Warren Brandt (American, 1918-2002), Companions

Oil on linen, signed at lower right, inscribed and dated 1966 on the verso, retains gallery label to the verso, presented in a gilt frame.

Stretcher size 14 x 16 in.; Frame dimensions 20 x 22 in.

A. M. Sachs Gallery, New York
The Estate of the late Joseph D. Rowand, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Leland Little Auctions, May 27, 2021, Lot 3066
Acquired from the above

Warren Brandt was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. After high school he left for New York City, enrolling at the Pratt Institute for night classes. He continued his studies with Yasui Kuniyoshi at the Art Students League. After serving as a portrait artist in the Army during WWII, he enrolled at Washington University in St. Louis and studied with Philip Guston and Max Beckmann.

In 1960, Warren Brandt was back in New York and married to Grace Borgenicht, a prominent artist and gallerist in the city. It was at this time that Brandt was transitioning away from the abstract expressionist style to a more representational Matissesque manner. In 1988, the Metropolitan Museum of Art selected a self-portrait by Brandt to anchor their new portrait gallery.

Small patch to verso with minor associated retouch; some rubbing to frame.