Name/Title
La Spina, Nunzio E. (1900-1988) "Flower Study"Entry/Object ID
2025.900.FA18195Tags
Oil PaintingDescription
This composition occupies a sort of uncanny valley in painting: its vase and flowers use one regime of three-dimensionality; its plant stand uses a different regime, or perhaps the same from a different vantage point. No viewing point can make those two cohere. La Spina’s still life is not cubist in its treatment of space, yet results in an object not simply floating in space, but tethered to another perspective. Compare the aesthetic here to his more traditional “October Bouquet.”Collection
Mt. Morris TB Hospital FAP CollectionMade/Created
Artist
La Spina, Nunzio E.Date made
1936Condition
Overall Condition
PoorDate Examined
Jul 27, 2025Notes
3 scratches upper left corner/middle right side/bottom middle left, 2 holes upper left corner/bottom middle, warping/fading throughout upper half/bottom and edgesRecommendations
repairs for tear and requires cleaningProvenance
Provenance Detail
Created under the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project (1930s–1940s), this collection of easel paintings was originally installed at the Mount Morris Tuberculosis Sanitorium in Livingston County, New York. Following the sanitorium’s closure in 1970, the artworks were abandoned and remained in storage until their rediscovery decades later. Now preserved and exhibited by the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts (GVCA), the collection is housed at the New Deal Museum in Mount Morris. Current efforts include digitization, high-resolution photography, and the creation of an online archive to ensure long-term public access and research availability.General Notes
Note Type
Cataloging NoteNote
See the entry titled 'New Deal Collection' for supporting documents, and general historic and research information.
