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  • THE BELLE OF NEW YORK TO MAKE A BRIEF APPEARANCE IN DUBLIN

     

    William Orpen’s Portrait of Mrs Oscar Lewisohn, formerly Miss Edna May, a compelling study of personality, temperament, demeanour and style, painted in 1915.

    William Orpen’s Portrait of Mrs Oscar Lewisohn, formerly Miss Edna May, a compelling study of personality, temperament, demeanour and style, painted in 1915.

    THOUGH she played in The Belle of New York with only limited success in 1897 Edna May became an overnight sensation in London with the role the following year.  Known for her beauty the Syracuse, New York born actress who became a star of the Edwardian stage subsequently played in London and New York.  Feted by many male admirers she married the New York banker Oscar Lewisohn in 1907 and retired from the stage.

    This 1915 portrait of Mrs. Oscar Lewisohn by the Irish artist William Orpen is a highlight at Sotheby’s sale of British and Irish art in London on May 22.  Orpen’s sitter is strikingly posed on a dramatic chequerboard floor  against a black background.   The artist reserved such occasions for some of his most distinguished portraits.   It is estimated at £120,000-180,00.  The work will be among 33 Irish lots from the sale on view in Dublin next week.

     

    UPDATE: THE WORK WAS UNSOLD

     

    (See post on antiquesandartireland.com for April 23, 2014.)

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