Lot 14: Arturo Michelena (Venezuelan 1863-1898)

Doña Aminta de los Ríos de Villalobos
inscribed 'Doy fé que este cuadro es pintado por mi finado marido Arturo Michelena su viuda Lastenia Michelena' (lower right)
oil on canvas
19 1/2 x 24 in. (50 x 61 cm.)
Painted circa 1890.

Valencia, Ateneo de Valencia, Perfiles de la eternidad, Centenario de la muerte de Arturo Michelena, June-September 1998, p. 34.

Mrs. Mireya Michelena de Ghio Collection, Valencia.
Private collection, Miami.

PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR

Doña Aminta de los Ríos de Villalobos typifies Michelena's commissioned work of the late 19th century. The painting was executed after a photograph, a common practice originally pioneered in Venezuela by Michelena's father. Doña Aminta displays a minimum of chromatic resources carefully orchestrated to express the drama, volume, and textures characteristic of Michelena's work.

This painting is sold with a certificate of authenticity from the Fundación Museo Arturo Michelena signed by Héctor Castillo.