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WILLIAM GIRARD
"My Best Friend", Oil, Hand-Painted Frame, Female, Pet, Rich Earth Tones

1966

$8,500
£6,454.25
€7,380.92
CA$11,875.73
A$13,208.41
CHF 6,897.02
MX$160,732.26
NOK 88,085.47
SEK 82,608.63
DKK 55,086.62
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About the Item

SALE ONE WEEK ONLY In “My Best Friend” Girard has captured a tender symbiotic relationship between the woman and her sweet pet. The entire piece swirls with the soft beauty and magical exchange shared by the two individuals. The frame does not enclose so much as enfolds the scene and its decorations are an integral part of the work. Upon close inspection tiny animal figures cavort in the air adding to the spell - almost like fairy characters from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer’s Night Dream.” The jewelry is beautifully render as are the loving expressions of the faces of both the animal and the woman. The composition is filled with objects and figures but captured softly and in rich detail. The figures appear to be completely self-absorbed and the decorative elements about their heads could suggest the intensity of their thoughts and feelings. Girard was a Detroit figurative painter and teacher at College for Creative Studies, Detroit, Michigan where he taught for 30 years. Other College for Creative Studies (formerly Center for Creative Studies) faculty and graduates include Richard Jerzy, Harry Bertoia, Doug Chaing (currently director of Lucas Film), Stephen Dinehart (game maker, writer, designer connected with The David Lynch Foundation), Tyree Guyton (international artist), Herb Babcock, Jerome Feretti, Kevin Siembieda (writer, designer and publisher of role-playing games), Renee Radell, Philip Pearlstein, Charles McGee (nationally recognized African American sculptor of animal and dancing spirits), Philip Pearlstein (2000 Honorary Doctorate, Modern Realism style), and John Louis Krieger (American Modern.) Collector Allen Abramson says, “Bill Girard is like a son to me. I’ll never forget when he came to my gallery wanting to sell a painting,” which was reminiscent of the vivid intensity of the Pre-Raphaelite movement of the mid-1800s. “I couldn’t believe it was done in the 20th century,” he says. Girard may be one of the greatest unknown artists from the metro Detroit area. Bill eschewed galleries, but was collected by aficionados, friends, former students and art enthusiasts. Some of this work is not going to auction houses and Girard is becoming more widely known. During his lifetime, Bill held to a style that was clearly archaic along with being inspired by myth and fantasy. Unframed the piece measures 24" h x 20" w
  • Creator:
    WILLIAM GIRARD (1936 - 2011)
  • Creation Year:
    1966
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 32.5 in (82.55 cm)Width: 28.5 in (72.39 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Detroit, MI
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU128619241072

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