Photography by Dwight Primiano
Red Flower
An immense red amaryllis with widely spread petals dominates the painting while two birds resembling peacocks flank the flower, raising their elegant heads to its blossom as if in reverence. Joseph Stella visited Italy often during the 1920s and was fascinated by Neapolitan peasant textiles and embroidery, which feature vibrant colors, symmetrical patterns, and abstracted forms.
ArtistJoseph Stella(1877-1946)
Date1929
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions67 3/4 x 48 1/2 x 1 3/4 in.
Signedl.l., in black paint: Jos. Stella
l.r., in red paint: Jos. Stella
verso, on canvas, in black paint: Paris Nov. 1929 / Joseph Stella.
Mark(s)verso, on stretcher, label: La Fleur Rouge
verso, on backing board: [Grosso Art Movers label]
verso, on backing board: [Whitney Museum of American Art label]
verso, on backing board: [Richard York Gallery label]
verso, on backing board: [Richard York Gallery label]
Inscription(s)verso, on stretcher: M. Joseph Stella Hotel Select / Place de la Sorbonne
verso, u.l.: Paris Nov. 1929 / Joseph Stella
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2006.102
ClassificationPainting
ProvenanceEstate of the Artist, 1946; (Richard York Gallery, New York, NY); Phyllis "Felisa" Caputo Vanoff [1925-2014] and Nick Vanoff [1929-1991], 1986; to (Sotheby's, Inc., New York, NY), 2006; purchased by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2006
On ViewYes
This artwork's face covers about 3.0× the area of a standard movie poster.Drawn to the same scale.