The
following description has been prepared entirely by the current owner, Roberts
S. Fastov, Esq., and, at the collector’s request, has not been edited by Sloans
& Kenyon
Note 1) The following Phillip
biographical materials are taken from the Askart.com website:
“Robert
Philipp was born Moses Solomon Philipp on February 2, 1895 in New York City. He
showed early talent and grew up in a family atmosphere that fed and cultivated
his creativity. At age of 15, he entered the Art Students League for four years
and then continued his training at the National Academy of Design. His teachers
at the League included George Bridgeman and Frank DuMond, and at the National
Academy he studied with Douglas Volk and George Willoughby Maynard.
Recognition came quickly to Philipp,
and his early works exhibit an eclectic range of artistic sources: Vermeer,
Rembrandt, Renoir, Bonnard, Sargent and Fantin-Latour. After the death of his
father, Philipp turned away from painting for a time and joined his uncle’s
opera company as a tenor. He eventually returned to painting and settled in
Paris, living there in the 1920's. The exact date of Paris sojourn is not
known, but he reportedly lived there for ten years, supporting himself through
the sale of his paintings.”
Back in New York in the early
1930's, Philipp was gaining a reputation for his portraits and figure studies.
His – Olympia – won the Logan prize at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1936 and
was subsequently purchase by J. Paul Getty. During the Depression, he worked
for the Public Works of Arts Project.”
“Philipp painted a wide range of
subjects that included genre, portraits, Holland, Paris, bars, nudes, clowns,
flowers and coasts. His style employed an often-unusual use of color that
although different, seemed intriguing and appropriate to the composition. He
favored subjects of leisure often depicting scenes such as ladies in a balcony
enjoying a show, girls in interiors reading, a night out, a stroll in the park.
Although often overlooked by art scholars today, Philipp was universally
appreciated during his lifetime. He conveyed his subjects with a certain
sensitivity and understanding that his viewers could relate to.
Philipp taught at the High Museum of
Art, 1946; University of Illinois, 1940; Art Students' League of New York and
the National Academy of design. He was also elected an associate of the
National Academy and later full Academician of the National Academy of Design.
He won numerous awards during his life including the third Hallgarten Prize,
1922; prizes from the National Academy of Design, 1947 and 1951; Laguna Beach
Art Association prize; medal prize, Art Institute of Chicago, 1936; IBM, 1939;
bronze medal, Allied Artists of America, 1958 and others.”
“Philipp, as a teacher at the Art
Students League for over thirty years and at the National Academy for sixteen
years, was an important influence on American art. As a teacher, he was well
known for his attention to color and his constant emphasis on the importance of
drawing. He was a member of the Lotus Club, National Academy of Design and
Royal Society of Arts.”
Philipp's works are in the collections of a number of prominent
museums, including the Corcoran Gallery, Washington, D.C.; High Museum,
Atlanta, Georgia; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Dallas Museum, Texas;
Metropolitan Museum of Art, National
Academy of Design Museum and
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City.
Note 2) The
foregoing Philipp biographical information; the fact that this painting is a
well-executed, sensitive, attractive portrait study of the wife of his friend,
Max Kalish, and is esthetically appealing; in good condition; and attractively
framed and the following auction
records regarding Philipp sales warrant the conclusion that the presale
estimate of $2,000-$5,000 is reasonable and justifiable. The highest auction
price ever paid for a Philipp painting was $28,000 on 10/10/2007.
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