Howard Chandler Christy

Philadelphia, Newman Galleries (by 1975)
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, 25 May 1988, lot 271
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

New York, New York Cultural Centre; Minneapolis, Institute of Arts; Houston, University of Houston Fine Art Centre, Three Centuries of the American Nude, 1975 (label on verso)

The canvas has not been lined. The picture is overall in very good condition and presents very well. Ultra-violet light reveals scattered spots of cosmetic retouching mainly in the background, including: some spots in the upper left and upper right corners, in the sand in the lower half of the composition and in the upper right and upper left quadrants, and some minor spots in and around the main figure to the right. Faces are untouched. Presented in a decorative black and gold frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

American painter and illustrator Howard Chandler Christy was one of the most famous portrait painters of the Jazz Age. His sitters included Theodore Roosevelt, the Prince of Wales (Edward the VIII), and Amelia Earhart among many. His ideal of woman, perceived as beautiful, sensual, but also strong and independent, is often the main subject of his paintings and became known as the ‘Christy Girl’. As James Philip Head, author of the artist’s biography, notes: ‘His Christy Girl became an icon in America. Women wanted to be her. Men wanted to marry her’. Depicting a nudist beach, the present  work shows the Christy Girl in her most flagrant incarnation. Unselfconscious and confident, the nude girls wallow languorously, their gaze engaging viewer in a come-hither moment. Similar nudes, painted in the 1930s, hung in the Café des Artistes, New York.