Carlyle Brown (1920-1963), Portrait of Margery (Mrs. Carlyle Brown)

Carlyle Brown (1920-1963)
Portrait of Margery (Mrs. Carlyle Brown)
signed and dated 'CARLYLE BROWN/48' (lower left)
oil on canvas-board, unframed
10 x 8 in. (25.3 x 20.3 cm.)

Provenance

Purchased by Edward James directly from the artist in September 1948.

Carlyle Brown and Edward James
The American artist Carlyle Brown was born in 1920 in California. His foremost mentor in the early years of his career was Pavel Tchelitchew, who had moved to New York following the outbreak of war and to whom Brown had written in admiration and for artistic advice at the start of his military service between 1942-5. It was Tchelitchew who recommended his protégé Brown to Edward James. James would subsequently become one of Brown?s most important patrons. In 1947 James attended Brown?s wedding to the Vogue model Margery Hulett and invited the pair to stay at West Dean. Carlyle and Margery Brown set sail in February 1948 and stayed until September. Brown is said to have been thrilled to find some old palettes and paints left there by Salvador Dalí (indeed a surrealist influence is evident in some of the artist?s later works). Through Brown, the couple met Cecil Beaton who included Margery in one of his celebrated photographs of eight models wearing Charles James dresses in 1948. Whilst Edward James was not at West Dean during the Browns? stay, correspondence between them in the Edward James Foundation?s archive reveals that the relationship became somewhat strained at times, particularly over Brown?s behaviour whilst there, his lack of gratitude and Margery?s attitude towards James? criticism of her husband?s work. After his stay at West Dean, Brown moved to Italy where he would stay until the end of his life. Brown?s initial destination, the small town of Costafabbri, had been a recommendation of James?, with whom by the autumn of 1949 Brown had repaired relations.