William  Frederick  Foster,  A.N.A  (1882-­‐1953)  Eight  works  from  a  private  California  collection  

April  11th  –  May  15th,  2013    

Anderson  Galleries,  Inc.  354  N.  Bedford  Drive,  Beverly  Hills,  CA  90210    Tel  310  858  1644  info@andersongalleries.com  

www.AndersonGalleries.com        

William  Frederick  Foster,  A.N.A.  (1882-­‐1953)  Eight  works  from  a  private  California  collection  

April  11th  –  May  15th,  2013      Anderson  Galleries  is  pleased  to  feature  this  select  exhibition  of  works  by  William  Frederick  Foster,  A.N.A.    (American,  1882-­‐1953)  to  our  friends  and  patrons  from  April  4th  through  May  2nd,  2013.    We  are  excited  to  take  part  in  the  rediscovery  of  the  artist  and  present  this  initial  survey  of  his  later  works  executed  primarily  in  California  from  1930  to  1941.      Foster  worked  in  the  great  figural  tradition  of  Frank  Duveneck,  William  Merritt  Chase  and  Robert  Henri  and  studied  with  them  in  his  early  years.  An  accomplished  illustrator,  painter  and  teacher  he  was  a  legitimate  heir  to  the  20th  Century  Ashcan  and  Realist  movements.      Though  a  highly  productive  artist  during  his  lifetime,  he  did  not  achieve  the  lasting  recognition  his  work  deserves.      

This  group  of  works  reflects  Foster’s  fascination  and  preoccupation  with  the  female  figure  both  as  muse  and  mistress,  a  theme  that  would  endure  throughout  his  career.  Whether  the  models  are  dressed  and  coiffed  in  the  latest  fashion;  sultry  and  semi-­‐dressed  in  the  darkened  recesses  of  the  painter’s  studio;  or  simply,  alluringly  nude,  these  paintings  establish  Foster  as  a  significant  

contributor  to  American  figural  tradition.    Foster  was  a  gifted  and  supremely  confident  draftsman.  His  early  work  as  an  illustrator  depicts  sumptuous  interiors  and  furnishings  with  handsomely  dressed  figures  in  the  high  style  of  the  Gilded  Age.  He  won  critical  acclaim  for  this  work  and  long-­‐term  contracts  from  the  leading  magazines  of  the  time.      Foster  arrived  in  Los  Angeles,  California  in  1932.    Still  recovering  from  a  nearly  fatal  motorcycle  injury,  there  is  a  decisive  sea  change  in  both  his  style  and  subject.  Freed  from  the  constraints  of  his  magazine  publishers,  he  deliberately  turned  away  from  refinement  and  adopted  a  freer  and  more  expressive  handling  of  paint.    

 

Elegant  Lady,  1910  

 

Foster  was  now  clearly  painting  to  please  his  own  instincts  and  inclinations.  The  society  ladies  from  an  earlier  era  have  been  largely  stripped  of  their  artifice.  He  introduced  bold  yellow,  red  and  brown  pigments  onto  his  palette  and  the  settings  are  now  indistinct  and  generalized,  placing  all  emphasis  on  the  figure  herself.    The  dressed  and  semi-­‐dressed  figures  are  painted  in  a  direct  and  more  abbreviated  style  with  lively  expressive  strokes  and  strong  tonal  

contrasts.  He  sometimes  chose  to  leave  part  of  the  figure  unfinished,  asking  the  viewer  to  fill  in  the  details.    Random  drips,  rapid  corrections  and  clearly  spontaneous  re-­‐workings  of  the  figure  in  still  wet  paint  point  to  Foster’s  passionate  temperament.    Henry  J.  Seldis  of  the  Los  Angeles  Times  observed,  “...paint  was  even  dearer  to  him  than  the  pretty  women  he  painted  and  loved.”  His  nude  figures  reveal  a  lighter  more  delicate  touch;  softer  more  neutral  tones  prevail  though  the  vigorous  brushwork  remains.    The  two  examples  featured  in  this  exhibition  are  seen  from  behind.  Their  hair  is  pinned  up  as  if  they  have  just  left  or  are  about  to  enter  the  bath.  The  model’s  poses  appear  almost  classically  inspired.  Foster  paints  them  with  a  deliberate  modesty  but  obvious  appreciation.      Foster’s  career  began  auspiciously  as  a  student  of  Frank  Duveneck  in  his  native  Cincinnati.  In  1902,  he  went  to  New  York  City  where  he  painted  scenery  and  studied  at  the  New  York  School  with  Robert  Henri  and  William  Merritt  Chase.  From  1903  to  1931  he  worked  as  an  illustrator,  with  a  brief  teaching  stint  in  1919  at  the  Art  Institute  of  Chicago.    Foster’s  work  in  New  York  as  an  illustrator  from  1903    to  1931  for  the  Saturday  Evening  Post,  Cosmopolitan  and  Life  magazines  established  his  national  reputation.  His  colleagues  during  this  Golden  Age  of  illustration  included  James  Montgomery  Flagg  and  the  Leyendecker  Brothers.    He  won  the  National  Academy    of  Design's  Clark  Prize  in  1926  for  the  best  figure  composition  painted  in  the  United  States  by  a  non-­‐academician.  The  following  year,  he  was  voted  an  Associate  Member  based  on  recognition  for  The  Girl  in  Brown.    Determined  to  pursue  figure  painting  for  its  own  sake,  Foster  moved  to  Los  Angeles  in  1932  where  would  spend  the  remainder  of  his  life.    He  taught  at  the  Chouinard  School  of  Art  in  Los  Angeles  and  gave  private  classes  in  his  studio.      

