Joseph E. Widener

1921

Augustus John

Associated Names
Augustus John

Artist, Welsh, 1878 - 1961

This painting shows a man seated in a wooden chair with a red cushion and a carved back, facing slightly to the left and looking at us with a neutral facial expression. He has pale skin, gray hair with a receding hairline, a long nose, a thin mouth, and a soft jawline. He is wearing a black suit with pinstriped pants, a white shirt, and a black tie. His hands rest on the wooden arms of the chair, and a golden ring is visible on his left pinky finger. The background is made up on abstract vertical splashes of gold, brown, dark blue, and gray paint.
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On View

West Building Main Floor, Founders Room

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Widener Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 124.7 x 102.3 cm (49 1/8 x 40 1/4 in.)
    framed: 157.2 x 134.6 x 10.7 cm (61 7/8 x 53 x 4 3/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1942.9.100

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Commissioned by the sitter, Joseph E. Widener [1871/1872-1943], Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania; gift 1942 to NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1949

  • Augustus John in American Collections, Scott and Fowles, New York, 1949, unnumbered, repro.

  • Augustus John, The Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, Albright Art Gallery, 1949, unnumbered.

1968

  • Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings by Augustus John, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, 1968, no. 2.

Bibliography

1944

  • Rothenstein, John. Augustus John. London and New York, 1944: 23, no. 51, repro.

1960

  • Birnbaum, Martin. The Last Romantic: The Story of More Than a Half-Century in the World of Art. New York, 1960: 173-174.

1965

  • Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 71.

1968

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 62, repro.

1975

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 182, repro.

Inscriptions

lower right: John 1921

Wikidata ID

Q20192363

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