Deem, George (American, 1932-2008) Painting. “School of Mantegna”. Mixed media on paper. Signed lower right “George Deem 1984.” Titled bottom center “School of Mantegna”. Nancy Hoffman Gallery label on back with artist name and title. In good condition. Measures 21 ” x 27 ”. Frame measures 29 ” x 36”. From the estate of Countess Consuelo Crespi (1928-2010), an American-born Italian countess who served the world of high fashion as a style-setting model and editor of Vogue (magazine) and Vogue Italia. Countess Crespi and her twin sister Gloria Schiff were famous New York fashion models in the 1940s and went on to become international fashion trendsetters and high-society insiders. Countess Crespi married Count Rudolfo Crespi (1924 -1985) in 1948 and they took up residence at the Palazzo Colonna in Rome. The count and countess were great sponsors of cultural life in Italy and the most elegant couple in Rome. Guests at the Crespis' Rome and New York dinner parties included Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Nureyev, Audrey Hepburn, Andy Warhol, the Fendi's, Steve Rubell, Valentino, Balthus, Maria Callas, Doris Duke, Henry Ford, Marcello Mastroianni, Gore Vidal, Cy Twombly, Bobby and Ethel Kennedy and the Shah of Iran and Empress Soraya.

From Askart: Best known for his "conceptual realist" painting, which drew references to Old and New Master works, Deem recreated the styles, light, and brushstrokes of the artists he loved, while changing, omitting, and adding details. With a particular fondness for Vermeer's work, he wanted the viewer to experience the painting before him as well as the work that came before. George Charles Deem Jr. was born on August 18, 1932 in Vincennes, Indiana and grew up on his father's cantaloupe farm. He spent a year at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago before he was drafted into the Army in 1953. He served in the military police in Heidelberg, Germany, and completed his art degree when he returned. Also an author, his books include How to Paint a Vermeer: A Painter's History of Art (Thames & Hudson, 2004) and Art School, a 1993 book reissued in 2005, also by Thames & Hudson. At his death he was preparing a show of his work to be presented in Manhattan in January 2009. George Deem died of lung cancer at home in Manhattan on August 11, 2008.