Lady  with  Fan  o/c  1930  

       Seated  nude  o/c  1940  

 He  also  worked  on  a  mural  project  at  the  Hearst  estate  in  Wyntoon,  California  and  was  an  active  member  of  the  California  Art  Club.  Foster  died  of  a  stroke  on  June  27th,  1953  in  Los  Angeles.        

The  exhibition  is  accompanied  by  the  monograph:  William  Frederick  Foster,  A.N.A.    Portrait  of  a  Painter  by  Phyllis  Barton,  472  pages,  11  ½  x  10  inches,  44  color  plates,  550  black  and  white  halftones.  Notes,  selected  bibliography  and  index.  Richlaine  Publishing,  Los  Angeles.      

 *Please  note  that  all  paintings  in  the  exhibition  are  available  for  purchase  and  are  documented  and  illustrated  in  the  monograph.      We  invite  you  to  view  the  exhibition  William  Frederick  Foster,  A.N.A  (1882-­‐1953),  Eight  works  from  a  private  California  collection,  April  11th  –  May  15th,  2013.    Gallery  hours:  Monday-­‐Friday,  11-­‐6  or  by  appointment.        Joyce  and  Kevin  Anderson    Anderson  Galleries,  Inc.    Spring,  2013.                                

   1.   Elegant  Lady  in  an  Interior,  c.  1910  

Oil  on  canvas,  (Grisaille)  34  x  22  inches  Signed  lower  left    Literature:  William  Frederick  Foster,  Portrait  of  a  Painter,  page  171  

   2.   Lady  with  a  Brown  Fan,  c.  1930     Oil  on  canvas,  28  x  24  inches       Signed  center  right         Literature:  William  Frederick  Foster,  Portrait  of  a  Painter,  page  57.  

   

3.   Lady  with  the  Binoculars,  c.  1939     Oil  on  canvas,  30  x  27  inches       Signed  center  left       Literature:  William  Frederick  Foster,  Portrait  of  a  Painter,  page  358.                  

   4.   Seated  Nude  with  Upswept  Hair,  c.  1940       Oil  on  canvas,  37  x  28  inches     Signed  lower  right       Literature:  William  Frederick  Foster,  Portrait  of  a  Painter,  page  404.    

     5.     The  Red  Vase,  c.  1940     Oil  on  canvas,  23  x  30  inches     Signed  lower  left       Literature:  William  Frederick  Foster,  Portrait  of  a  Painter,  page  385.                            

   

6.   Lady  in  a  Print  Dress  with  Umbrella,  c.  1940     Oil  on  canvas,  31  x  25  inches       Signed  lower  right         Literature:  William  Frederick  Foster,  Portrait  of  a  Painter,  page  362.    

   7.   Seated  Back  Nude  with  White  Drape,  c.  1940     Oil  on  canvas,  44  x  30  inches       Signed  lower  left       Literature:  William  Frederick  Foster,  Portrait  of  a  Painter,  page  379.    

   

8.   Lady  with  Purple  Hat  and  Mandolin,  c.  1941     Oil  on  canvas,  30  x  40  inches       Signed  lower  right       Literature:  William  Frederick  Foster,  Portrait  of  a  Painter,  page  371.      

LIST OF ARTWORKS

William Frederick Foster (American, 1882-1953)Elegant Lady , 1910Oil on canvas34h x 22w inWF-1001

$7000.00

William Frederick Foster (American, 1882-1953)Lady with a Brown Fan, c. 1930Oil On Canvas28h x 24w x 0d inWF-1002

$6000.00

William Frederick Foster (American, 1882-1953)Lady with the Binoculars, c. 1939Oil On Canvas30h x 27w x 0d inWF-1003

$6000.00

William Frederick Foster (American, 1882-1953)Seated Nude with Upswept Hair, c. 1940Oil On Canvas37.25h x 28w x 0d inWF-1007

$9000.00

William Frederick Foster (American, 1882-1953)The Red Vase , c. 1940Oil On Canvas23h x 30w x 0d inWF-1006

$6000.00

 

354  North  Bedford  Drive  ~  Beverly  Hills,  California  90210  Tel  310  858  1644    Fax  310  858  1643  E  info@AndersonGalleries.com  www.AndersonGalleries.com  

 

 

William Frederick Foster (American, 1882-1953)Lady in a Print Dress with a Parasol, c. 1940Oil On Canvas31h x 25w x 0d inWF-1005

$6000.00

William Frederick Foster (American, 1882-1953)Seated Back Nude with White Drape, c. 1940Oil On Canvas44h x 30w x 0d inWF-1008

$9000.00

William Frederick Foster (American, 1882-1953)Lady Wearing Purple Hat with Mandolin, c. 1941Oil On Canvas30h x 40w x 0d inWF-1004

$8000.00

 

354  North  Bedford  Drive  ~  Beverly  Hills,  California  90210  Tel  310  858  1644    Fax  310  858  1643  E  info@AndersonGalleries.com  www.AndersonGalleries.com