Esteban Vicente Gouache and Pastel Drawing

A fantastic and beautiful Esteban Vicente abstract expressionist drawing from the late 1950s. Exhibited at Leo Castelli (4 E.77th st. Gallery). Purchased from an artist friend of Vicente. A note about the artist: Vicente had his first one-man exhibition in Madrid in 1928, after which he left for Paris and did not return to Spain until 1930. In 1935 he married Estelle Charney, an American whom he had met in Paris. After the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 Vicente, supporting the Loyalist forces, painted camouflage in the mountains outside Madrid for a few months. Later that year he and his wife moved to New York. The (Loyalist) Spanish Ambassador to the U.S. set him up as a Vice Consul in Philadelphia, a position which supported his family for three years. Vicente had ample time to continue with his art and had his first one-man show in New York at the Kleeman Gallery in 1937. After the fall of the Spanish Republic in 1939 he returned to New York City. During World War II he supported himself with portrait commissions and by teaching Spanish. A 1945 exhibition in Puerto Rico led in 1946 to a position at the University of Puerto Rico teaching painting. After his return to New York in 1947 he established relationships with most of the members of the nascent New York School, participating in their seminal exhibitions at the Kootz Gallery in 1950, in the 9th Street Art Exhibition in 1951 and in exhibitions at the Sidney Janis Gallery and Charles Egan Gallery. Subsequently he was represented by the Leo Castelli, André Emmerich and Berry-Hill Galleries in New York City. He was a founding member of the New York Studio School, where he taught for 36 years. Although he never exhibited in Spain during the rule of Francisco Franco, in 1998 the Spanish government opened the Esteban Vicente Museum of Contemporary Art in Segovia. Vicente maintained a house and studio in Bridgehampton, New York from 1964. His marriage to Estelle Charney ended in divorce in 1943. Their daughter Mercedes, died at aged six. A second marriage, to Maria Teresa Babin, also ended in divorce. Vicente died in Bridgehampton on January 10, 2001.

Height: 22 in (55.88 cm) Width: 30 in (76.2 cm) Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)

Wear consistent with age and use. very good condition, original pin holes, original frame, gallery label.