Ivan Albright (American, 1897–1983)
Picture of Dorian Gray
INV-9379
Ivan Albright (American, 1897–1983)1943–44
Picture of Dorian Gray
Ivan Albright (American, 1897–1983) →SurrealismModernismpaintingmodern and contemporary art
Date
1943–44
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
215.9 × 106.7 cm (85 × 42 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Ivan Albright
Chicago artist Ivan Albright executed this grisly work for the 1945 movie adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s 1891 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. In Wilde’s tale, a portrait of the young and attractive Gray decays as the protagonist leads an increasingly wayward life, recording the extent of his moral corruption in paint. Having established a reputation for capturing the macabre, Albright was the ideal choice to create such a horrific image that both attracts and repulses its viewers. The portrait appeared in vivid Technicolor, within the otherwise black-and-white film, causing a sensation. When Albright’s canvas was exhibited at the Art Institute later that year, the Chicago Tribune reported that the museum “is having a heck of a time handling the crowds flocking to see his painting.”
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