino, CA
"House, and Flowers, and Moonlight," an original oil on canvas by Ralph Rosenborg, is a piece for the true collector. In 1988, Louise Nevelson wrote: "Ralph Rosenborg was the first recognized pioneer whose experimental art announced the coming of Abstract Expressionism in the United States during the mid-1930s. Rosenborg was the first to introduce and instruct Jackson Pollock on Abstract Expressionism while at the Non-Objective Painting Museum in the early 1940s, which became the Guggenheim Museum. Ralph Rosenborg is The American Artist. Rosenborg produced daring artworks and explored the possibilities of movements that are expressive of ideas, sensations and passions intended to provoke pure emotions." Both the technical talent of Rosenborg and his choice of subject matter pair perfectly with custom wood frame. This masterful work is perfect for those who have an affinity for abstracts, abstract expressionism, landscapes, and color-rich works. This Rosenborg painting has an important history, with the rare provenance of moving through both Sothebys and Christies auction houses, as well as two notable dealers including Nat Halper and H. Marc Moyens. Full provenance details are outlined below. Artist: RALPH ROSENBORG (1913-1992) Title: HOUSE, AND FLOWERS, AND MOONLIGHT Medium & Surface: ORIGINAL OIL ON CANVAS (framed) Signed: HAND SIGNED AND DATED BY ARTIST LOWER RIGHT AND ON VERSO Year Created: 1957 Country of Creation: UNITED STATES Canvas Dimensions: 22.25 x 28.25 INCHES Frame Dimensions:* 33.25 x 39.25 x 1.875 INCHES *This work of art is being sold framed. Additional Info: HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE WORK BY RALPH ROSENBORG IN GREAT CONDITION AND FEATURING ITS BEAUTIFUL CUSTOM WOOD FRAME. ORIGINAL ARTIST LABEL IS AFFIXED TO VERSO, AS WELL AS SOTHEBY'S AND CHRISTIE'S LABELS. Artist Info/Bio: ARTIST BIOGRAPHY DOCUMENT IS INCLUDED Documentation: CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY IS INCLUDED Provenance: CHRISTIE’S, NEW YORK, JAN 12, 2010 COLLECTION OF H. MARC MOYENS SOTHEBY’S, NEW YORK, APRIL 1, 1998 COLLECTION OF NATHAN (1907-1983) & HELEN HALPER (1908-1996), MA HCE GALLERY, PROVINCETOWN, MA (OWNED BY NATHAN HALPER) About the Artist: Ralph Rosenborg, an American painter, was known for his abstract paintings that inclined not toward geometric form, but rather the interpretation of nature. Rosenborg was born in New York in 1913, his talent for the fine art appearing early. While still in high school, he won a scholarship to classes at the American Museum of Natural History, meeting Henriette Reiss, who he continued to study under privately well after the classes ended. Reiss had worked with Wassily Kandinsky earlier in her career, and as such introduced Rosenborg to the vast arena of vanguard European ideas, as well as provided him a broad-based instruction in music, literature, and art history. After four years, Rosenborg was ready to exhibit. He did so initially in group exhibitions at ACA Galleries, and later in Mayor La Guardia’s 1934 Mile of Art at Radio City. He quickly gained notoriety, and began to show frequently throughout the 1930s, leading up to his first solo exhibition at the Eighth Street Theater...
Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

flowers still life
Located in Roma, GB
100x165cm (105x189 cm full size) three canvases 55x100cm each canvas original painting on canvas hand signed one-of-a-kind shipped rolled, not framed Katarina's works are in pr...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic