Léon Gaspard (American, born Vitebsk, Russian Empire, now Belarus, 1882-1964)
To the Dance (Apaches)
INV-7800
Léon Gaspard (American, born Vitebsk, Russian Empire, now Belarus, 1882-1964)1919
To the Dance (Apaches)
Léon Gaspard (American, born Vitebsk, Russian Empire, now Belarus, 1882-1964) →Impressionismpaintingmodern and contemporary art
Date
1919
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
81.7 × 91.8 cm (32 1/8 × 36 1/8 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Friends of the Artist
The Russian émigré Léon Gaspard painted in Taos, New Mexico, from 1916 to 1919, finding a chromatic brilliance and folk culture reminiscent of his homeland there. After his return to Chicago, an exhibition of his work at the Art Institute attracted the attention of Julius Rosenwald—president of Sears, Roebuck and Company—and the lawyer Lessing Rosenthal. Together they gathered a group of 20 Jewish professionals to purchase To the Dance for the museum. The group’s support of Gaspard, a Jewish immigrant, signaled their commitment to a modernism based on cross-cultural affinities. They also may have felt a special regard for New Mexico, which was a tolerant home for Jews during the Spanish Inquisition.
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