Lot 59: A. B. Jackson (VA, 1925-1981), "Ghent Lady"

A. B. Jackson (VA, 1925-1981), "Ghent Lady"
acrylic on canvas, unsigned, presented in a molded gilt frame.
SS 45.5 x 43.5 in.; DOA 53 x 51 in.


Born to an Irish mother and black father in Connecticut, Jackson was educated at Yale but called Virginia home. The Chrysler Museum in Norfolk mounted a large retrospective of his work following his untimely death in 1981. Mary Jo was drawn to Jackson's work in part because he "loved to draw and paint people in their natural surroundings, not posing, but just enjoying their environment." She remembers Jackson as having "so much talent and his work was so superior that when you were in his presence you were filled with awe." This painting and lot 60, its companion piece, are considered to be Jackson's masterpieces. Dick and Mary Jo both believe this is a portrait of the artist's mother.
Collection of Mary Jo & Dick Bell, founders of Garden Gallery and the Water Garden, Raleigh, NC