Beschreibung:

Thomas Hart Benton "Oil Well" watercolor, gouache,
watercolor on paper, c. 1928. Sheet: 12"H x 20"W; Frame: 21"H x 29"W. PROVENANCE: Christie's New York: June 5, 1997 (Lot 00086); From the Collection of Sam Wyly, Dallas, Texas. EXHIBITED: "Thomas Hart Benton: Paintings and Works on Paper," Hammer Galleries, New York. March 15 - April 19, 2004. LITERATURE: Dr. Henry Adams, "Thomas Hart Benton: Paintings and Works on Paper, March 15 - April 19th, 2004," Hammer Galleries, New York, pp. 30-31 (illustrated in color, p. 31). RELATED WORK: "Louisiana Rice Fields," tempera with oil glaze on canvas mounted on panel, 30" x 48", The Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn, NY. NOTE: In the summer of 1928, Benton set out on another sketching expedition, this time taking along student, Bill Hayden. In August of that summer, the two men had made it to Louisiana. While there, Benton made ten to fifteen sketches depicting the harvest in the rice fields. Benton produced the tempera painting, "Louisiana Rice Fields," in 1928 based on these sketches. The piece was shown at the Delphic Galleries in October of 1929 and was later acquired by the Brooklyn Museum. The present work repeats the composition of the Brooklyn's tempera, with slight variations in the way objects sit in space. These variations indicate that Benton made it while he was still evolving the design of the painting and they confirm the attribution of this piece to Benton. We would like to thank Dr. Henry Adams, the Ruth Coulter Heede Professor of Art History at Case Western Reserve University, for his assistance in authenticating and cataloguing this lot. Thomas Hart Benton (American, 1889-1975). Please note: We will not be accepting bids on this lot via internet bidding. Please contact the gallery to register for bidding.