Frederick Douglass painted in broad brushstrokes shoulders up

Elizabeth Peyton

Frederick Douglass, 1850

€1,000

Artwork

4047.5 (H) × 37.5 (W) cm

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With an edition of silkscreen prints, Elizabeth Peyton makes an emotive tribute to a seminal figure in the history of America.

In Frederick Douglass, 1850 (2020), Peyton renders the titular American abolitionist, orator and writer from the neck up. The intimate and closely-cropped scale emphasises the minimalism and physicality of her brushwork, and heightens the emotional intensity of her subject's expression. She builds up the contours of Douglass’s face from short, watery dabs of oil paint – lending the composition a sense of spirited lightness.

Peyton’s artwork has been meticulously translated into a 32-layer, limited edition silkscreen in close collaboration artisan printmakers at Make-Ready in London – one of a pair of editions launched in support of the National Portrait Gallery in London. Re-opening in June 2023, the Gallery's diversified collection focuses on presenting an inclusive and dynamic picture of the people who have contributed to the rich history of the United Kingdom.

Frederick Douglass, 1850, 2023, silkscreen print © Elizabeth Peyton

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Behind the scenes

a black and white photograph of artist Elizabeth Peyton wearing a black jacket

Elizabeth Peyton 3 collaborationsElizabeth Peyton creates gestural, atmospheric paintings and works on paper that attest to the psychical and emotional depths of the people she paints. Her artworks map out delicate negotiations between beauty, desire, and the pictorial image. Peyton finds feeling in all that she depicts. Whether it's people from her own milieu or figures from history, literature, music or film, she always renders each scene with the intensity of her own particular humanism – a close and loving look at humanity. In each figure's uniqueness, she reveals the universal emotions that connect us to each other and to art, and which stretch from our present moment back through time.

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Reviews from Avant collectors

Beautifully printed piece. Nice touch on the bag and gloves. Thank you for your efficiency and timely updates.
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perfect customer service! thank you
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Top tier experience all around. The print quality is amazing, the packaging was superb, and the process was seamless. I am a huge fan of Avant Arte and I hope to continue collecting from you.
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so surprised from the extreme professiomality and packimg
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Having purchased many items from outside NZ, I can say with sincerity, that the communications, packaging and delivery have been exemplary! A copybook experience for an online, overseas art purchase. Thank you!
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appart from a incredible opportunity to own and enjoy an Ai Weiwei the packaging was exemplary. i have worked pretty much my whole life in the art and museum sector and this impressed me very much, well sone you guys 👍🏻
Review of Guardian
Extremely happy with the artwork but also the online insight to the production and interview with the artist. The shipping and packaging are very considered and I look forward to seeing ( & buying ) other pieces
Review of Guardian

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