Skip to main contentProvenanceThe artist
Philip D. Armour, 1908
The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois (gift of Philip D. Armour)
Sotheby's New York, New York, December 3, 1992, lot 96
Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York (agent), Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1992
Exhibition HistoryPublished References
George de Forest Brush
(American, 1855–1941)
A Family Group
1907
Oil on canvas
Image: 31 7/16 x 39 1/2 in. (79.9 x 100.3 cm)
Frame: 40 1/2 x 49 1/4 in. (102.9 x 125.1 cm)
Frame: 40 1/2 x 49 1/4 in. (102.9 x 125.1 cm)
Credit LineTerra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection
Object number1992.169
SignedLower left: George De Forest Brush
InterpretationOne of George de Forest Brush’s many portrayals of his wife and children, A Family Group presents Mary Brush, known as Mittie, with four-year-old Thea, who points to the small book her mother holds as if learning to read; behind them, Gerome, the couple’s oldest surviving child, observes. Dressed in a low-cut burnt-orange gown with a voluminous skirt that harmonizes with her daughter’s short deep-red dress, Mrs. Brush reclines in a gold upholstered chair with Thea in her lap. The rich colors of their clothing contrast with Gerome’s more subdued attire, which blends with the dense brown background—empty except for the shadowy form of a large canvas, suggesting a Renaissance mural, at right. Illuminated from above by an unseen light source, the three figures form an irregular triangle highlighted by the pale flesh tones that glow against the darker tones of clothing and setting.
A Family Group presents a frozen, if harmonious, image of family life. Mrs. Brush appears here, as in her husband’s numerous other mother-and-child images, as a gracious if weary figure of maternal solicitude as she nurtures the youngest of her eight children, a blonde, pink-cheeked cherub. The intimate repose of this reading pair is subtly undermined, however, by Gerome’s coiled energy: perched behind his mother’s seat, one hand gloved, the nineteen-year-old man seems literally about to break out of the domestic sphere.
Brush developed his characteristic careful modeling of figures and exacting delineation of textures from his studies with the French academic painter Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904), after whom he named his son. A Family Group also reveals more recent influences on the artist. Brush painted this work while living in Florence, Italy, where he and his family lived intermittently between 1903 and the outbreak of World War I. During this period, Brush was fascinated by the technique and subjects of Italian Renaissance paintings and experimented with materials and methods to recapture the depth and richness of their colors. He also made careful studies of the textures and drape of velvet, satin, and chiffon fabrics, and designed dresses for his wife to pose in. A Family Group clearly incorporates these studies: the artist testifies to his admiration for the art of the past not only through Mrs. Brush’s Renaissance-style gown, but through the pose of Gerome, which is modeled on the famous portrait known as Man with a Glove (Louvre Museum, Paris) by Titian [Tiziano Vecellio] (1485–1576). Brush’s composition, however, is strikingly modern in its informal asymmetry and horizontal orientation, a departure from the usual vertical format of his many mother-and-child paintings; moreover, the three figures are individualized as particular, contemporary people. A Family Group thus realizes Brush’s goal of incorporating the lessons of past masters into a vital art for modern times.
A Family Group presents a frozen, if harmonious, image of family life. Mrs. Brush appears here, as in her husband’s numerous other mother-and-child images, as a gracious if weary figure of maternal solicitude as she nurtures the youngest of her eight children, a blonde, pink-cheeked cherub. The intimate repose of this reading pair is subtly undermined, however, by Gerome’s coiled energy: perched behind his mother’s seat, one hand gloved, the nineteen-year-old man seems literally about to break out of the domestic sphere.
Brush developed his characteristic careful modeling of figures and exacting delineation of textures from his studies with the French academic painter Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904), after whom he named his son. A Family Group also reveals more recent influences on the artist. Brush painted this work while living in Florence, Italy, where he and his family lived intermittently between 1903 and the outbreak of World War I. During this period, Brush was fascinated by the technique and subjects of Italian Renaissance paintings and experimented with materials and methods to recapture the depth and richness of their colors. He also made careful studies of the textures and drape of velvet, satin, and chiffon fabrics, and designed dresses for his wife to pose in. A Family Group clearly incorporates these studies: the artist testifies to his admiration for the art of the past not only through Mrs. Brush’s Renaissance-style gown, but through the pose of Gerome, which is modeled on the famous portrait known as Man with a Glove (Louvre Museum, Paris) by Titian [Tiziano Vecellio] (1485–1576). Brush’s composition, however, is strikingly modern in its informal asymmetry and horizontal orientation, a departure from the usual vertical format of his many mother-and-child paintings; moreover, the three figures are individualized as particular, contemporary people. A Family Group thus realizes Brush’s goal of incorporating the lessons of past masters into a vital art for modern times.
Philip D. Armour, 1908
The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois (gift of Philip D. Armour)
Sotheby's New York, New York, December 3, 1992, lot 96
Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York (agent), Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1992
Exhibition History
84th Annual Spring Exhibition, National Academy of Design, New York, New York, March 13–April 17, 1909, no. 247 [awarded Saltus Gold Medal].
