11-14-200811-15-2008
Skinner Auctions
Skinner AuctionsBoston MA
2432Boston
November 14, 2008 04:00 PMCalender
225

Lois Mailou Jones (American, 1905-1998) Harbor View/ Martha's Vineyard

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Auction: American & European Works of Art - 2432Location: BostonDate / Time: November 14, 2008 4:00PM

Description:

Lois Mailou Jones (American, 1905-1998)

Harbor View/ Martha's Vineyard
Signed and dated "Lois Mailou Jones 36" l.r.
Watercolor and graphite on paper, sheet size 16 3/4 x 21 7/8 in. (42.5 x 55.6 cm),unframed.
Condition: Pinholes to corners, restored tear, paper losses, subtle toning, hinged to backing mat.

Provenance: Purchased from the artist.

N.B. Martha's Vineyard held great importance for Lois Mailou Jones's artistic development, both in terms of its community and scenery. As a child, Jones spent summers in Edgartown where her maternal grandmother resided, and later Oak Bluffs at the Jones' family retreat. (1) The Vineyard was also where she met the African-American sculptor Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, who inspired her to become a professional artist, and where she held her first solo exhibition at the age of seventeen. (2) Of her early visits to the Vineyard, Jones recalled several decades later, "Looking out onto the ocean-smelling the salt air…was breathtaking… the beauty of the landscape and the ocean were overwhelming…I think that my experiences on the Vineyard interested me in painting and have motivated me to paint the beauty of the island even to this day." (3) Jones continued to paint views around Menemsha, and eventually opened a gallery studio in Edgartown in 1988. (4)

(1) Benjamin, Tritobia Hayes. The Life and Art of Lois Mailou Jones. Rohnert Park: Pomegranate Artbooks, 1994. Pg. 4.
(2) Ibid, 125.
(3) Ibid, 5.
(4) Ibid, 129.


Estimate $3,000-5,000

Restored tear in u.l. quadrant approx. 4 1/4"L, paper losses primarily to l.l. quadrant.

Keywords

Lois Mailou Jones, Vineyard, Jones, Edgartown, Ibid, Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, professional artist , several decades