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"Eros and the Planets", 1939 Art Deco Oil Painting with Male Nude, Blue & Brown

$5,200
£3,985.17
€4,580.25
CA$7,303.66
A$8,174.14
CHF 4,278.87
MX$99,300.96
NOK 54,330.77
SEK 51,270.36
DKK 34,176.75

About the Item

This warm and vivid painting -- probably made in response to the opening salvos of World War II -- depicts the mythological Eros figure, with wings outspread, placing his arm on an interplanetary globe. Urging love and unity at a time of great peril, the artist -- William Littlefield -- uses his figural language to deliver a hopeful message. Littlefield is known for his figural and nude paintings, often with mythological subjects. He developed a close friendship with Lincoln Kirstein, and was invited by Kirstein to paint stage sets for the American Ballet's first production of Serenade and Mozartiana at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut. Later he painted a life size portrait of Kirstein, sold at auction in recent years. A few years after this piece was made, he helped found the Cape Cod Art Association, and around the same time he exhibited at the Provincetown Art Association. He was invited in 1932 to participate in the Whitney Museum’s First Biennial and in 1936 a group exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). This painting was exhibited at the Cape Cod Museum of Art in 2007-2008.
  • Creator:
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 22.5 in (57.15 cm)Width: 26.5 in (67.31 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
  • Style:
    Art Deco (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1939
  • Condition:
    Minor losses. Overall in excellent condition, with a scattering of small paint losses, mostly around the edges of the painting.
  • Seller Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU865145748982

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