This charming portrait of a hooded, veiled woman in a narrow way between two buildings is painted by American artist Keith Morrow Martin (1911-1983). 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. “Night Face” shows a smiling woman wrapped in black and white with the moon glaring in the sky in back of her. The brick structures with their tilted perspective seem to protect her way. 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 “Martin” in lower right corner and “Keith Martin” on verso

Medium: oil on linen

Size of support: 10” x 8” Size of outside frame: 18 1/4” x 16 1/2”

Year of creation: April 1950 Baltimore, MD

Condition: The paint surface has been recently cleaned, discolored varnish removed and a new dammar varnish applied. The stretcher, linen, ground, paint layer are all in excellent condition with no damage nor inpaint. It’s housed in its original frame which is sound, the liner does have subtle water spots.