Lot 1372: Alfredo de G. Crimi (Italian/New York, 1900-1994)

Alfredo (Alfred) de Georgio Crimi (Italian/New York, 1900-1994), "Portrait of the Artist Chen Chi", oil on canvas, signed lower right, a "St. Lawrence University/New York" accession label en verso, 66" x 30". Framed. Provenance: Gift of artist to St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York; Private Collection. Exhibition History: Richard F. Brush Art Gallery, St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York. The Sicilian-born Crimi studied at the National Academy of Design and the Institute des Beaux-Arts before becoming a muralist for the WPA. This portrait of Chen Chi, his fellow National Academician, was likely completed in the mid-50s. A native of China, Chi was an instructor at the University in Shanghai. In 1947 he moved to New York as a part of a cultural exchange program between China and the United States; he stayed in the city for the remainder of his life, eventually becoming a United States citizen. Chi traveled throughout the country, working at various times in Chicago, New Orleans,and San Francisco. In 1999, the Chen Chi Art Museum was opened in Shanghai; the president of China, a collector of the artistÆs work, officiated. Chi was invited to create a work in honor of the 50th anniversary of the PeopleÆs Republic of China.