ZOLTAN SEPESHY TEMPERA ON BOARD, 1941, "SUNTAN"

ZOLTAN SEPESHY (HUNGARY/AMER, 1898-74), TEMPERA ON BOARD, 1941, H 14.5" W 19.5" "SUNTAN" Signed lower left. "Sepeshy". Scene depicts, a first person perspective of the artist painting sunbathers by a lake (likely Sepeshy's summer home on Lake Michigan in the city of Frankfurt, MI). This work, and the preliminary sketches, are illustrated on p.52 and 53 of Sepeshy's book "Tempera Painting" published in 1946. Exhibited at the Detroit Institute of Arts in 1941. Exhibition label on verso on which the work is entitled "Suntan". Above the label (in the artist's hand) with return address "From: Z. Sepeshy, 1 Acadmy Rd. Bloomfield Hills, MICH.". Zoltan Sepeshy became an instructor at Cranbrook (Bloomfield Hills, MI) in 1930 and was a resident-artist in 1933. After the death of Eliel Saarinen in 1946, he became Director of Cranbrook and, in 1959 he was appointed President until his retirement in 1966. Provenance: Collection of the artist 1941 - 1948. According to the family, this work was likely sold, traded, or gifted in 1948 to Sepeshy's colleague and friend Laurence Schmeckebier (1906-1984). Schmekebier was a sculptor, Professor of Art History, and Director of The Cleveland Institute of Art (1946-1954). In 1954, Schmeckebier became the Dean of the School of Art at Syracuse University where he curated the first retrospective (in which this work was included) of Sepeshy's work and wrote the accompanying catalogue: "Zoltan Sepeshy, Forty Years Of His Work". In 1975, Schmeckebier curated: "Memorial Exhibition: Adolph Gottlieb, Leon Kroll, Zoltan Sepeshy, Moses Soyer ". This work remained in his collection until his death in 1984 and has been consigned by a descendent. Exhibitions: Detroit Institute of Arts: 1941, Annual Exhibition; Syracuse University: 1975, "Zoltan Sepeshy: Forty Years Of His Work.
Dimensions: 19.5 x 14.5 in
Condition Report: Pristine. No evidence of damage, repairs, or restoration of any kind. Whilst the work is no longer in it's original frame, the family did keep the original backing paper having the Detroit Institute of Arts exhibition label and return address label of the artist.