Anna Mary Robertson Grandma Moses (American, 1860-1961) Farm in Autumn 13 3/8 x 27 3/16 in. (34.0 x 69.0 cm) (framed 20 x 34 in. (under glass))
Anna Mary Robertson "Grandma" Moses (American, 1860-1961)
Farm in Autumn signed 'MOSES.' (lower left), titled, dated to 1941, and numbered '222' on the artist's studio label (affixed to the reverse), inscribed 'Hammer #22328-29' on an unattributed label (affixed to the reverse), inscribed 'Mrs. T.S. Moses/Eaglebridge/...' (on the reverse), and with the copyright stamp of Grandma Moses Properties, Inc., New York (applied to the reverse)oil on Masonite13 3/8 x 27 3/16 in. (34.0 x 69.0 cm)framed 20 x 34 in. (under glass)
ProvenanceLouis J. Caldor (acquired from the artist, 1941)Galerie St. Etienne, New YorkGalerie St. Etienne and Hammer Galleries, New York (as of 1972)Private Collection, Connecticut (acquired from the above, 1973)Neal Auction Gallery, New Orleans, October 12, 2002, lot 421Private Collection, New York (acquired from the above)LiteratureOtto Kallir, Grandma Moses (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1973), Catalogue of the Works, No. 120.N.B.The copyright for Grandma Moses's works is reserved to Grandma Moses Properties Co., New York.The story of Grandma Moses's "discovery" reads like a fairy tale. Born in 1860, just before the outbreak of the Civil War, Anna Mary Robertson "Grandma" Moses grew up on a farm in Eagle Bridge in upstate New York, near the Vermont border. By at the age of 12 she was employed doing housekeeping and various farm chores for a wealthier family in the area. While she enjoyed drawing even as a child, it was not until her 70s that she began painting in earnest. By this time her husband had died, and she found many of the chores of her younger days difficult. Her subjects harkened back to the days of her youth and as a young farmwife. She began at first to work scenes in embroideries, which she called "worsteds," but as needlework became more difficult to manage, she turned solely to painting in oil and in tempera.In 1938 collector Louis Caldor discovered her works in the window of a local drug store in Hoosic Falls, New York, near Eagle Bridge. He purchased the entire group, and eventually showed his finds to Otto Kallir of the Galerie St. Etienne in 1940. Otto Kallir became Grandma Moses's dealer and champion, holding her first one-person show. By 1945 Hallmark had purchased the rights to several images to create Christmas cards. Although marketing her works was the furthest possible idea from the artist's mind, Grandma Moses's arrival in the art market couldn't have been better. On the heels of the Depression and at the outbreak of World War II, her images of the joys of simple, country life delighted audiences at a moment when current events were overwhelming. Based on her own experiences on the farm, her cheerful recollections of simple country life filled with seasonal activities soared in popularity, propelled in part by nostalgia of Americans for the rural past. The anecdotal subjects were perfect for lifting the public's spirits, and her fame and popularity grew. She was on the cover of both Time and Life magazines and was even interviewed by Edward R. Murrow.
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Anna Mary Robertson "Grandma" Moses (American, 1860-1961)
Farm in Autumn signed 'MOSES.' (lower left), titled, dated to 1941, and numbered '222' on the artist's studio label (affixed to the reverse), inscribed 'Hammer #22328-29' on an unattributed label (affixed to the reverse), inscribed 'Mrs. T.S. Moses/Eaglebridge/...' (on the reverse), and with the copyright stamp of Grandma Moses Properties, Inc., New York (applied to the reverse)oil on Masonite13 3/8 x 27 3/16 in. (34.0 x 69.0 cm)framed 20 x 34 in. (under glass)
ProvenanceLouis J. Caldor (acquired from the artist, 1941)Galerie St. Etienne, New YorkGalerie St. Etienne and Hammer Galleries, New York (as of 1972)Private Collection, Connecticut (acquired from the above, 1973)Neal Auction Gallery, New Orleans, October 12, 2002, lot 421Private Collection, New York (acquired from the above)LiteratureOtto Kallir, Grandma Moses (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1973), Catalogue of the Works, No. 120.N.B.The copyright for Grandma Moses's works is reserved to Grandma Moses Properties Co., New York.The story of Grandma Moses's "discovery" reads like a fairy tale. Born in 1860, just before the outbreak of the Civil War, Anna Mary Robertson "Grandma" Moses grew up on a farm in Eagle Bridge in upstate New York, near the Vermont border. By at the age of 12 she was employed doing housekeeping and various farm chores for a wealthier family in the area. While she enjoyed drawing even as a child, it was not until her 70s that she began painting in earnest. By this time her husband had died, and she found many of the chores of her younger days difficult. Her subjects harkened back to the days of her youth and as a young farmwife. She began at first to work scenes in embroideries, which she called "worsteds," but as needlework became more difficult to manage, she turned solely to painting in oil and in tempera.In 1938 collector Louis Caldor discovered her works in the window of a local drug store in Hoosic Falls, New York, near Eagle Bridge. He purchased the entire group, and eventually showed his finds to Otto Kallir of the Galerie St. Etienne in 1940. Otto Kallir became Grandma Moses's dealer and champion, holding her first one-person show. By 1945 Hallmark had purchased the rights to several images to create Christmas cards. Although marketing her works was the furthest possible idea from the artist's mind, Grandma Moses's arrival in the art market couldn't have been better. On the heels of the Depression and at the outbreak of World War II, her images of the joys of simple, country life delighted audiences at a moment when current events were overwhelming. Based on her own experiences on the farm, her cheerful recollections of simple country life filled with seasonal activities soared in popularity, propelled in part by nostalgia of Americans for the rural past. The anecdotal subjects were perfect for lifting the public's spirits, and her fame and popularity grew. She was on the cover of both Time and Life magazines and was even interviewed by Edward R. Murrow.
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