Harvard Art Museums > 2005.261: Still-Life with Modigliani Sculpture Paintings Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Still-Life with Modigliani Sculpture (Augustus Edwin John) , 2005.261,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 26, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/12455. This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2005.261 People Augustus Edwin John, British, Welsh (Tenby, Wales 1878 - 1961 Fordingbridge, England) Title Still-Life with Modigliani Sculpture Classification Paintings Work Type painting Date circa 1920 Culture British Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/12455 Physical Descriptions Medium Oil on canvas Dimensions framed: 147.32 x 123.19 cm (58 x 48 1/2 in.) Inscriptions and Marks Signed: Inscribed lower right recto: John Provenance Recorded Ownership History A.C.J. Wall Esq., 1954. Arthur Tooth (acquired by Mr. Tooth, by 1974 or later). [Christie's (London), 24 November 2000, lot 29]. The Fine Art Society, sold, to Patricia Cornwell, 2002, gift; to Harvard University Art Museums, 2005. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Patricia Cornwell Copyright © Estate of Augustus Edwin John / Bridgeman Images Accession Year 2005 Object Number 2005.261 Division Modern and Contemporary Art Contact am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description A medium-sized, elaborate still-life arrangement including a Modigliani sculpture covered by a shawl, a guitar, a large book, and flowers in a pot resting on a tapestry-covered base. Commentary Augustus John was a major personality, if not the most talented painter, of early 20th-century British modernism. This work presents a rather complete and perhaps unintentionally comic record of the reception of Continental modernist trends in England, not just with the inclusion of the Modigliani sculpture but also the Matisse-like tablecloth and the nods to Manet's early Spanish-inspired paintings (the guitar and shawl). In addition, the book is reputed to represent Les Chants de Maldoror, a favorite of the artist and the virtual bible of Surrealism. Publication History John Rothenstein, Augustus John, Phaidon Press Limited (Oxford and London, 1945), fig. 90. Malcolm Easton and Michael Holroyd, Art of Augustus John (London, 1974), p. 172-173, plate 64 Exhibition History Unidentified Exhibition, Temple Newsam, 1946, Temple Newsam, 01/01/1946 - 12/31/1946 Unidentified Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, 1954, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 01/01/1954 - 12/31/1954 Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Modern and Contemporary Art at am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu
