Name/Title
Kovner, Saul (1904-1982) "Fruit and Drapery"Entry/Object ID
2025.900.FA18192Tags
Oil PaintingDescription
This complex still life plays with how the natural world makes its way into artistic forms and representation. A grouping of fruit at upper left is echoed in the fabric’s shapes at lower right, as with the bell pepper’s distinctive shape. A pear at middle right is easy to overlook because its colors blend in. Meanwhile, a ceramic teapot is painted with its own colors and floral designs (referenced in another fabric). There are three distinct pieces of cloth, whose patterns multiply by reversal and draping. In the background is either a painting of sky upon the wall, or Kovner’s painted sky for this composition.Collection
Mt. Morris TB Hospital FAP CollectionDimensions
Height
17-1/2 inWidth
21-1/2 inCondition
Overall Condition
GoodDate Examined
Jul 27, 2025Notes
35+ cracks throughout entirety/most vertical/bottom ones horizontal/2 chips upper corner left/lower left, 1 scratch bottom middle, warping lower left cornerRecommendations
paint cracking.. overall looks great, 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 Documents' for supporting documents, and general historic and research information.
