Tommy Dorsey

Frank Sinatra was born in 1915 to Italian immigrants in New Jersey, Frank Sinatra rose to fame in the early 1940s, singing first with the famed "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" Tommy Dorsey, and later striking out on his own as a solo artist. His career blossomed in the mid-1940s thanks to a series of successful, chart-topping singles, when his baritone earned him the moniker "The Sultan of Swoon." He made his debut as an actor in 1943 with the film Reveille with Beverley, and in 1945, he won an Academy Award for the short film The House I Live In. By the mid-1960s, Sinatra was an icon. He famously became the founding member of the "Rat Pack," an informal group of Las Vegas entertainers that also included Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and others. Sinatra briefly retired from his long-standing gig at Caesars Palace in the early 1970s, and it was during this period away from the stage when he painted the present work. Yet, he eventually returned and would continue to perform until 1995, when he played his last show at the age of 79. He died just three years later of a heart attack at the age of 82. Today, Sinatra memorabilia, particularly such personal objects as his paintings, are highly prized by both lovers of his music and lovers of fine art.

Bring audacious experiments with color and textures to your living room, dining room or home office. Abstract paintings, large or small, will stand out in your space, encouraging conversation and introducing a museum-like atmosphere that’s welcoming and conducive to creating memorable gatherings.

Abstract art has origins in 19th-century Europe, but it came into its own as a significant movement during the 20th century. Early practitioners of abstraction included Wassily Kandinsky, although painters were exploring nonfigurative art prior to the influential Russian artist’s efforts, which were inspired by music and religion. Abstract painters endeavored to create works that didn’t focus on the outside world’s conventional subjects, and even when artists depicted realistic subjects, they worked in an abstract mode to do so.

In 1940s-era New York City, a group of painters working in the abstract mode created radical work that looked to European avant-garde artists as well as to the art of ancient cultures, prioritizing improvisation, immediacy and direct personal expression. While they were never formally affiliated with one another, we know them today as Abstract Expressionists.

The male contingent of the Abstract Expressionists, which includes Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Robert Motherwell, is frequently cited in discussing leading figures of this internationally influential postwar art movement. However, the women of Abstract Expressionism, such as Helen Frankenthaler, Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell and others, were equally involved in the art world of the time. Sexism, family obligations and societal pressures contributed to a long history of their being overlooked, but the female Abstract Expressionists experimented vigorously, developed their own style and produced significant bodies of work.

Draw your guests into abstract oil paintings across different eras and countries of origin. On 1stDibs, you’ll find an expansive range of abstract paintings along with a guide on how to arrange your wonderful new wall art.

If you’re working with a small living space, a colorful, oversize work can create depth in a given room, but there isn’t any need to overwhelm your interior with a sprawling pièce de résistance. Colorful abstractions of any size can pop against a white wall in your living room, but if you’re working with a colored backdrop, you may wish to stick to colors that complement the decor that is already in the space. Alternatively, let your painting make a statement on its own, regardless of its surroundings, or group it, gallery-style, with other works.