Cat and Kittens on the Grass

1943

Morris Hirshfield

Associated Names
Morris Hirshfield

Artist, American, born Poland, 1872 - 1946

This is a painting of five white cats with two birds and a vase of flowers. The five white cats are positioned around a large decorative vase at the center of the painting, which is overflowing with stylized floral arrangements with yellow leaves and white blossoms. The cat directly above the vase is the largest, while the others are significantly smaller. Two of the small cats are on either side of the vase, appearing to play with the long leaves, while one in the top left plays with a bird and one in the top right interacts with a white ball on a string. Another bird is on the ground to the right of the vase. The cats all look out at us. The background features a rich, textured pattern in brownish-yellow hues.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Maria and Conrad Janis

  • Dimensions

    framed: 83.19 × 113.67 × 3.18 cm (32 3/4 × 44 3/4 × 1 1/4 in.)
    overall: 80.65 × 111.13 cm (31 3/4 × 43 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2023.160.3

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist; Sidney Janis [1896 - 1989] , New York, 1944; Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, 1948; by inheritance to Sidney Janis's son Conrad [1928-2022] and his wife Maria [1946-2001] Janis, Los Angeles; their estate; gift 2023 to NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1944

  • Recent Paintings by Morris Hirshfield, Julien Levy Gallery, New York, 1944, repro.

1945

  • Morris Hirshfield, James Vigeveno Galleries, Los Angeles, 1945, no. 3.

1951

  • M. Hirshfield (1872-1946), Galerie Maeght, Paris, 1951, no. 11.

  • Morris Hirshfield (1872-1946), Kunsthaus Zurich, 1951, no. 10.

1961

  • Das naive Bild der Welt / Peinture naive du mond/Naive art of the World, Staatliche Kunsthalle, Baden-Baden; Historisches Museum, Frankfurt am Main; Kunstverein Hannover, 1961, no. 76.

1965

  • Morris Hirshfield: American Primitive Painter, Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, 1965, no. 20, repro.

1979

  • Morris Hirshfield, Lowe Art Museum, Coral Gables, FL, 1979-1980.

Bibliography

2022

  • Meyer, Richard. Master of the Two Left Feet: Morris Hirshfield Rediscovered. Exh. Cat. American Folk Art Museum, New York, 2022: 267, no. MH 31, repro.

Inscriptions

lower right: M. HiRSHFiELD / 1943

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