The Wind Stood Still
Artist
Irene Rice Pereira
American, 1902–1971
Date1962
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions56 × 50 in. (142.2 × 127 cm)
Framed: 63 1/2 × 57 1/2 in. (161.3 × 146.1 cm)
Framed: 63 1/2 × 57 1/2 in. (161.3 × 146.1 cm)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Art Trust Fund Endowment
Object number2023.8.1
On View
On viewIn 1954 Pereira dreamed of a lapis lazuli stone surrounded by water. Attempting to understand it, she turned to writing poetry and personal interpretations. She then created thirty-three artworks known as the “Lapis paintings,” including this one. It represents Pereira’s experiments with texture, and its title is drawn from her poem “The Word”: “The Wind stood still / gazed around / and saw itself / mirrored across / the rippling sea.”
[J. Ledesma, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," 2024]ProvenanceCreated New York, NY, 1962. Private collection, San Diego, CA. [1]; (D.
Wigmore Fine Art, New York, 2020)
[1] Per email correspondence with Emily Lenz, gallerist at D. Wigmore Fine Art,
the work came out of an estate in San Diego, CA. The appraiser of the estate
brokered the sale between a seller and D. Wigmore Fine Art.Published ReferencesI. Rice Pereira (exhibtion catalogue) (New York: Amel Galleries, 1962), illus. b&w, page unknown.
Whitney Museum of American Art, Annual Exhibition 1963: Contemporary American Painting (exhibtion catalogue) (New York: Whitney Museum of American Art, 1963), np.
Harriet Doar, "His Figures Seem to Float in Light," Charlotte Observer, March 17, 1968, illus. b&w, page unknown.
I. Rice Pereira: The Nature of Space (brochure) (New York: D. Wigmore Fine Art, Inc., 2023), illus. color, n.p.Exhibition HistoryNew York, NY, Amel Galleries, Solo exhibtion, April 4–26, 1962.
New York, NY, Whitney Museum of American Art, "Contemporary American Painting: Annual Exhibition 1963," December 11, 1963–February 2, 1964, cat. no. 3.
Wilmington, NC, Wilmington College, One Man Show of Irene Rice Pereira (title unknown), January 7–10, 1968; Greensboro, NC, Weatherspoon Art Gallery, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, date unknown; Charlotte, NC, Mint Museum, March 2–24, 1968, cat. no. 1.
New York, NY, D. Wigmore FIne Art, Inc., "I. Rice Pereira: The Nature of Space," November 6–January 27, 2023 (extended through February 17, 2023).
Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection Reimagined," August 5, 2024-present. Object Rights Statement
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