Untitled (fashion drawing of young teenager), ca. 1950
Pencil on paper
16" x 12 1/2" (sight)
Provenance: Acquired from the estate of the artist

Morton Bartlett was a private man whose artistry became public after his death. The adopted only son of a Boston Brahmin couple, he left Harvard two years before graduating with the class of 1932. Various jobs followed, including gas station manager and printer’s broker, while he devoted himself to creating a fantasy family of perfectly sculpted children. Bartlett photographed these meticulously dressed and posed figures in staged scenarios that were at once quotidian and dramatic: a girl curled up comfortably reading or dancing at a ballet class
a boy at the beach. Discovered in their entirety after the distribution of his estate, Morton Bartlett’s staged photographs have since received international acclaim. Bartlett’s work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
the Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco
the Collection de l’Art Brut Musée, Lausanne, and many other institutions.

Condition Not examined out of frame. Appears to be in very good condition. Condition reports (given as opinion and not as guaranteed statements of fact) are added online throughout the auction process. The absence of a condition report does not imply that there are no condition issues with the lot. Please call (609) 397-9374 or e-mail info@ragoarts.com with any questions about this lot at least 24 hours prior to auction.