Lot 75
Artist: Julio De Diego (1900-1979)
Title: Space Cadets c.1960
Medium: oil on canvas
Image Size: 29.5 x 23.25
Frame Size: 31 x 25
Signed: signed lower left
Estimate: $1,500 - 2,000

Estate of Julio De Diego
Julio De Diego was born on May 9, 1900 in Madrid, Spain. He painted street scenes, landscapes and murals for the WPA. He was a gaunt, intense man, who was at one time married to Gypsy Rose Lee. As an artist, he fits into no easy pigeonhole. He was far from what is commonly considered to be the mainstream of modern art. He was a traditionalist at heart, but his fame came from his paintings of the Spanish Armada. In his New York studio, de Diego spent his spare time cooking aromatic Spanish dishes and reading works of Spanish philosophers and poets. He smoked cigarettes constantly and dressed flamboyantly, affecting cerise mufflers and jangling bracelets. Collections: Walker Art Center; Encyclopedia Britanica Collection; IBM Collection; Art Institute of Chicago; Milwaukee Art Institute; San Francisco Museum of Art; Santa Barbara Museum of Art; Metropolitan Museum of Art; United States State Department; Montclair Art Museum.

excellent