Lot 46
**First Time At Auction**
Lowell Nesbitt (American, 1933-1993), colored lithograph of a rose, signed and dated 1982. A lovely composition by American artist Lowell Nesbitt, signed and dated by the artist on the lower right, depicting a single rose blossom. Nesbitt was one of the most notable 20th century artists who focused on floral subjects and is often associated with the Photo-Realist Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. He is best known for his large, close-up imagery of roses, irises, orchids, lilies, and other flowers where the petals are pressed to the picture plane. In a similar spirit to Georgia O'Keeffe's floral paintings, Nesbitt's works have been described as dramatic and sensual by critics. Under glass in a custom red mat and red metal frame. Size: 17.75" L x 16" W (45.1 cm x 40.6 cm); 23.5" L x 21.75" W (59.7 cm x 55.2 cm) framed
Interestingly in 1976, Mr. Nesbitt moved from his West 14th Street New York studio to a larger one at 389 West 12th Street. This location was the former site of a police stable in excess of 12,500 square feet. His new lavish studio, dubbed "The Old Stable" by Nesbitt, included an indoor swimming pool, a four-story atrium, and a rooftop entertainment area. The setting inspired many Nesbitt paintings, and the Old Stable became a popular gathering place for major players in the art world, including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Indiana, Jasper Johns, Robert Motherwell, Larry Rivers and James Rosenquist. Nesbitt's monumental studio space attracted the attention of journalists who wrote feature articles about the facility for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Architectural Digest Magazine in the late 1970s. Following Nesbitts death the "Old Stable" was purchased by fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg who lived in it and used it as her primary design studio until the early 2000s when sadly it was sold and later demolished to make space for a new high-rise building.
Nesbitt is also known for being loyal to his friend, the controversial photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. In 1964, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington granted Nesbitt one of his first museum exhibitions, and in the mid-1970's Nesbitt had decided to leave the Corcoran a bequest amounting to $1,500,000. However, Mr. Nesbitt publicly revoked the bequest in 1989 after the Corcoran controversially canceled a disputed exhibition of Robert Mapplethorpe's "sexually suggestive" photographs. Instead, Mr. Nesbitt named the Phillips Collection as his beneficiary.
Provenance: private Colorado collection, purchased in 1993 (the year Nesbitt passed away) directly from artist at his studio in New York City
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#123822
- Condition: A few tiny scratches to the frame, else excellent.
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