Maurice Grosser, Portrait Of Michael Crowder, 1980

Maurice Grosser (1903-1986) was one of the great American portraitists of the 20th century and a leading figure in the early wave of LGBTQ+ art. He is particularly noted for his collaboration with his friend and lover, composer Virgil Thomson; the couple formed the nucleus of an artistic clique that included figures such as Gertrude Stein. The three collaborated several times, with Thomson writing the music, Stein the text, and Grosser creating the visual art element of their combined work. Thomson and Grosser also created a number of visual and musical portraits. Grosser’s artworks feature in the collections of the the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and the Huntsville Museum of Art. Professor Michael Crowder (1934-1988) was an Oxford-educated historian and leading expert on the 20th century history of West Africa, where he worked for several decades. He would have met Grosser no later than 1969, when he was serving as Research Professor and Director of the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), and Grosser was a visiting art professor at the same institution. Here, we present Grosser’s 1980 portrait of Crowder. Oil on canvas, signed and dated, signed and titled verso. This important work would be ideal for a museum or institutional collection. The frame: 38cm wide, 46cm high The canvas: 33cm wide, 41cm high Please enquire about shipping and delivery arrangements. Local delivery (or collection) is always free of charge.