Croquet
Signed lower right: Sally / Michel 1975
Description
Exhibited through the U.S. Department of State’s Art in Embassies Program while with Wallace Wentworth Gallery, Croquet reflects the quiet elegance and keen observational eye that characterize the work of Sally Michel (also known as Sally Avery). Depicting two figures engaged in a game of croquet on a lush green lawn, the painting captures an intimate moment of leisure through Michel’s refined sense of color, composition, and atmosphere. A significant figure in American modernism, Michel often found inspiration in everyday life, transforming familiar scenes into harmonious arrangements of shape and hue. In Croquet, the artist’s interest in human activity within the landscape is evident, creating a work that is both serene and engaging, and representative of her distinctive artistic voice.
Provenance
With Wallace Wentworth Gallery, Washington, DC
To Arethusa Farm, Litchfield, CT
Possibly passed down through the Webster family, former owners of Arethusa Farm, Litchfield, CT
To collection of George Malkemus and Anthony Yurgaitis
Private Collection, Newburyport, MA to present
Inscriptions
1). (verso, red): “Croquet” / by / Sally Michel / oil / 1975 / 42 x 50
Labels
1). U.S. Department of State / Art in Embassies Program / Room B-258 / Washington, D.C. 20520 / (202) 647-5723 / No: 1989.43 / Titl: Croquet / Artist: Sally Michel / Medium: oil on canvas / Size: 42 x 50 / Owner: Wallace Wentworth Gallery
Exhibitions
Literature
Condition
Very good. Unlined. Very little inpaint visible under UV light. Small area of inpaint bottom left, and thin vertical line top center. 3 x 4 inch patch verso lower left from roughly 3-inch z-shaped tear (above signature recto) that has been professionally repaired and conserved.
Frame Details
Description
Exhibited through the U.S. Department of State’s Art in Embassies Program while with Wallace Wentworth Gallery, Croquet reflects the quiet elegance and keen observational eye that characterize the work of Sally Michel (also known as Sally Avery). Depicting two figures engaged in a game of croquet on a lush green lawn, the painting captures an intimate moment of leisure through Michel’s refined sense of color, composition, and atmosphere. A significant figure in American modernism, Michel often found inspiration in everyday life, transforming familiar scenes into harmonious arrangements of shape and hue. In Croquet, the artist’s interest in human activity within the landscape is evident, creating a work that is both serene and engaging, and representative of her distinctive artistic voice.
Provenance
With Wallace Wentworth Gallery, Washington, DC
To Arethusa Farm, Litchfield, CT
Possibly passed down through the Webster family, former owners of Arethusa Farm, Litchfield, CT
To collection of George Malkemus and Anthony Yurgaitis
Private Collection, Newburyport, MA to present
Inscriptions
1). (verso, red): “Croquet” / by / Sally Michel / oil / 1975 / 42 x 50
Labels
1). U.S. Department of State / Art in Embassies Program / Room B-258 / Washington, D.C. 20520 / (202) 647-5723 / No: 1989.43 / Titl: Croquet / Artist: Sally Michel / Medium: oil on canvas / Size: 42 x 50 / Owner: Wallace Wentworth Gallery
Exhibitions
Literature
Condition
Very good. Unlined. Very little inpaint visible under UV light. Small area of inpaint bottom left, and thin vertical line top center. 3 x 4 inch patch verso lower left from roughly 3-inch z-shaped tear (above signature recto) that has been professionally repaired and conserved.
