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Marion Beckett

ca. 1915
Not on view
With her good friends from the 291 gallery, Katharine Rhoades and Agnes Meyer, Marion Beckett (1886–1949) often visited the photographer Edward Steichen and his family at their home in France. In this idyllic setting, Beckett focused on her own painting (which was shown at 291 in 1915), while also serving as an inspiration for Steichen. Described by Agnes Meyer as one of "the most beautiful young women that ever walked this earth," Beckett was more gentle and reserved than the other "Three Graces" (Rhoades and Meyer). Here, in one of his most geometric and starkly simple compositions, de Zayas gives her an expression of wide-eyed innocence, defining only her catlike eyes and a few wisps of hair. Undermining her serenity, however, are the massive blocks of black charcoal, peaked and threatening on all sides, that perhaps allude to rising tensions within the Steichen household over his alleged infidelities.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Marion Beckett
  • Artist: Marius de Zayas (Mexican, Veracruz 1880–1961 Stamford, Connecticut)
  • Date: ca. 1915
  • Medium: Charcoal and graphite on paper
  • Dimensions: 24 1/2 × 18 3/4 in. (62.2 × 47.6 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Alfred Stieglitz Collection, 1949
  • Object Number: 49.70.189
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Sadakichi Hartmann, Marius de Zayas Mexican, Brush and black ink, ink wash, and watercolor with graphite on paper mounted on paperboard
Sadakichi Hartmann
Marius de Zayas
ca. 1910–11
Edward Steichen, Marius de Zayas Mexican, Brush and pen and black ink, ink wash, watercolor, copper metallic paint, and graphite on paper
Edward Steichen
Marius de Zayas
1910
Clarence White, Marius de Zayas Mexican, Charcoal and graphite on paper
Clarence White
Marius de Zayas
1908–9
Max Weber, Marius de Zayas Mexican, Brush and black ink, opaque watercolor, watercolor, and copper metallic paint over graphite on paper
Max Weber
Marius de Zayas
ca. 1910
Alvin Langdon Coburn (recto); Edward Steichen (verso), Marius de Zayas Mexican, Recto: Charcoal and chalk on paper<br/>Verso: Charcoal on paper
Alvin Langdon Coburn (recto); Edward Steichen (verso)
Marius de Zayas
ca. 1908–9

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