This dynamic drawing of Eros, the Greek god of love, by Keith Morrow Martin (1911-1983) continues the artist’s exploration of how to reimagine the older, sentimentalized depictions of the classical deities. 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. “Eros” is a primal god…no hands, no feet, just a winged torso with a face in profile. 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. 

Signed in lower left

Medium: pencil on paper

 Sight size of paper: 10 3/4” x 15 5/8” Outside frame size: 15 3/4” x 19 7/8”

 Year of creation: 1948

 Condition notes: Excellent