116 - LOUIS MICHEL EILSHEMIUS (AMERICAN 1864-1941)

LOUIS MICHEL EILSHEMIUS (AMERICAN 1864-1941) Wood Nymph, ca, 1915 oil on fiberboard 76 x 51 cm (30 x 20 1/8 in.) framed dimensions: 91.9 x 67.2 cm (36 1/4 x 26 1/2 in.) signed lower right Joseph H. Hirshhorn collection label on verso PROVENANCE Joseph Hirshhorn, New York, July 21, 1945-May 17, 1966 Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., gift of the above, 1966 Sold by the order of the trustees to benefit the acquisition fund, Sothebys May 30, 2001 Private Collection, Virginia (acquired at the above sale) LOT NOTES Born in Arlington, New Jersey, and trained at the Art Students League and in Paris, Eilshemius spent decades ignored by the art establishment. In 1917 Marcel Duchamp “discovered” him at the Society of Independent Artists exhibition. From about 1909 he began painting his pictures inside ornamental painted borders, like the ochre surround here, which makes his work instantly recognizable. Joseph H. Hirshhorn called Eilshemius his first great love in art. He gave the Hirshhorn Museum hundreds of his paintings, and the museum held a retrospective of the artist in 1978. Wood Nymph shows his favorite subject: a dreamy nude resting beside a waterfall in a wild, imagined landscape. Keywords: Louis Eilshemius, Hirshhorn Collection, American Outsider Artist, Eilshemius Nude, Marcel Duchamp, American Visionary Painting N.B. Condition reports are available upon request. All lots are sold in as-is condition at the time of sale. Please note that any condition statement regarding works of art is given as a courtesy to our clients in order to assist them in assessing the condition. The report is a genuine opinion held by Shapiro Auctions & Appraisals LLC and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report or a photograph does not preclude the absence of defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Shapiro Auctions & Appraisals, LLC., including its consultants and agents, shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.