CHARLES GREEN SHAW (1892-1974)

A significant figure in the history American abstract art, Shaw's work was noted for its clarity of form and architectural construction. In the later part of his life, he turned to Abstract Expressionism. Charles Shaw began painting when he was in his late thirties. A 1914 graduate of Yale, Shaw completed a year of architectural studies at Columbia University. In 1927, he began to take a serious interest in art and enrolled in Thomas Hart Benton's class at the Art Students League in New York. He also studied privately with George Luks who became his friend. Prior to this, Shaw enjoyed a successful career as a free-lance writer for The New Yorker, Smart Set, and Vanity Fair, chronicling the life of the affluent theater and café society of the 1920s. Shaw, born into a wealthy New York family, had entrée and moved easily in the social circles of New York, Paris, and London in the late 1920s and 1930s.In addition to his witty and insightful articles, Shaw was a poet, novelist, and journalist. He published several books-a novel entitled Heart in a Hurricane and a collection of interviews with New York literary figures called The Low Down. Once he had dedicated himself to non-traditional painting, Shaw's deft ability with pen made him a potent defender of abstract art.

The McCord Sisters' Duet

Oil on canvas-board, 20 x 24", signed, title inscribed verso. 1930s. Framed.

Elizabeth & Matilda McCord were accomplished artists and the daughters of noted New York painter George McCord