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Artist or Maker: John White Alexander (1856-1915)

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Description: John White Alexander (1856-1915)
Silhouette of a Young Girl
signed 'J.W. Alexander' (lower left)
charcoal on paper
14½ x 10¾ in. (36.8 x 27.3 cm.)

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Provenance: Grand Central Art Galleries, New York.
Acquired by the present owner from the above, 1990.

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Exhibited: New York, Grand Central Art Galleries, Inc., La Femme: The Influence of Whistler and Japanese Print Masters on American Art 1880-1917 , October 26-December 30, 1983, no. 24.
St. Petersburg, Florida, Museum of Fine Arts, In the American Spirit: Realism and Impressionism from the Lawrence Collection , March 21-June 13, 1999, no. 1.

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Notes: Property from the Samuel B. and Marion W. Lawrence Collection

On occasion, Christie's has a direct financial interest in lots consigned for sale which may include guaranteeing a minimum price or making an advance to the consignor that is secured solely by consigned property. This is such a lot. This indicates both in cases where Christie's holds the financial interest on its own, and in cases where Christie's has financed all or a part of such interest through a third party. Such third parties generally benefit financially if a guaranteed lot is sold successfully and may incur a loss if the sale is not successful.
Jennifer Hardin writes of the present work, "A Whistlerian aesthetic is at work in Alexander's Silhouette of a Young Girl , a charcoal that is exemplary of Alexander's subject and style. It is crisp and distinct, from the gesture of the woman's hands on her hips and the position of her fingers to the folds of her bodice and skirt. The pose is unusual, for the face's profile is almost lost. It affirms that this work is not a portrait but an aestheticized treatment, a harmony in buff, grey, and ebony. Like many paintings from the century's turn, it has its subjects as woman, exquisite and unidentifiable." ( In the American Spirit: Realism and Impressionism from the Lawrence Collection , exhibition catalogue, St. Petersburg, Florida, 1999, pp. 29-30)

The present work will be included in John White Alexander's catalogue raisonné being compiled by Mary Anne Goley.