GERRIT HONDIUS Dutch / American, 1891–1970 Portrait in Melancholy, circa 1952 Watercolor / Ink on paper Monochrome work. Signed "GH" lower left. Framed. Not examined out of frame. Sight (as matted): $150-200
ARTIST PROFILE: Gerrit Hondius (1891–1970) was a Dutch-born expressionist painter who, after studying at the Royal Academy in The Hague, fled Europe for the United States in 1915 and became a prominent figure in the New York and Provincetown art scenes. Refining his craft at the Art Students League under Max Weber and Andrew Dasburg, Hondius developed an ambitious, somber style that earned him frequent exhibitions at the Whitney Museum between 1924 and 1945. His work, particularly his circus-themed paintings, was noted for its "melancholic" temperament and a subtle, pictorial complexity that favored twisted arabesques and shifting light over mere decoration. Today, his legacy is preserved in several major institutions, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Archives of American Art, which houses his personal papers.
