The Honorable W. Averell Harriman

American, 1891 - 1986

Explore Selected Works

André Derain, Marie Harriman, 1935, oil on canvas, Gift of W. Averell Harriman, 1972.8.1

Marie Harriman

André Derain · 1935 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1972.8.1

A stocky, muscular man with his face painted white and wearing a skin-tight, oyster-white costume sits on a wooden chair, leaning forward toward us with his elbows resting on his knees in this vertical painting. The man nearly fills the canvas, and his feet are cropped by the bottom edge. His body is angled slightly to our left with his knees spread wide, but he looks out at us. He wears a pale, beige-colored cap and his cream-white bodysuit may have a loosely painted, wide collar. His nearly straight eyebrows and closed lips are painted black, and his narrow gray eyes are outlined in black, against the white oval of his painted face. His clasped hands, ears, and his skin visible along the edges of his makeup are pale peach. The background is earth brown. The artist signed and dated the work with red paint between one of the man’s legs and the leg of the chair, near the lower center: “Walt Kuhn 1929.”
Walt Kuhn, The White Clown, 1929, oil on canvas, Gift of the W. Averell Harriman Foundation in memory of Marie N. Harriman, 1972.9.16

The White Clown

Walt Kuhn · 1929 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1972.9.16

Walt Kuhn, Green Apples and Scoop, 1939, oil on canvas, Gift of the W. Averell Harriman Foundation in memory of Marie N. Harriman, 1972.9.14

Green Apples and Scoop

Walt Kuhn · 1939 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1972.9.14

A profusion of white roses bursting from the neck of a tan jug almost fills the height of this horizontal still life painting. The roses have large, round blooms with petals tinged with denim and aquamarine blue, sage green, mauve pink, teal, and butter yellow. Emerald-green leaves fill the spaces between blossoms. The jug has a short, rounded handle and sits on a sea glass-green surface. A few blooms lie in the lower left corner and at the foot of the vessel. Many of the flowers, leaves, and vase are outlined with navy blue or black. A mint-green wall with wavy, diagonal streaks of cream white fills the background. The paint is applied thickly with visible strokes.
Vincent van Gogh, Roses, 1890, oil on canvas, Gift of Pamela Harriman in memory of W. Averell Harriman, 1991.67.1

Roses

Vincent van Gogh · 1890 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1991.67.1

Bibliography

1948

  • World Biography [4th ed. of the Biographical Encyclopedia of the World]. New York, 1948: 2167, col. 1.

1961

  • National Gallery of Art. Exhibition of the Marie and Averell Harriman Collection. Washington, D.C., 15 April-14 May, 1961.

1986

  • Oser, Alan S. "Ex-Gov. Averell Harriman, Adviser to 4 Presidents, Dies." New York Times. 27 July 1986. In New York Times Biographical Service, vol. 17, no. 7-9: 932-936.