oil on canvas 84 h × 77 w in (213 × 196 cm)
Hilla Rebay, who studied art in Germany, moved to America in 1927 where she was commissioned by Solomon R. Guggenheim to paint his portrait. The two quickly became friends and Rebay inspired Guggenheim to begin collecting non-objective art, including the works of Albert Gleizes, Fernand Léger, and László Moholy-Nagy. With Rebay’s assistance, Guggenheim founded his world-renowned museum, naming Rebay as the institution’s first director and curator. It was Rebay who wrote to Frank Lloyd Wright, asking him to build "a temple to non-objectivity", thus giving New York one of its most important landmarks.
Signed to lower right 'Rebay'.
provenance: Estate of Hilla Rebay | Gary Snyder Fine Art, New York | Private collection, Chicago
exhibited: Hilla Rebay and the Museum of Non-Objective Painting, 18 May - 24 June 2005, DC Moore Gallery, New York Hill Rebay: Paintings and Collages, 10 April - 12 May 1962, French & Company, Inc., New York
