Description:

Martha Wright Ambrose (American/New Orleans, 1914-2000), "Tujague's Restaurant, Decatur St., French Quarter", watercolor on paper, signed lower right, 15 in. x 22 1/4 in., framed. Note: Only recently were the works of Martha Wright Ambrose discovered by a friend, Scott Veazey, who had purchased the late artist’s former home. In it he found countless oils and watercolors spanning the arc of the elusive artist’s career. The discovery of such a sizeable collection naturally led to academic and art historical interest, and the late Ambrose would become the subject of an overdue and impressive monograph, a joint effort between renowned local author, Roulhac Toledano, and Veazey published in 2016. Guatemalan-born Ambrose moved to New Orleans at the age of eight and started formally studying art in 1931 after winning a yearlong scholarship to the New Orleans Arts and Crafts Club’s art school. This twist of fate would pique her interest in art and change the trajectory of her life. Ambrose moved to New York with the thought of pursuing acting, but she soon abandoned those ambitions and enrolled at the Art Students League in 1944, eventually meeting Jack Ambrose and marrying him in 1946. Upon her return to New Orleans, Ambrose struggled as her artistic ambitions were quelled by predominating social norms and the pressure to be a housewife. It would be the unfortunate event of the death of her husband, Jack, in 1961 that would provide Ambrose with the freedom to pursue her passion for art. Ambrose’s works cover many decades and subject matters from local city scenes documenting New Orleans architecture, as seen the lot offered here, to portraits, to her travels around the world. As she was relatively unknown during her lifetime, Ambrose’s works very rarely become available. Ref.: Toledano, Roulhac, and Scott Veazey. Martha Wright Ambrose (1914-2000): the Rediscovery of a Southern Regional Artist. Lafayette: University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press, 2016.

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November 18, 2017 10:00 AM CST
New Orleans, LA, US

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