(Seated Female Nude)

Adolphe Borie (1877-1934) was born in Philadelphia where he studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (1895-99) under William Merritt Chase and Thomas Anchutz. He then studied at the Royal Academy of Munich with Carl Marr. While in Europe he frequently visited Paris, where he was influenced by both French Impressionism and Paris Modernism.  He joined his contemporaries Arthur B. Carles, Henry McCarter and other Philadelphia artists in rebellion against the Academy traditions established by Thomas Eakins and they attempted to introduce a more modern approach to art in the city.

Borie is best known for his figural work. The sale of his portraits supported  him throughout his life. He won the Carol Beck Gold Medal for portraiture from the Pennsylvania Academy in 1910 and numerous other prestigious awards. He became a fellow of the Academy as well as a member of the National Society of Portrait Painters, the Art Club of Philadelphia and the National Academy of Design in New York. His work is owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the University of Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Museum of Art hosted a memorial exhibition January 26 to March 4, 1935 and the Peale House Galleries in Philadelphia exhibited 45 of his paintings from the collection of his son Peter in April of 1986.

19 x 12 ¼ inches, sheet.
Charcoal on paper.
Signed lower right.