Chairs in Art

While we typically engage with chairs as three-dimensional objects, some artists in Reynolda’s collection offer chairs as elements in their prints and paintings. Take for example the floral armchair Red Grooms physically elevated from the page in Gertrude or the suggested chair forms indented in space in Richard Artschwager’s Dinner (Two). Gilbert Stuart does not hide the neoclassical chair supporting sitter Sally Foster Otis, rather it underscores the Greek style Mrs. Otis promotes in her dress. Finally, William Merritt Chase’s, Thomas Eakins’, and John Sloan’s depictions of chairs fade from attention while still evoking the setting and informing the sitters’ postures.