Items Similar to Van Day Truex Ink Wash and Watercolor Self-Portrait, circa 1945
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 11
Van Day Truex Ink Wash and Watercolor Self-Portrait, circa 1945
About the Item
A unique and original circa 1945 self-portrait by the legendary designer Van Day Truex painted in black ink, ink wash, and watercolor on celadon green watercolor paper and housed in its original black painted frame with green painted fillet, newly conservation retrofitted with 'museum' uv-resistant plexiglass and acid-free mount. Work measures 19.5" by 12". According to provenance, Truex painted this as a gift to a friend; full provenance available upon request.
Van Day Truex (March 15, 1904 – April 24, 1979) was an important American designer, professor of design, painter, and a French Chevalier of the Legion of Honor (Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur). Van Day Truex was born in Kansas, the artistically inclined son of a stern and intolerant shop manager. After the seemingly obligatory stint living with a sympathetic and worldly aunt in Wisconsin, he escaped to New York City and design school (quite against his parents' wishes), turning in a stellar performance at the institution that would become Parsons School of Design and immediately earning the notoriously hard-won approval of none other than Frank Alvah Parsons, who eventually appointed him director of the Paris branch. Several hundred society introductions, garden parties, and black-and-white balls later, Truex found himself at the center of the international elite, one of the social register's most sought-after interior designers, not to mention one of the most prized dinner guests in New York and on the Riviera. As an enormously popular instructor at Parsons, and the school's president from 1942 to 1952, Truex influenced American interior design far beyond the rarefied circles of his friends and clients, the likes of which include Brooke Astor and Elsie de Wolfe, and as director of design at Tiffany & Co. from 1955 to 1962, Truex indeed helped define 20th-century upper-class taste, calling it "design judgment". According to Adam Lewis, author or "Van Day Truex: The Man Who Defined Twentieth-Century Taste and Style", "Van Day Truex is widely regarded as the father of twentieth-century American design. Under his leadership, Parsons School of Design became the foremost school for interior design and fashion in the United States, and he influenced generations of students entering these fields. But his greatest legacy is his long reign as design director at Tiffany & Co., which he transformed into a model for unprecedented style and grace" and Albert Hadley, who wrote the books' forward , "No one influenced American interior design more than Van Day Truex".
Literature: Lewis, Adam. 'Van Day Truex: The Man Who Defined Twentieth-Century Taste and Style', New York: Viking Studio, 2001.
- Creator:Van Day Truex (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 27 in (68.58 cm)Width: 18.88 in (47.96 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
- Style:Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1945
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Kinderhook, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1002142610672
Van Day Truex
Van Day Truex was an American artist, art director and interior designer, born in 1904. He was accepted at the New York School of Fine and Applied Art, in 1923. In 1925, he was awarded a scholarship to the School’s Paris branch, the Paris Ateliers. On returning to New York, in 1955, he was appointed Tiffany & Co's art director. His style as a designer emphasized aesthetics over function. He was interested in the mechanical process of materials, rather than the visual representation. At a time when interior designing was not as highly recognized, Truex gave a sense of quality and style that was driven by a motivated and controlled approach.
About the Seller
5.0
Vetted Professional Seller
Every seller passes strict standards for authenticity and reliability
Established in 2012
1stDibs seller since 2013
150 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Kinderhook, NY
- Return Policy
Authenticity Guarantee
In the unlikely event there’s an issue with an item’s authenticity, contact us within 1 year for a full refund. DetailsMoney-Back Guarantee
If your item is not as described, is damaged in transit, or does not arrive, contact us within 7 days for a full refund. Details24-Hour Cancellation
You have a 24-hour grace period in which to reconsider your purchase, with no questions asked.Vetted Professional Sellers
Our world-class sellers must adhere to strict standards for service and quality, maintaining the integrity of our listings.Price-Match Guarantee
If you find that a seller listed the same item for a lower price elsewhere, we’ll match it.Trusted Global Delivery
Our best-in-class carrier network provides specialized shipping options worldwide, including custom delivery.More From This Seller
View AllGrand Tour Charcoal and Watercolor Architectural Drawing, circa 1800
Located in Kinderhook, NY
Grand Tour charcoal and watercolor drawing executed by an English tourist in Italy, circa 1800, depicting a gentleman peering over a staircase balustrade in a Baroque interior...
Category
Antique Early 19th Century European Grand Tour Drawings
Materials
Glass, Wood, Paper
Caspar Netscher Charcoal Portrait Drawing, circa 1670
Located in Kinderhook, NY
Charcoal and chalk portrait drawing on card by renowned Dutch painter Caspar Netscher (Heidelberg/Prague 1639-1684 The Hague) depicting a lady of means...
