Lot 303: Boyd Cruise (American/Louisiana, 1909-1988),

Boyd Cruise (American/Louisiana, 1909-1988), "Pride of New Orleans", 1952, watercolor, signed lower right, 21 in. x 16 in., framed. Cruise's watercolor paintings are known for their New Orleans subject matter, from nostalgic pictures of French Quarter buildings to local flora, to contemporary New Orleans scenes. This painting, "Pride of New Orleans", depicts two maskers on a Mardi Gras float. The title comes from the box near their feet, which appears to reference the logo from popular Picayune cigarettes. The maskers seem to be using the box to hold their throws. "Pride of New Orleans" was reproduced in Alberta Collier and Mary Louise Christovich, Boyd Cruise, exhibition catalogue, The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1976, p. 18. Note: New Orleans is where Boyd Cruise spent the majority of his adult life and found inspiration for his artwork, although he was born in Mississippi and spent his childhood in Lake Charles, LA. He moved to the city in 1928 when he received a scholarship to the Arts and Crafts Club of New Orleans, there he studied under famed New Orleans artists such as Charles Bein, Weeks Hall, and Knute Heldner. Provenance: Acquired from Harold Schilke, New Orleans.