''Miss Bentham'' is a 1906 oil painting by the American artist

George Bellows George Wesley Bellows (August 12 or August 19, 1882 – January 8, 1925) was an American realism, American realist painting, painter, known for his bold depictions of urban life in New York City. He became, according to the Columbus Museum of Art ...

, depicting a full length, standing, nude woman, from the rear. In 2015, it was acquired by the

Barber Institute of Fine Arts The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is an art gallery and concert hall in Birmingham, England. It is situated in purpose-built premises on the campus of the University of Birmingham. The Grade I listed Art Deco building was designed by Robert At ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, England.

History

Bellows made the painting, his first nude, in 1906 and never sold it. It was still in his studio at the time of his death and was sold by his widow in 1985, to

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

. After Warhol's death in 1987, it was sold to an anonymous private collector who in turn sold it in 2015, through the dealer Collisart, to the Barber Institute. They placed it on display shortly afterwards. The painting is the Barber's first American painting, and only the second of Bellows' works to enter a public collection in the United Kingdom. Hugh Carslake, Chairman of the

Henry Barber Trust Sir William Henry Barber, 1st Baronet (9 November 1860 – 2 July 1927), known as Henry Barber, was a wealthy solicitor and property developer who made his fortune expanding Birmingham's sprawling suburbs, building and renting out 5,000 properti ...

, which purchased the picture on behalf of the Institute, said:

References

{{20C-painting-stub 1906 paintings Paintings by George Bellows Paintings in the Barber Institute of Fine Arts Nude art