Description: About this work: “Portrait of a Fashionable Gentleman, 1888” by Aleksander Augustynowicz (Polish, 1865-1944) A very fine and scarce oil painting by one of the leading Polish artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. This mesmerizing work was painted in 1888, when Augustynowicz studied in Munich under Simon Hollosy. Hollosy, like many Polish artists, travelled to Munich to study at the academy. However, he criticized the academy’s tradition of teaching based on copying classical models. This led to Hollosy founding his own private art school, where he taught talented young artists, like Augustynowicz, innovative ways to create realistic portrayals. These new, non-academic methods were based on trends in French painting, courtesy of artists such as Courbet. This fantastic portrait is one of the only recorded examples of Augustynowicz’s work from this critical year in 1888. It is also once of the relatively few oil paintings the artist produced, compared to his output in watercolor. This work is oil on canvas and is signed and dated in the lower left. It is housed in a later wood frame. An old, indiscernible paper label is affixed to the back of the canvas. Size: 20 1/8 inches tall by 16 1/8 inches wide (painting) 24 inches tall by 20 inches wide by 1 3/4 inches deep (frame) Provenance: Private collection, US; Acquired from the above About the artist: Aleksander Augustynowicz was born in 1865 and died in 1944 during the Warsaw Uprising. In the years 1883-1886, he studied at the School of Fine Arts in Krakow with Feliks Szynalewski, Wladyslaw Luszczkiewicz, and Jan Matejko. Then Aleksander went to Munich, where in 1888 he studied at Szymon Hollósy's school. He also traveled to Italy and Hungary to paint. From 1890 Augustynowicz lived permanently in Lviv, where, among others, he worked on the painted decoration of the foyer of the municipal theater. After 1914, he lived in Zakopane, and from 1921 in Poznan. He exhibited frequently, including in Krakow and Lviv TPSP and in TZSP in Warsaw. In 1896, at the international exhibition in Berlin, Aleksander received a gold medal for his Self-Portrait (now in the collection of the National Museum in Kraków). In 1925, he became a member of the Society of the Incentive for Fine Arts (Towarzystwo Zachęty Sztuk Pięknych) in Warsaw. On November 11, 1937, he received the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta from the President of Poland, Ignacy Mościcki, for his service in the field of art. He painted mainly portraits, as well as genre scenes, flowers, and landscapes from the Tatra Mountains and the Hutsul region. Condition: Good overall antique condition. Some waviness to the canvas, which is slightly loose. Scattered craquelure commensurate with age and small areas of inpainting, including just above sitter’s head. Some scattered tiny paint losses, primarily along edges. Later frame with typical wear from handling. It is ready to be displayed and enjoyed! This work will be carefully packed and shipped with insurance and signature confirmation. Free local pick up is also available. International buyers - please note I cannot lower the declared value of the package for customs. I frequently receive messages from people after I sell an item, asking if it is definitely gone. If something catches your eye, don't hesitate to inquire before it is sold! Feel free to ask any questions.
Price: 6000 USD
Location: Morrisville, Pennsylvania
End Time: 2024-10-27T19:33:13.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Artist: Aleksander Augustynowicz (Polish, 1865-1944)
Unit of Sale: Single Piece
Signed By: Aleksander Augustynowicz
Size: Medium
Framing: Framed
Personalize: No
Year of Production: 1888
Original/Licensed Reproduction: Original
Item Height: 24 in
Style: Realism, 19th Century, Antique, Traditional, Realistic, Realist, Figurative Art, Portraiture, Munich School, European School, Continental School
Features: One of a Kind (OOAK), Signed, Framed, Dated
Item Width: 20 in
Handmade: Yes
Time Period Produced: 1850-1899
Signed: Yes
Period: Victorian (1830-1900)
Title: Portrait of a Fashionable Gentleman
Material: Canvas, Oil
Certificate of Authenticity (COA): Yes
Subject: Gentleman, Fashionable Man, Hat, Cane, Black Suit
Type: Painting
COA Issued By: Jarrett McCusker
Theme: Portrait, People, Fashion
Production Technique: Oil Painting
Country/Region of Manufacture: Europe