FROM 1st EXHIBITION! HARRY SEFARBI ABSTRACT 1950’s PAINTING NEVER SEEN UNTIL NOW

FROM VERY 1st EXHIBITION! HARRY SEFARBI ABSTRACT 1950’s MODERNIST PAINTING NEVER SEEN UNTIL NOW. IN THE SAME FAMILY FOR OVER 60 YEARS. Important Provenance: This painting by important mid-century abstract artist, Harry Sefarbi, (1917 -2009) came from his very first exhibition. Here is the fascinating provenance told directly by my client: “My mother went to graduate school at U. of Penn with Harry Sefarbi’s wife, Ruth. The Sefarbis and my family were all friends together in Philly at that time. My parents attended Harry’s first solo show — I think this was around 1956 — and both fell in love with the same painting. I don’t recall the price, although $500.00 nudges at the edge of memory. In any case, my folks could not afford the painting, but Harry told them to take it anyway and pay him $5.00 at a time for as long as it took. Isn’t that sweet? A couple of years later my parents moved to Wilkes-Barre, and no one in the Philadelphia art world has laid eyes on it since. I went to a large posthumous Sefarbi show at the Wayne Art Center a few years ago, and the one I own is bang in the mode. I also got to meet his daughter, who is my age — we had heard about each other for years, so it was like recognizing an old friend, although we had never met before.” Never before today on the market! An original Harry Sefarbi oil painting from his very first 1950’s solo exhibition! Expressionist oil painting on board – signed. “Harry always built his own frames; I don’t think the painting can be removed from the frame, in fact.” The overall piece, including the frame, measures 28″ x 20″. The painting itself measures 24″ x 16″. Artist Biography  (1917-2009) – Harry Sefarbi was active/lived in Pennsylvania. He is known for modernist nude and landscape painting, and his teaching influence. The American artist, Harry Sefarbi, was born in Chester, Pennsylvania in 1917. After serving in the infantry in World War II, (and earning a bronze star), he returned to Philadelphia. He attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. and, in 1947, he enrolled in the two-year course at the Barnes Foundation, developed by the brilliant scientist and art collector, Dr. Albert C. Barnes.    Sefarbi went to Europe in 1950.  He lived and painted in Paris, studied at the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere, and traveled widely.  In 1953, he was offered a teaching position at the Barnes Foundation. He accepted, and again returned to Philadelphia. He established his studio in Powelton Village, while continuing to teach at the Barnes Foundation until 2008. Sefarbi remained committed throughout his life to the philosophy and teaching methods developed at the Barnes Foundation. Sefarbi exhibited his work in one-man and group shows throughout his life.  He had solo exhibitions at the Friends Neighborhood Guild in Philadelphia Pa (1958, 1964), the Green Hill in Lower Merion, PA (1970, 1976) and the Woodmere Art Museum (1984, 1991, and 2002). His work is known for his use of color and pattern,  his witty subject matter, and unique narrative style. The medium is primarily oil on canvas or board, but he also created works in crayon and watercolor. Sefarbi made the frames for many of his paintings, frequently using an innovative «floating» design to set off his works. Numerous private collectors and galleries own Sefarbi’s paintings. Dr. Barnes purchased a 1949 Sefarbi portrait and added it to the collection in 1950, hanging it in Room IX. Sefarbi’s paintings are also owned by galleries such as the Woodmere Art Museum, and Newmann & Saunders Galleries. This painting will be shipped via UPS Store. Shipping cost quoted here is approximate it may be higher or lower depending on location.