LUIGI LUCIONI
Calla Lily.
Charcoal with white heightening and red crayon on brown wove paper, circa 1930. 425x285 mm; 16x11¼ inches. Signed and dedicated to art historian Nelson C. White and his wife, Ida Rovetti White, in pencil, lower right recto. Provenance: Gifted by the artist to the current owner, private collection, Connecticut.Lucioni (1900-1988) and White (1900-1989) met at a social event while both were summering on Shelter Island in 1922. White was also a painter and had studied at the National Academy of Design from 1919 to 1923 and was an active member of the Lyme Art Association. White married Aida ("Ida") Rovetti (1897-2002) in 1929 and the couple settled in Waterford, Connecticut. Lucioni was also an alumni of the National Academy of Design and attended Cooper Union. The letters between White and Lucioni's are held in the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.