Albert Pels Oil Painting on Unstretched Canvas "The Mad King"

Item Details

An oil painting on unstretched canvas The Mad King by well-listed American genre painter and muralist Albert Pels (Cincinnati/New York; 1910 – 1998). In the center of the composition is President Reagan depicted as a king chess piece with his wife, Nancy, face above him with a halo of stars. Other members of the government are depicted as rooks and knights including Frank Carlucci and Allen Greenspan. The dome of the capitol building can be seen in the distance above Reagan. This piece is titled in ink in the canvas margin. To the verso, an inscription with title of the piece. The work is unsigned and unframed.

Sold to benefit a scholarship fund for the Art Academy of Cincinnati.

Pels began his formal artistic training in his hometown at the Cincinnati Art Academy in 1931. Upon graduating, Pels further pursued his artistic career and moved to New York, refining his technique while continuing his education at the Art Students League, working under the likes of historically renowned artists Thomas Hart Benton, Kenneth Hayes Miller, and Alexander Brook. Pels went on to study at Beaux Arts and the American School, and in doing so established his distinctive, signature painting style and content for which he became recognized.

Condition

- wear throughout canvas edges including stains, perforations, and creases.

Dimensions

Item #

16CIN650-047