Walter Gay (boston, 1856 - Paris, 1937) American - Interior Scene.

Interior scene.

Oil on panel
Dimension: 25 x 20 cm with frame: 39 x 35 cm

"He is the master of allusion, half-words, learned ellipses, reticences, the weigher of the impalpable, the filter of the ray and shade in charming old interiors where he is on the lookout for the past and captures the color of Time". The Société Nouvelle

Walter gay gives us here the portrait of a charming turquoise blue living room warmed up by 18th century furniture, wood paneling and a Versailles parquet floor. Works of art, paintings, mirrors, statues and porcelain adorn the scene. As usual, this virtuoso of interior scenes manages to recreate the intimate atmosphere of the place where with a light and removed touch he sets up the decor with virtuosity.

Walter Gay, an American interior painter, began his career as a flower painter in Boston until 1876. In April of that same year, he went to Paris, where he studied for three years with Léon Bonnat, who considered him a one of his best students. In 1879, he left for Spain, where he discovered Velázquez, who would be a real revelation for him. In 1880, he shared a studio with three other Americans, boulevard de Clichy. It is its intimate interiors that will make its notoriety and its glory. He is a specialist in luxurious or opulent interiors of mansions and castles (Versailles, Fontainebleau, Chablis, the Carnavalet Museum or his own castle of Bréau). Under the aegis of JE Blanche, he participated in the "Group of 33" and the "International Society" in 1896. He exhibited very regularly at Georges Petit (1905 and 1908), in Chicago (March, April 1914) and at the Charpentier gallery (1923 and 1936).
He is a regular at the Salon de la Nationale and the “Société Nouvelle”. He received numerous gold medals (Paris in 1900) and honors (Commander of the Legion of Honor in 1927). His exhibition in March 1936 was inaugurated by the United States Ambassador, Jesse-Isidor Strauss and by the Director General of Fine Arts, George Huisman. Louis Gillet of the French Academy prefaces the catalog with great admiration for the painter:

Museums: • Paris, Musée d'Orsay, Musée du Louvre. • Boston, Museum of Fine Arts. • New York, Metropolitan of art. • Washington, National gallery of art. • London, British museum.