520

William Grosvenor Congdon

(American, 1912-1998)

"Piazza Venice 7", 1951

oil and enamel on wood panel
signed, dated, titled and with a "Betty Parsons Gallery, New York, New York" label and "Museum of Fine Arts Houston" exhibition label en verso. Together with a copy of the 2012 Venice exhibition catalogue.
Framed.
35-1/4" x 45-1/4", framed 42" x 52"

  • Provenance: Betty Parsons Gallery, New York, New York; Estate of Marie Bel Fay Evnochides, Houston, Texas.
  • Exhibited: Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Houston, Texas; The Fondazione Universita Ca' Foscari Venezia, Italia, May 5th-July 8th, 2012.
  • Literature: Illustrated p. 81 in the exhibition catalogue.

    Proceeds from the sale of this lot will go to benefit the Fay School in Houston, Texas, and the Marie Bel Fay Fund.

    Notes: "The orange moon that had risen above my fear-ridden vision of New York became the golden basilica of S. Marco to which I now had access... a haven into which I could enter. The basilica loomed larger and began to dominate."
    – William Congdon
    congdonfoundation.com

    William Congdon's deeply personal series of Venetian paintings of San Marco – of which the work offered here is number 7 – are stunning examples of the artist's idiosyncratic, sculptural approach to painting. Eschewing the use of brushes, he employed various tools to form, shape, mold, and scrape the paint to conform to his vision, resulting in highly textured, nearly topographical surfaces.
  • Condition: **Small areas of discolored varnish throughout. No signs of past restorations. Darker colors fluoresce under UV light, but appear to be the hand of the artist. Surface irregularities and imperfections are the hand of the artist.
    Simple, black-painted frame with surface marks, nicks and abrasions.


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