This pencil drawing on paper by American mid-century artist Keith Morrow Martin (1911-1983) was inspired by Berthold Nebel’s statue in Brookgreen Gardens, South Carolina. Martin has been classified as an abstract artist, Magic Realist, and Surrealist although he occasionally painted or drew portraits. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Martin attended the Art Institute of Chicago then traveled and studied through pre-war Europe, settling for long periods of time in Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, and Vienna. During WWII he was stationed in Iceland. After the war he returned to Paris and was one of the first American artists to exhibit in that recovering city. He traveled back to New York in the late 40s, then moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he continued to reside for 35 years. “Reclining Woman #1” is a lovely contour drawing of a garden statue. His lyrical push-pull technique of handling the pencil line captures both the elegance and strength of the subject. Martin’s works are  in numerous collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Smithsonian Museum of American Art in D.C., the Art Institute of Chicago, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Baltimore Museum of Art. 

 Monogrammed KM in lower left

 Medium: pencil on paper

 Size of paper: 10 5/8” x 13 3/8”    

 Size of outside measurement of frame: 17 3/4” x 21 1/2”

 Year of Creation:  1968

 Housed in a contemporary water gilded frame, archival mat, and UV blocking museum glass.