Philip Perkins (Tennessee, 1907-1970) oil on canvas mid-century three-quarter portrait painting of a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, attired in a yellow-green dress with a blue shawl draped over her hair and along her shoulders. She is depicted seated in a Botticelli-inspired shell form chair against an abstract blue and green background. Signed and dated "Perkins '64" upper right corner. Housed in a molded giltwood frame with a white filet. Sight: 39 1/2" H x 29 1/2" W. Framed: 48 1/2" H x 38 1/2" W. Biography: Philip Perkins was best known for his geometric, cubist-influenced work of the 1940s and his abstract expressionism in the 1950s, but he also painted portraits. He was born in Waverly, Tennessee and studied at Vanderbilt University and the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1932 he moved to Paris, France, where he studied under Jean Marchaud, Louis Marcoussis, and Fernand Leger. In 1934 he exhibited at the Salon D'Automne and the Salon de Tuileries. In 1940 he moved to New York City and in 1947 participated in the International Surrealist Exhibition. He spent seven years teaching art at the University of Tennessee in Nashville (1948-1955) but went back to Europe for several more years before returning to Nashville in 1961. Has been professionally conserved, and cleaned, with very minor retouching to the background. Description of conservation affixed on label en verso.