Framed 52 3/4 x 43 3/4 inches
artist
Baltimore born William Paxton moved with his family to Newton Corner in the mid-1870s. At age 18 he was awarded a scholarship to the Cowles Art School in Boston, studying under Dennis Miller Bunker. He later studied in Paris with Jean-Léon Gérôme, and upon returning to Boston, continued his studies with Joseph DeCamp at Cowles.
Paxton co-founded the Guild of Boston Artists and taught at the Museum School from 1906 to 1913. His work is admired for its meticulous attention to light and detail, especially in the portrayal of flesh and fabric. His portraits often featured idealized young women in beautiful interiors. In 1928, Paxton was elected a full member of the National Academy of Design.
Paxton was working on his final painting, a view of his living room, when he suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 72.
provenance
Christie's, NY, December 1992
Private collection acquired from the above 1992-2023
Bonhams Auction, NY November 2023
Private collection, acquired from the above
exhibitions
National Academy of Design, NY., Winter Exhibition, November-December 1924, no. 188.
The Corcoran Gallery of Art,Washington, D.C., 14th Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Oil Paintings, March 24–May 5, 1935
Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia PA., 131st Annual Exhibition, January 26-March 1, 1936, p. 17, no. 128. (as Nellie Looks Down on Phryne)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston MA., Works of William McGregor Paxton, N.A., Memorial Exhibition of Paintings, November 19-December 14, 1941, p. 20, no. 43. (as Nellie and Phryne)
literature
"Pennsylvania Academy Shows Orthodox Art: Conservative Tradition Upheld in 119th Annual—Only a Few Moderns Creep In—Excellent Showing of Sculpture," The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, New York, February 17, 1924, vol. 84, no. 47, sec. B, p. 2B.
Boston Traveler, March 18, 1924. E. L., "Philadelphia Likes Pictures of Nudes: For the Third Time in Four Years Popular Prize at the Academy Show Goes to Such a Painting,"
The Art News, New York, March 29, 1924, vol. XXII, no. 25, p. 1.
Philadelphia Public Ledger, March 29, 1924. E. Castello, "Art in Philadelphia,"
The American Magazine of Art, New York, May 1924, vol. 15, no. 5, p. 269.
H.A. Read, "The Winter Academy," The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, New York, November 23, 1924, vol. 84, no. 327, sec. B, p. 2B. "Paxton Nude Wins Corcoran Prize: Boston Artist First in Popularity Voting for Fourth Time.,"
The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., April 30, 1935, no. 33,236, p. A-2. (as Nellie Looks Down on Phryne) "'Nellie,' the Nude, Steals the Corcoran Art Show From 'Red Moore,' Another Smitty,"
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, New York, May 8, 1935, yr. 94, no. 127, p. 19. (as Nellie Looks Down on Phryne)
E.W. Lee, M.F. Krause, Jr., R.H. Ives Gammel, William McGregor Paxton, 1869-1941, exhibition catalogue, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1979, p. 115. P.H.
Falk, A.A. Bien, eds., The Annual Exhibition Record of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts: Volume III, 1914-1968, Madison, Connecticut, 1989, pp. 362-63, nos. 25, 128. (as Phryne and Nellie Looks Down on Phryne)