105th Annual Exhibition, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 23–March 20, 1910, no. 445.
Fifth Annual Exhibition of Selected Paintings by American Artists, The City Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri, September 15–November 15, 1910, no. 21.
Sixth Annual Exhibition of Selected Paintings by American Artists, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, May 12–August 28, 1911. [exh. cat.]
Inaugural Exhibition, Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio, January 17–February 12, 1912, no. 15.
Exhibition, City Library, Wichita, Kansas, December 8–9, 1916 (on view for the Wichita Equal Suffrage association, December 8, 1916, open to the public from 9 am until the mid-afternoon, December 9, 1916).
George de Forest Brush, Century Association, New York, New York, November 1921–March 1922.
Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings by George de Forest Brush, Grand Central Art Gallery, New York, New York, January 7–18, 1930. [exh. cat.]
Century of Progress, The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois, June 1–November 1, 1933, no. 520A.
American Painting, 1865–1905, Art Gallery of Toronto, Toronto, Canada (organizer). Venues: Art Gallery of Toronto, Toronto, Canada, January 6–February 5, 1961; The Winnipeg Art Gallery Association, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, February 17–March 12, 1961; Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, March 29–April 23, 1961; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York, May 17–June 18, 1961. [exh. cat.]
Four Centuries of American Art, The Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, Minnesota, November 27, 1963–January 19, 1964.
Art of the United States: 1670–1966, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York, September 28–November 27, 1966, no. 32. [exh. cat.]
The American Family, Pennsylvania Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March–December 1976.
George de Forest Brush: Master of the American Renaissance, Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York (organizer). Venues: Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York, November 13–December 14, 1985; The Currier Gallery of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire, January 12–February 16, 1986; The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio, March 2–April 20, 1986; The Fine Arts Center at Cheekwood, Nashville, Tennessee, May 17–July 6, 1986. [exh. cat.]
Face to Face: Portraits from the Collections of Terra Museum of American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, October 8, 1994–April 2, 1995.
Visions of a Nation: Exploring Identity through American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, August 10, 1996–January 12, 1997.
Domestic Bliss: Family Life in America, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 12–June 22, 1997.
On Process: Studio Themes, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, January 13–March 4, 2001.
L'héroïque et le quotidien: les artistes américains, 1820–1920 (The Extraordinary and the Everyday: American Perspectives, 1820–1920), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–November 30, 2001. [exh. cat.]
American Classics, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, December 13, 2003–February 8, 2004.
Visages de l'Amérique: de George Washington à Marilyn Monroe (Faces of America: From George Washington to Marilyn Monroe), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 2004 (on exhibit partial run: April 1–July 5, 2004). [exh. cat.]
Twarze Ameryki: Portrety z kolekcji Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940 (Faces of America: Portraits from the collection of the Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France and Miedzynarodowe Centrum Kultury (International Cultural Center), Cracow, Poland (organizers). Venue: International Cultural Center, Cracow, Poland, February 15–May 7, 2006. [exh. cat.]
High Society: American Portraits of the Gilded Age, Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg, Germany (organizer). Venue: Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg, Germany, June 6–August 31, 2008.
105th Annual Exhibition, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 23–March 20, 1910, no. 445.
Fifth Annual Exhibition of Selected Paintings by American Artists, The City Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri, September 15–November 15, 1910, no. 21.
Sixth Annual Exhibition of Selected Paintings by American Artists, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, May 12–August 28, 1911. [exh. cat.]
Inaugural Exhibition, Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio, January 17–February 12, 1912, no. 15.
Exhibition, City Library, Wichita, Kansas, December 8–9, 1916 (on view for the Wichita Equal Suffrage association, December 8, 1916, open to the public from 9 am until the mid-afternoon, December 9, 1916).
George de Forest Brush, Century Association, New York, New York, November 1921–March 1922.
Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings by George de Forest Brush, Grand Central Art Gallery, New York, New York, January 7–18, 1930. [exh. cat.]
Century of Progress, The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois, June 1–November 1, 1933, no. 520A.
American Painting, 1865–1905, Art Gallery of Toronto, Toronto, Canada (organizer). Venues: Art Gallery of Toronto, Toronto, Canada, January 6–February 5, 1961; The Winnipeg Art Gallery Association, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, February 17–March 12, 1961; Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, March 29–April 23, 1961; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York, May 17–June 18, 1961. [exh. cat.]
Four Centuries of American Art, The Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, Minnesota, November 27, 1963–January 19, 1964.
Art of the United States: 1670–1966, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York, September 28–November 27, 1966, no. 32. [exh. cat.]
The American Family, Pennsylvania Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March–December 1976.
George de Forest Brush: Master of the American Renaissance, Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York (organizer). Venues: Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York, November 13–December 14, 1985; The Currier Gallery of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire, January 12–February 16, 1986; The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio, March 2–April 20, 1986; The Fine Arts Center at Cheekwood, Nashville, Tennessee, May 17–July 6, 1986. [exh. cat.]
Face to Face: Portraits from the Collections of Terra Museum of American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, October 8, 1994–April 2, 1995.
