Vintage Orig Metallic Painting by O. E. L. Graves Extremely Rare Collectible
By O.E.L. Graves
Located in Palm Springs, CA
We are so proud to offer this original work of art by legendary Palm Springs artist O. E. L. Graves. We discovered his work when we first purchased a second home here in 1997. His work was very difficult to come across, but stories about Mr. Graves were legendary, and the first art we saw of his were his extraordinary and very collectible cover art for vintage mid century Palm Springs villager magazines which we found at some thrift stores! We have since collected 8 original paintings. This is the Rolls-Royce of the collection. His artwork is now collected by a new generation of the Palm Springs younger rich and famous entertainment industry that have brought new life to the town with Coachella Music Festival and the endearing architecture Palm Springs is famous for! We purchased an amazing coffee table book by French photographer Robert Doisneau called “Palm Springs 1960” Mr Graves himself and his artwork is featured in wonderful 1960s vintage photographs. This spurred on more collectors looking for his paintings. This large painting was definitely owned by a Palm Springs/Beverly Hills client. His work was even sought out by Rockefeller that wanted to buy a painting of Mr. Graves that he refused to sell! The paintings were very expensive. Just the original painting’s framing alone shows how chic and special it was. The subject is a bird in its cage with a clock in the corner, In shades of silver, green, black and gold. There is a name on the painting, along side Mr. Graves signature we believe to be the title of the painting, “Orsi” It is such an extraordinary painting! Please check out the pictures to see the amazing color and details of this work.
O. E. L. Graves (1897 - 1971)
Graves was an American artist and painter/sculptor based in Palm Springs, California during Hollywood's golden years. His client list included many of the rich and famous of his era, from movie stars (Clark Gable, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Janet Gaynor) to business magnates (Raymond Loewys, George R. Hearst Sr.) to shady criminal kingpins. His own personal life was just as full of high intrigue and secrecy as the famous clients he cultivated. As a result, his need to maintain a relatively low profile in his private life has relegated him to near obscurity in death as an artist.
Graves experimented constantly with new media and techniques for expressing his art. His works include delicate watercolors, fine detailed portraits, impressionistic oils, sculptures in metal, and some techniques of his own invention. Graves claims to have invented "sculpted oil painting", where multiple layers of thick oil paint are placed on masonite and then cut away to create the image. His sculpted oil paintings were displayed in some of the trendiest galleries and art museums, including the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, which purchased some of his sculpted paintings after they had been shown there. Winthrop Rockefeller...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
