Marjorie Johnson Lee (Texas, 1911-1997) oil on canvas abstract painting titled "Hillside" rendered in impasto with a dynamic mixture of bright and earthy colors, portraying a cubist-influenced rocky hillside. Signed "M. Johnson Lee" lower edge. Titled and additionally signed with inscription "Miss Johnson", en verso of stretcher. Housed in a wooden frame with canvas liner and giltwood sight edge. Sight: 8 5/8" H x 15 7/8" W. Framed: 13" H x 20 1/4" W. Artist biography: Marjorie Johnson Lee was one of the founders of the Fort Worth School of Artists (1932), which was established to expose Texans to abstract art. She attended Texas Christian University, Fort Worth School of Fine Arts, the Art Institute of Chicago, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, and the Arts Student League in New York. She volunteered alongside many other artists in the U.S. Navy WAVES during WWII including as a flight instructor and later lived in New York for many years. She returned to Texas in 1974 and continued painting until her death. (Source: The Old Jail Art Center Art Museum). Lee's paintings are in the collections of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, the Grace Museum, and the Blanton Museum.

PROVENANCE: The collection of the artist's nephew.

CONDITION: Slight surface grime throughout; minor area of loss to paint layer in upper right quadrant measuring 1/8" x 1/4". Otherwise overall very god condition.