Charles Griffin Farr (California/Tennessee/Alabama, 1908-1997) oil on canvas painting depicting a nude female with blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, seated in a wooden chair with a turquoise blanket draped over the back, in an interior setting. Signed "Farr" lower right. Knoxville, TN gallery ink stamp, en verso. Housed in an ebonized wooden frame with carved giltwood trim. Sight: 19 3/4" H x 15 5/8" W. Framed: 24 1/2" H x 20 1/2" W. Biography: Charles Griffin Farr was a painter in the American Realist tradition. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and studied in New York City and at the Academie Americaine in Paris, France. He spent a significant part of his youth in Knoxville, TN. A graduate of Central High School, Farr returned to Knoxville in 1928 after his time in New York and abroad exhibiting works in the Melrose Art Center, which had notably featured works by other Knoxville artists including Charles Krutch and Lloyd Branson in the late 1920's. A young artist in the late 1930s, Farr took part in the Works Progress Administration programs (WPA) and trained as a restorer of ancient pottery at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Farr also taught at the San Francisco Art Institute for nearly a decade and remained there until his death. Though he spent the majority of his career on the West Coast, Farr often returned to Knoxville to paint the familiar area. Many of these works remain housed in the Knoxville Museum of Art's permanent collection. Farr received the Award in Painting from the American Academy and Institute of Arts & Letters, New York, NY in 1987. (adapted from https://art.ucsc.edu/sesnon/farr-collection, Askart, the Knoxville History Project and Knoxville Museum of Art).
The Collection of Thomas Davis, Knoxville, Tennessee, executor for the estate of his uncle, artist Charles Griffin Farr.
Condition
Overall very good condition.