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HOWARD CHANDLER CHRISTY (American, 1872-1952) In the Garden of Eden, 1925 Oil on canvas 28 x 71 in. Signed lower right About this important painting, Charles Martignette noted in his book The Great American Pin-Up, "From 1915 to his death in 1952, Christy both lived and worked at the Hotel des Artistes, where the Cafe was located, just off the lobby; his studio in the hotel was one of the most elegant in the world. When the commissioned work was finished, all the walls of the Cafe were splendidly adorned with life-size nudes frolicking in a lush forested landscape. Later, about 1925, the artist received another commission from a private patron, for a work of almost mural size. The painting Christy created in response might be thought of as a sort of fifth wall for the Cafe. The work features three nudes in a dreamlike Garden of Eden, and to underscore the special nature of the scene, Christy chose twenty-four carat gold paint for the sky and setting sun." This opulent work stands as a testimony to Christy's work, to the brilliance of his brushstrokes, and to the sensuality and eroticism of his female nudes. This painting was reproduced as figure 22 in The Great American Pin-Up by Charles G. Martignette and Louis K. Meisel, Taschen Books, 1996. From the Estate of Charles Martignette