Gregory, Michael (American, 1955–) Painting. Oil on Canvas. ”The Tree.” Oil and tar on canvas. Not inspected out of the frame. Professionally framed and float matted. Labeled on the reverse Nancy Hoffman Gallery 249 West Broadway New York. Includes artist name, title, and dated 1987. In good condition. Measures 4” high x 9” wide. Frame measures 11 ” x 16 ”. 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: Michael Gregory was born in Los Angeles and he now lives and works in Bolinas, California. He attended and received a B.F.A from the San Francisco Art Institute. Captivated with the study of old barns and silos, Gregory creates detailed paintings in a palette of whites, greys, and blacks so true to life that they appear almost photographic in nature. The barns and silos are the focal point set in a scenic landscape. Also characterized with that same detailed style, he creates flower paintings. In sharp contrast to the barn paintings, the flowers are painted in brilliant colors on glossy black backgrounds. Each flower is displayed alone, meticulously painted in great detail. In his recent work, desiring to create a shift in the visual space in the paintings, he has focused on a new view of the landscape near his home in Northern California. Paintings include workers in the fields; circus tents in the landscape blurring into abstract shapes of bright color; sprinklers sparkling with the light. His work is inspired by Breughel's painting of the "Plowman" and Millet, who painted workers in a sincere fashion. This is the first time he has painted figures in the landscape. His work is included in many public and private collections, such as The Denver Art Museum, Microsoft Corporation, U.S. Trust Company in New York, Bank of America and Champion International Corporation, and General Mills Corporation.