Nude with Hexagonal Quilt
1924
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 129.5 x 160 cm (51 x 63 in.) framed: 154.9 x 185.1 x 8.3 cm (61 x 72 7/8 x 3 1/4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CAB
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
Accession Number
1983.1.4
Art Historical Context
George Bellows painted *Nude with Hexagonal Quilt* in 1924, late in his career, using oil on canvas to explore the quiet intimacy of the human figure. The large scale—over four feet high—invites viewers into a private domestic space where the model reclines against a boldly patterned quilt. hexagonal design creates a striking geometric counterpoint to the soft curves of the body, showcasing Bellows’s interest in pattern and form. Although best known for his dynamic Ashcan School scenes of urban life and boxing matches, Bellows turned increasingly to studio nudes and portraits in the 1920s. Oi...
About the Artist
George Bellows
George Wesley Bellows was born on August 12, 1882, in Columbus, Ohio, the only child of building contractor George Bellows Sr. and Anna Smith Bellows, with an older half-sister, Laura. A talented athlete who excelled in baseball and basketball at Ohio State University from 1901 to 1904, Bellows illustrated for the school yearbook before rejecting a professional baseball contract to pursue art. In ...