Description:

Clementine Hunter (American/Louisiana, 1886-1987), "Boating Party", oil on board, unsigned, "Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts" and "The Saturday Gallery" labels en verso, 14 1/2 in. x 21 in., framed. Ill.: Shiver, Art and Tom Whitehead. Clementine Hunter: Her Life and Art. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2012, fig. 27, p. 102. Exh.: "Saturday Gallery", St. Louis, MO, Nov. 17 - Dec. 22, 1952; "People's Art Center, St. Louis, MO, Jan. 12 - Jan. 31, 1953. Note: “… [S]he paints entirely from within herself, from a deathless world where she has re-awakened the magic of the child’s vision. In this world, shapes of vivid color and entranced gayety or gravity have triumphed over the harsh realities of her life, while still partaking of some of their inner essence.” – Clarence John Laughlin Photographer Clarence John Laughlin was quite taken by Clementine Hunter when he wrote the above memo after meeting the artist in 1952. His enthusiasm for her artwork drove him to reach out to gallery owner, Armand Winfield in Saint Louis, Missouri. Winfield agreed to exhibit twenty of Hunter’s best works in what would become her first major exhibition outside of Louisiana. From November 17 to December 22, 1952, her colorful paintings were shown at Winfield’s Saturday Gallery and would then be loaned to the People’s Art Center, the first integrated art gallery in Saint Louis, from January 12 through January 31, 1953. The painting offered here, entitled “Boating Party,” was one of the group of paintings exhibited in both Saint Louis shows. Afterwards, it was sent to Philadelphia as an entry to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art’s 148th Annual Exhibition of American Painting and Sculpture. Perhaps deterred by her lack of artistic pedigree, the work was then rejected by the committee, which certainly seems an oversight today, as Hunter would go on to be considered one of the premier American folk artists. This work remains an important moment in the retrospective of Hunter’s career and is an excellent example of her earliest painting, a rich composition that provides more detail and depth upon each viewing. Ref.: Shiver, Art and Tom Whitehead. Clementine Hunter: Her Life and Art. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2011. pp. 99-102.

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