Visions of a Nation: Exploring Identity through American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, August 10, 1996–January 12, 1997.
Domestic Bliss: Family Life in America, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 12–June 22, 1997.
On Process: Studio Themes, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, January 13–March 4, 2001.
L'héroïque et le quotidien: les artistes américains, 1820–1920 (The Extraordinary and the Everyday: American Perspectives, 1820–1920), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–November 30, 2001. [exh. cat.]
American Classics, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, December 13, 2003–February 8, 2004.
Visages de l'Amérique: de George Washington à Marilyn Monroe (Faces of America: From George Washington to Marilyn Monroe), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 2004 (on exhibit partial run: April 1–July 5, 2004). [exh. cat.]
Twarze Ameryki: Portrety z kolekcji Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940 (Faces of America: Portraits from the collection of the Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France and Miedzynarodowe Centrum Kultury (International Cultural Center), Cracow, Poland (organizers). Venue: International Cultural Center, Cracow, Poland, February 15–May 7, 2006. [exh. cat.]
High Society: American Portraits of the Gilded Age, Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg, Germany (organizer). Venue: Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg, Germany, June 6–August 31, 2008.
Catalogue of the Sixth Annual Exhibition of Selected Paintings by American Artists. (exh. cat., Albright Art Gallery). Buffalo, New York: Albright Art Gallery, 1911. Text p. 14 (checklist); ill. p. 61 (black & white).
Catalogue of the Inaugural Exhibition. (exh. cat., Toledo Museum of Art). Toledo, Ohio: Toledo Museum of Art, 1912. Text pp. 7–8 (checklist); ill. (black & white).
"Display Paintings to Public," Wichita Eagle (December 9, 1916): 2. Text p. 2.
Bowditch, Nancy Douglas. George de Forest Brush; Recollections of a Joyous Painter. Peterborough, New Hampshire: Noone House, 1970. Text p. 97.
Morgan, Joan B. George de Forest Brush, 1855–1941: Master of the American Renaissance. (exh. cat., Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc.). New York: Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., 1985. Text pp. 28, 29, 86; pl. X, p. 56 (color), ill. no. 48, p. 86 (black & white).
Sotheby's New York, New York (Sale 6373, December 3, 1992): lot 96. Text lot 96; ill. lot 96 (color).
Kennedy, Elizabeth and Sophie Lévy. Faces of America: Portraits of the Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, 1770–1940. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2004. Text pp. 16, 30 (checklist); fig. 5, p. 17 (color).
Kennedy, Elizabeth and Sophie Lévy. Visages de l'Amérique: le portrait dans la collection de la Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1770–1940. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2004. Text pp. 16, 30 (checklist); fig. 5, p. 17 (color).
Lévy, Sophie, et al. Twarze Ameryki: Portrety z kolekcji Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940/Faces of America: Portraits from the collection of the Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940. (exh. cat. International Cultural Center). Cracow, Poland: International Cultural Center, 2006. Ill. p. 110 (color).
Westheider, Ortrud and Philipp, Michael eds. High Society. American Portraits of the Gilded Age. (exh. cat. Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg, Germany) Hamburg, Germany: Bucerius Kunst Forum Publications, 2008. Text p. 174; Ill. p. 175 (color).
Catalogue of the Inaugural Exhibition. (exh. cat., Toledo Museum of Art). Toledo, Ohio: Toledo Museum of Art, 1912. Text pp. 7–8 (checklist); ill. (black & white).
"Display Paintings to Public," Wichita Eagle (December 9, 1916): 2. Text p. 2.
Bowditch, Nancy Douglas. George de Forest Brush; Recollections of a Joyous Painter. Peterborough, New Hampshire: Noone House, 1970. Text p. 97.
Morgan, Joan B. George de Forest Brush, 1855–1941: Master of the American Renaissance. (exh. cat., Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc.). New York: Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., 1985. Text pp. 28, 29, 86; pl. X, p. 56 (color), ill. no. 48, p. 86 (black & white).
Sotheby's New York, New York (Sale 6373, December 3, 1992): lot 96. Text lot 96; ill. lot 96 (color).
Kennedy, Elizabeth and Sophie Lévy. Faces of America: Portraits of the Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, 1770–1940. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2004. Text pp. 16, 30 (checklist); fig. 5, p. 17 (color).
Kennedy, Elizabeth and Sophie Lévy. Visages de l'Amérique: le portrait dans la collection de la Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1770–1940. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2004. Text pp. 16, 30 (checklist); fig. 5, p. 17 (color).
Lévy, Sophie, et al. Twarze Ameryki: Portrety z kolekcji Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940/Faces of America: Portraits from the collection of the Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940. (exh. cat. International Cultural Center). Cracow, Poland: International Cultural Center, 2006. Ill. p. 110 (color).
Westheider, Ortrud and Philipp, Michael eds. High Society. American Portraits of the Gilded Age. (exh. cat. Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg, Germany) Hamburg, Germany: Bucerius Kunst Forum Publications, 2008. Text p. 174; Ill. p. 175 (color).