Attributed to Merton D Simpson, it does not have a COA. Medium: oil acrylic masonite. 33.5 x 29.5 inches. Provenance: private owner.
Biography: 1928 - 2013. A man of many talents and dogged determination, Merton Simpson was an acclaimed Abstract Expressionist, amateur jazz musician, and pre-eminent dealer of African and tribal art. Though his paintings continue to be exhibited and collected by museums nationwide, Simpson's legacy is most closely tied to the vast collection of African art left behind in his eponymous—and now shuttered—New York gallery upon his death in March 2013. Curators and dealers from around the world visited and purchased African art from Simpson during the gallery's fifty-nine years of operation, and he is credited with assisting numerous institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in their efforts to establish African art collections.

All authorship of items in this catalog are described according to the following terms:

Signed [Artist Name] : In cases in which the signature is legible in the lot, this work is described as-is with no attributions given.

By [Artist Name] : The work is by the artist.

Attributed to [Artist Name] : The work may be ascribed to the artist on the basis of style, but there may be some question as to actual authorship.

In the manner of [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but was designed deliberately to emulate the style of the artist.

After [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but is a deliberate copy of a known work by the artist.

Circle of [Artist Name] : A work of the period of the artist showing his influence, closely associated with the artist but not necessarily his pupil.

Follower of [Artist Name]: A work by a pupil or a follower of the artist (not necessarily a pupil).

American, 19th century: This work was executed by an unknown hand, and can only be identified by origin (i.e., region, period).

Mint, based on the description.