Harpo Marx and Art More About Francis Quirk's Friend

Earlier we had written a bit about Francis Quirk's friendship with Harpo Marx as the two of them often looked at art together.

After a cursory look into it, we learned that there was more to Harpo than meets the eye. Besides being a surprisingly good harp player with recorded albums, he was quite an art collector. Harpo attended Thomas Hart Benson's 1946 show and was the first to buy a painting- Spring on the Missouri. He was visiting Chicago to perform and stopped in at the opening at the Associated American Artists Gallery. The painting was completed in 1945 and depicts a recent flood. This painting now hangs in the North Carolina Museum of Art.

Spring on the Missouri by Thomas Hart Benson  North Carolina Museum of Art

Newspaper Clipping Showing Harpo Marx and Thomas Hart Benton's Painting "Spring on the Missouri"

"Spring on the Missouri hanging in Harpo Marx' home

Harpo also collected Salvador Dali who was a personal friend, George Grosz, Joseph Hirsch, LeRoy Nieman, Doris Lee, and John Decker. Joseph Hirsch spent time in Philadelphia, Provincetown and New York in periods that overlapped with Quirk so they may have known each other. 

Below is a painting of Harpo by Salvador Dali. You can learn more of the back story by visiting the Philadelphia Museum of Art site. Or learn a bit about the Marx Brothers and the Surrealists by going here.

Harpo Marx by Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali with Harpo Marx

John Decker Painting of Harpo Marx as Blue Boy Which sold for $11,875 in 2013

We are reaching out to Harpo's estate to see if there was a Francis Quirk painting in his collection.

Going beyond his collecting of American Paintings, Harpo would also paint. He sold his paintings to benefit various charities. To see his paintings you can visit Harpo's Place for more information on his paintings and his musical recordings.

Addendum

Salvador Dali would actually write a screenplay for the Marx brothers, but the movie was never made. There was a graphic book produced about Giraffes on Horseback Salad.

Conversation with Friend of Francis Quirk

Recently we had the pleasure of speaking with a friend of Francis Quirk. This gentleman and his wife had taken a painting course taught by Quirk at a Pennsylvania community college. They were friends for approximately six years prior to the famous artist's death.

The threesome enjoyed many evenings together over beers. He said that Quirk was an inquisitive and curious person of good humor. He was fascinated by new technologies and what their adoption would mean for society. Quirk was down-to-earth and fun to be around.

Quirk could be stubborn and had determination. Fore example, he once had a stroke in Florida. Rather than being treated at a Florida Hospital, he drove 36 hours back to Pennsylvania for medical care.

When it came to art and drawing Quirk had amazing talent. On a cocktail napkin, he once executed a wonderful drawing of a person without lifting the pen off the paper. He also liked to experiment with different materials and techniques. For example Quirk figured out that he could get images similar to watercolors from old Flair pens that were running out of ink.

Quirk was an eloquent speaker and analyst of paintings. He could discuss the merits of a painting like a wine connoisseur evaluating a select varietal.

Flair Pens

Quirk's transportation was a Mercury Station Wagon which he purchased because it had the largest back entrance and therefore could hold the largest paintings possible.

When our contact met Quirk, his wife Anna had already passed. Apparently she spent a significant amount of time in Coastal Maine as her allergies were exacerbated by the pollen in Pennsylvania. (Note that Quirk also once had a house in Arizona as well. Perhaps the arid climate aided her condition.)

Harpo Marx Friend of Francis Quirk

Quirk also had traveled in some interesting circles.  The famous writer Edgar Lee Masters rented a room from him when Quirk was teaching at the Ogontz School. The Pulitzer Prize winning Poet Carl Sandburg also called him a friend. And perhaps most interestingly, Harpo Marx and he would frequently go and look at Art together in New York. 

Visit to National Portrait Gallery Archives to View Francis Quirk Portrait of Edgar Lee Masters

The staff at the National Portrait Gallery have been wonderfully supportive of our efforts to learn more about Francis Quirk's portrait of Edgar Lee Masters.  In addition to providing images, they have allowed us to visit their archives building to see the painting up close.

 

The archives are kept in a very plane looking warehouse type building in the suburbs of Washington D.C. As we pulled up, I hinted to my sons that we might find the Lost Ark of movie fame inside. While we did not find Indy's treasure, we did see others; reaffirming my conviction that Museums have an opportunity to bring art lovers closer through tours of the archives.

 

After signing in, Todd walked us through a labyrinth of clean hallways, past a photographic set-up and into a bay containing a myriad of paintings and sculptures. The Edgar Lee Masters Portrait was set up on an easel. Its strength was immediately apparent.

Edgar Lee Masters Portrait by Francis Quirk

Edgar Lee Masters Portrait by Francis Quirk with eight year old for scale

Once lit... Wow! 

Edgar Lee Masters Portrait by Francis Quirk with lighting

Below are some close ups of key areas including the face, hands, and the Quirk Self-Portrait.

