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Lot Essay
'She had this tremendous commitment to the ideals of her aunt, and she held to them with a religious fervour, and that's why the Arts Club is what it is. She wanted it to be what her aunt wanted it to be' (quoted in 'State of the Art: For 70 Years The Arts Club of Chicago has kept the city on the cutting edge of culture', Chicago Tribune, October 1986).
These words describe Rue Winterbotham Shaw, who presided over the Arts Club of Chicago for nearly 40 years, between 1940 and 1979. Shaw followed in the footsteps of her aunt, Rue Winterbotham Carpenter (1877-1931), who, as the Institution's second President was its most influential driver for over a decade, making the Arts Club the main exhibitor and promoter of contemporary art in the United States prior to the founding of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Carpenter befriended many of the greatest artists of the 20th century, including Natalia Goncharova. It was during her tenure that Goncharova's exquisite panelled screen, Spring was acquired by the Arts Club. Rue Winterbotham Shaw shared her aunt's passion for the arts and as a young woman had longed to become an artist herself. Carpenter arranged for her niece to study painting with Goncharova in Paris in the 1920s. Although Ms Shaw pursued a career as a brilliant administrator rather than as an artist, it was a meaningful period in her life, commemorated by this lovely drawing depicting white spring blossoms, the predominant theme in Goncharova's work during this period.
These words describe Rue Winterbotham Shaw, who presided over the Arts Club of Chicago for nearly 40 years, between 1940 and 1979. Shaw followed in the footsteps of her aunt, Rue Winterbotham Carpenter (1877-1931), who, as the Institution's second President was its most influential driver for over a decade, making the Arts Club the main exhibitor and promoter of contemporary art in the United States prior to the founding of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Carpenter befriended many of the greatest artists of the 20th century, including Natalia Goncharova. It was during her tenure that Goncharova's exquisite panelled screen, Spring was acquired by the Arts Club. Rue Winterbotham Shaw shared her aunt's passion for the arts and as a young woman had longed to become an artist herself. Carpenter arranged for her niece to study painting with Goncharova in Paris in the 1920s. Although Ms Shaw pursued a career as a brilliant administrator rather than as an artist, it was a meaningful period in her life, commemorated by this lovely drawing depicting white spring blossoms, the predominant theme in Goncharova's work during this period.