Benton Murdoch Spruance
'Girl and Cat' — 1930s Modernism
1935

Name: 'Girl and Cat' — 1930s Modernism
Brand: Benton Murdoch Spruance
Price: 2200 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

'Girl and Cat', lithograph, 1935, edition 33, Fine and Looney 121. Signed, titled, dated, and numbered '5/33' in pencil. A superb, richly-inked impression, on cream, wove paper, with full margins ( 1 to 2 3/16 inches), in excellent condition. Scarce. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Image size 10 1/8 x 13 5/8 inches (25.7 x 34.5 cm); sheet size 12 1/2 x 17 7/8 inches (31.8 x 44.8 cm). Impressions of this work are held in the permanent collections of the Free Library of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. ABOUT THE ARTIST Benton Spruance is widely recognized as one of America’s most important twentieth-century printmakers. Born in Philadelphia, he first took architectural classes at the University of Pennsylvania. Spruance then earned a scholarship to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where he studied with Daniel Garber. While at the Academy, he was awarded a Cresson Scholarship in 1928 to study in Paris, where he was introduced to lithography at the studio of master printers Edmond and Jacques Desjobert. Lithography became Spruance's lifelong passion; he created over 400 lithographs during his long and prolific career. The subjects of these works ranged from social commentary to modernist explorations depicting mid-twentieth America to biblical/symbolist representations. Spruance taught at Beaver College and served as chairman of the Fine Arts Department for over three decades. He then became director of graphic arts at the Philadelphia College of Art. He was awarded two Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowships in 1950 and 1964, and he was appointed a member of the Library of Congress Pennell Fund Purchase Committee 1955-62. Spruance exhibited his work nationally and internationally. His graphic work is held in numerous museum collections, including the Amon Carter Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Five Colleges and Historic Deerfield Consortium, Free Library of Philadelphia, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Gallery of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Reading Public Museum, Spencer Museum of Art, Library of Congress, Woodmere Art Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Creator:

Benton Murdoch Spruance (1904 - 1967, American)

Creation Year:

1935

Dimensions:

Height: 10.38 in (26.37 cm)Width: 13.69 in (34.78 cm)

Medium:

Lithograph

Movement & Style:

American Modern

Period:

1930-1939