Eugene Alexander Montgomery - Sears VP Portrait

Portrait painting by American artist Eugene Alexander Montgomery depicting Howard A. Benthin, Vice President and Comptroller of Sears, Roebuck and Co. The formal seated portrait shows Benthin dressed in a dark business suit with red tie, rendered in Montgomery's traditional mid-20th-century portrait style. Oil on linen. Signed lower left by the artist. The reverse retains a handwritten identification label reading "Portrait of Mr. Howard A. Benthin / Painted by: Gene A. Montgomery / Oil on linen," along with a presentation plaque recognizing Benthin's years of service and leadership at Sears, Roebuck and Co. Benthin served as Vice President and Comptroller of Sears and became a company director in 1963.
42" x 34 1/2" framed.
Eugene Alexander Montgomery (1905-2001) was an American portrait painter, illustrator, and muralist born in Port Arthur, Texas. He moved to Chicago in the 1920s and studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Montgomery developed a long career as both a commercial illustrator and portrait artist and was known especially for commissioned portraits. His work included portraits for institutions such as Northwestern University, Notre Dame University, and Sears, Roebuck and Co.; Sears began commissioning portraits from him in 1939. He was also a member of the All-Illinois Society of the Fine Arts.