Category
Antique Mid-17th Century Dutch Baroque Drawings
Materials
Glass, Giltwood, Paper
Portrait, Children of the 11th Earl of Devon, Follower of Adam Buck, circa 1840
Located in Kinderhook, NY
A wonderful circa 1840 charcoal, gouache, and watercolor portrait group of William Reginald Courtenay (28 Oct 1832 – 21 Nov 1853), Edward Baldwin Courtenay, 12th Earl of Devon (7 May...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century English Drawings
Materials
Oak, Paint, Paper
Drawing by Jean-Baptiste Le Prince, 1760
By Jean Baptist Le Prince
Located in Kinderhook, NY
A black ink and sepia wash drawing by French artist Jean-Baptiste Le Prince of a classical scene of Roman soldiers with camel signed and dated lower left. T...
Category
Antique Mid-18th Century European Drawings
Materials
Glass, Giltwood, Paper
Large Charcoal on Paper Drawing of a Male Nude by Lucien Laurent-Gsell
By Lucien Laurent-Gsell
Located in Kinderhook, NY
An exceptional Academic charcoal on paper drawing by noted French artist Lucien Laurent-Gsell of a muscular nude male with back-turned, signed 'Laurent-Gsell' lower right, presented French-matted in a neoclassical water-gilt wood frame. Measurements below are overall, work measures 24.25" by 15".
BIOGRAPHY: Lucien Laurent-Gsell, (Paris, 1860 - 1944), French painter and illustrator. He entered the E?cole des Beaux-Arts where he studied under Caspar Gsell (his father) and Alexandre Cabanel. He exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Franc?ais in 1881, the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1889, and the Socie?te? Nationale des Beaux-Arts in 1909. As the nephew of Louis Pasteur...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Drawings
Materials
Glass, Giltwood, Paper
Portrait Painting of a Bewigged Gentleman, Prague, circa 1780
Located in Kinderhook, NY
A fine quality circa 1780 oil on canvas portrait painting of a gentleman in powdered wig, coat, waistcoat, and frilled shirt housed in a period giltwood frame having bead and lamb's tongue design. Red wax seal collection...
Category
Antique Late 18th Century Austrian Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Giltwood, Paint
You May Also Like
John Barrymore in Hamlet, Ink and Watercolor Drawing Portrait
Located in Pasadena, CA
The depiction of theatrical characters in the visual arts has long been a means of exploring the depths of human emotion and identity. In this black and white profile portrait of Joh...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Drawings
Materials
Paper
$950 Sale Price
20% Off
Continental School Pen and Ink Wash
Located in Sheffield, MA
Original pen and ink wash drawing in gold frame of a scene in European plaza with people/
Drawing size: 6.75 x 9.
Search terms: painting, etching, art,
Category
20th Century European Drawings
Materials
Paper
1930s Aaron Sopher New Yorker Original Art Ladies Shopping Ink Wash Watercolor
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Aaaron Sopher, Ink Wash, City Ladies Shopping. Exact date unknown.
Frame W 11.75 x H 16.25 in
Image W 5 x H 8.75 in
Aaron Sopher (1905–1972) was an Ame...
Category
Vintage 1930s American Mid-Century Modern Drawings
Materials
Paper
$716 Sale Price
20% Off
A Modernist Ink And Gouache Drawing By Vaclav Vytlacil, Ca' 1945
By Vaclav Vytlacil
Located in St.Petersburg, FL
A fantastic gouache and ink drawing on paper, mounted on board by Vaclav Vytlacil, ca' 1945. Highly reflective of the style of the period, with influences of African art and NY Abstr...
Category
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Drawings
Materials
Paper
Jorge Zeno Abstract Pen and Ink with Watercolor
Located in Miami, FL
Jorge Zeno Abstract Pen and Ink with Watercolor
Offered for sale is a pen and ink hand colored with watercolor by artist Jorge Zeno (US/Puerto Rico, b1956)...
Category
Late 20th Century Puerto Rican Drawings
Materials
Linen, Glass, Wood, Paper
$1,800 Sale Price
28% Off
Albert Goodwin, Untitled Landscape Sketch, Pen and Ink Wash, Signed
Located in Toronto, CA
A exquisite landscape sketch by Albert Goodwin, 1845-1932, with detailed pen work over ink wash, depicting a country scene with figures in the foreground and hills in the distance,...
Category
Early 20th Century English Romantic Drawings
Materials
Giltwood, Paper