Edgar Lee Masters Portrait by Francis Quirk Close up of Face

Edgar Lee Masters Portrait by Francis Quirk Close up of Hands with Pipe

Edgar Lee Masters Portrait by Francis Quirk Close up of Books on Shelf

Beyond the excellent execution, one of the most interesting features of the painting is the self-portrait that is in the upper right hand corner. Quirk has included an inscription to his friend- "In Fullest admiration to Edgar Lee Masters Francis J. Quirk."

Edgar Lee Masters Portrait by Francis Quirk- Close up of Corner with Quirk Self Portrait

Close up of Self-Portrait by Francis Quirk in Portrait of Edgar Lee Masters

Artist Francis Quirk's Train Locomotive Watercolors

We continue bringing to light the works of Francis Quirk by sharing two striking watercolor images of a train locomotive with an adjacent freight car. The images  capture the engine obliquely from the front with smoke rising from an active boiler fire. 

Watercolor Train Locomotive Image by Artist Francis Quirk

Watercolor Locomotive Image by Artist Francis Quirk

The House in the background of the second painting is reminiscent of Edward Hopper's work. It may be that Quirk's watercolors were executed when Quirk was in Cape Cod Massachusetts as a young man in the early 1930's. For perspective we are including a few train related works of Hopper below. Several of these works were executed in the 1920's on the Cape or in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Given the geographic proximity of the two artists and the similarity of their work, it is fair to assume that Hopper had a significant influence on Francis. 

Locomotive and Freight Car by Edward Hopper

D. & R. G. Locomotive by Edward Hopper

Freight Car at Truro by Edward Hopper

House by the Railroad by Edward Hopper

Railroad Train by Edward Hopper

Circus Wagon 1926 by Edward Hopper

Locomotive by Edward Hopper

National Portrait Gallery Provides Improved Edgar Lee Masters Portrait Image and Wow! Francis J.Quirks' Self-Portrait is in the Gallery as Well.

Portrait of Edgar Lee Masters in the National Portrait Gallery

The National Portrait Gallery graciously provided the image above of master painter Francis Quirk's painting of Edgar Lee Masters. In this version, you can more clearly see the picture on the wall, the figure on the desk, and the open book on the book case. 

We began examining the picture on the wall thinking that perhaps it was Hemingway. But an enlargement blew us away!  It appears that the painted photo on the wall is a depiction of Francis J. Quirk with a signed dedication. It appears that Francis J. Quirk is one of few artists with a self-portrait and a portrait in the National Portrait Gallery.

Francis J. Quirk's self portrait in the National Portrait Gallery within the Portrait of Edgar Lee Masters

This reminds one of perhaps the world's most famous self-portrait within a portrait Velasquez' Las Meninas, which was painted in 1656. Velasquez is standing at left. 

Diego Velasquez painting "Las Meninas" 1656

Quirk's Pastel Portraits

Francis Quirk executed some exceptional portraits with pastels. Here we provide the ones we have captured in our image library.

He is shown working in pastel in a photo of him in the Brown and White's profile piece published with his retirement from Lehigh University. Earlier at Ogontz College he executed a pastel portrait to a top student every year.

Francis Quirk at work with pastels creating a portrait at Lehigh University. The photo was published in the School's newspaper- "The Brown and White" 

The portraits show his mastery of draftsmanship,shade and color. In the portraits of young children, one can see that he had challenges with getting the relationships of the facial features in proper proportion. Yet in those portraits there are elements executed with great dexterity including a bunny, lobster claw and carriage.

Pastel Portrait by Francis J. Quirk

Pastel Portrait of twins by Francis J. Quirk

Pastel Portrait of Young Lady Holding a Dog by Francis J. Quirk

Maritime Sailor Pastel Portrait by Francis J. Quirk

Pastel Portrait of Woman with Dog by Francis J. Quirk

Pastel Portrait by Francis J. Quirk

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Pastel Portrait by Francis J. Quirk

Pastel Self- Portrait by Francis J. Quirk

Pastel Portrait by Francis J. Quirk

Pastel Self-Portrait by Francis J. Quirk

"Smoking Man" Pastel Portrait by Francis J. Quirk  Image Courtesy of a Private Collector

Pastel Portrait by Francis J. Quirk

Pastel Portrait by Francis J. Quirk- This was a study for an oil painting.

Pastel Portrait by Francis J. Quirk   This was a study for an oil painting.

Pastel Portrait by Francis J. Quirk

Pastel Portrait by Francis J. Quirk

Pastel Portrait by Francis J. Quirk

Pastel Portrait by Francis J. Quirk

Pastel Portrait of boy with art and lobster claw by Francis J. Quirk

Pastel Portrait of a Child by Francis J. Quirk

Pastel Portrait of a Child by Francis J. Quirk

Pastel Portrait by Francis J. Quirk Possibly his wife Anna?