John Graham (1881-1961)

The year 1927 was important for John Graham both personally and professionally as it marked both his United States citizenship and the first museum acquisition of his work with Duncan Phillips' purchase of Blue Bay (1927, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C). When he painted Still Life with Guitar, Graham had just approached the point in his career at which he was gaining critical recognition on both sides of the Atlantic. Although he produced still lifes from the mid-1920s through the 1940s, the present work is one of only two known works on glass by the artist, making it a rare and striking table top composition.