Lot 255: Allan Banks b. 1948 , Summer Afternoon oil on canvas

signed Allan Banks NAAA and dated 1984 with copyright, l.r. oil on canvas

measurements 37 1/2 by 24 1/2 in. alternate measurements 95 by 62 cm.

Originally from Dearborn, Michigan, Banks is an important proponent of contemporary plein-air figural painting. He founded the Atelier of Plein Air Studies in Safety Harbor, Florida and is the group's director. He studied at the atelier of classical realist painter, Richard Lack for several years and with R.H. Ives Gammell. He has traveled widely and is known for his figural works, interiors and garden views in the classical realist style. He has won many honors, including an award from the Ohio Arts Council, a grant from the John F. and Anna Lee Stacy Foundation and two grants from the Elizabeth T. Greenshield Memorial Foundation. His work is included in the collections of the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut, The Newark Museum, and the Springville Museum in Utah.