Gouache on paper, framed. Featuring abstract expressionist composition. Signed and attr Carlos Merida (Guatemalan, 1895-1984) on the lower left corner. Picture size: 18 x 21.5 cm (7.1 x 8.5 inches), frame size: 21 x 25 cm (8.3 x 9.8 inches). Carlos Merida was a Guatemalan artist known for his paintings which merged Pre-Columbian aesthetics with pictorial ideas culled from Joan Miró and Paul Klee. Mérida use of Mayan art was a means to make European trends more relevant to his own heritage. Born on December 2, 1898 in Guatemala City, Guatemala, he spent time in Paris between 1910 to 1914 where he became acquainted with artists like Pablo Picasso and Amedeo Modigliani. In 1919, having returned to Guatemala five years earlier, the artist moved to Mexico City where he worked as Diego Rivera’s mural-painting assistant. In the late 1920s, he returned to Europe, where his work underwent a shift inspired by the avant-garde works he observed. Mérida died on December 22, 1984 in Mexico City, Mexico. Today, the artist’s works are held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Art Museum of the Americas in Washington, D.C., the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, among others. PROVENANCE: Southern Ontario estate

All authorship of items in this catalog are described according to the following terms:

By [Artist Name] : In our opinion, the work is by the artist.

Attributed to [Artist Name] : In our opinion, the work may be ascribed to the artist on the basis of style, but there may be some question as to actual authorship.

In the manner of [Artist Name] : In our opinion, the work was executed by an unknown hand, but was designed deliberately to emulate the style of the artist.

After [Artist Name] : In our opinion, the work was executed by an unknown hand, but is a deliberate copy of a known work by the artist.

Circle of [Artist Name] : In our opinion, a work of the period of the artist showing his influence, closely associated with the artist but not necessarily his pupil.

Follower of [Artist Name]: In our opinion, a work by a pupil or a follower of the artist (not necessarily a pupil).

American, 19th century : In our opinion, this work was executed by an unknown hand, and can only be identified by origin (i.e., region, period).

Bears signature : In our opinion, the signature on the artwork may be spurious.
Apocryphal : Of doubtful authenticity.