This highly provocative composition in watercolor and cut paper with its juxtaposition of pink and green is 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.  “Garden of Moons” was painted at a time when science fiction accounts of what could be on the moon and planets were capturing the imagination. Creatures, craters, satellites, and the expanse of space were all compelling to this artist’s mind. The composition has the high horizon line Martin frequently employed as well as spritzes of watercolor to imitate aging. 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 and dated lower left

 Medium: Pencil, watercolor, and cut paper on watercolor paper

 Size of paper: 24” x 18”     Outside measurement of frame: 29” x  22 1/2”

Year of Creation: 1959

 Notes: It’s in excellent condition, with no unintentional staining. The original label read as follows: The Society of the Four Acts, Contemporary Exhibition, 1959. To dearest Noffee (?) Love from Allie (?).He often drew insect-like creatures in his landscapes. The mid-century frame is original to the piece; the mats are new and archival. The glazing is archival museum glass.