Marvin Dorwart Cone (American, 1891-1965). Marigolds, 1929. Oil on canvas laid on board. 14-3/4 x 17...

Description

Marvin Dorwart Cone (American, 1891-1965)
Marigolds, 1929
Oil on canvas laid on board
14-3/4 x 17-3/4 inches (37.5 x 45.1 cm)
Signed lower right: Marvin D. Cone

PROVENANCE:
The artist;
William Prescott Ellwood and Doris Cook Ellwood, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, gift from the above, 1935;
Private collection, Chicago, Illinois, acquired from the above, 1938;
Private collection, Chicago, Illinois, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, acquired from the above, 2014;
Private collection, Chicago, Illinois, acquired from the above, 2025.

EXHIBITED:
The Little Gallery, American Federation of Arts, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, "Paintings by Marvin Cone," November 25- December 7, 1929, no. 32;
State University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, "Exhibition of Paintings by Marvin D. Cone," December 1929;
Younker Brothers Tea Room Galleries, Des Moines, Iowa, "Marvin D. Cone Exhibition Works on Consignment," January-September 1930, no. 4.

LITERATURE:
J.S. Czestochowski, Marvin D. Cone: Art as Self-Portrait, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1990, p. 232, no. 210.

This work will be included as no. 1929.036 in Joseph S. Czestochowski's forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist's work to be published by International Arts® at www.catrais.org. We wish to thank him for his assistance cataloguing this work.

Marigolds is one of roughly seven still-life paintings completed by the artist in 1929. During the late 1920s and early 1930s, Cone taught a class in still-life painting and believed it to be an excellent way to refine his sense of design and color, while working with a subject that was dear to him. The artist drew his still life subjects from the beautiful garden he maintained as a hobby.

During the 1920s, Cedar Rapids was a thriving atmosphere for the arts. This environment, as well as the size of the community, made it an ideal candidate in 1928 for a $50,000 grant from the American Federation of Arts and the Carnegie Foundation to support an experimental art station. Cedar Rapids was selected because it was a typical community of less than 100,000 people, sufficiently removed from any large city. The purpose of the experiment was to enlarge the place of art in the daily life of a community and it lasted until 1933 under the direction of a trained museum administrator, Edward B. Rowan (1898-1946).

In 1929 Rowan took it upon himself to organize about twenty community patrons to fund a painting trip to France. So, on June 1, the Cones departed on the same ship as Rowan for Paris, where they remained for ten weeks. During their stay the artist and his wife, Winnifred, rented an apartment at 17 rue Campagne-Premiere in Montparnasse, next to the studio of Louis Ritman (1889-1963). Soon after Cone's return to Cedar Rapids, the exhibit of his summer efforts (November 25-December 7, 1929) was a tremendous success with more than 300 people attending the Little Gallery reception. Rowan subsequently helped organize the important Stone City Art Colony (1932-33) and became a key figure in managing the government's New Deal art projects in the 1930s.

The present work was gifted by the artist to William Prescott Ellwood and Doris Cook Ellwood on the occasion of their marriage in 1935.

© Joseph S. Czestochowski


Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000.

*Heritage Auctions strives to provide as much information as possible but encourages in-person inspection by bidders. Statements regarding the condition of objects are only for general guidance and should not be relied upon as complete statements of fact, and do not constitute a representation, warranty or assumption of liability by Heritage. Some condition issues may not be noted in the condition report but are apparent in the provided photos which are considered part of the condition report. Please note that we do not de-frame lots estimated at $1,000 or less and may not be able to provide additional details for lots valued under $500. Heritage does not guarantee the condition of frames and shall not be liable for any damage/scratches to frames, glass/acrylic coverings, original boxes, display accessories, or art that has slipped in frames. All lots are sold "AS IS" under the Terms & Conditions of Auction.