Description:

Antonio Pietro Martino
American, 1902-1988
Druid Hill Park
Oil on canvas, signed and titled to the stretcher
Impressionist and vibrant impasto rendering of the Baltimore park, framed.

One of eight artist children born to an Italian immigrant mason and stonecutter father and a buttonhole maker mother, young Antonio Martino seemed destined for a life in the arts, following his brother Giovanni at thirteen to classes at the Graphic Sketch Club (now Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial) in South Philadelphia. Martino then studied with Albert Jean Adolphe at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art (now the University of the Arts) and took weekend courses at both the Spring Garden Institute and the La France Institute. With an exhibit at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia already under his belt at twenty-three, Martino drew comparisons from critics to the work of Edward Redfield and Walter Schofield at the burgeoning of his career.

In 1941, Martino and his brothers took the family tradition a step further, forming Martino Commercial Art Studios, which provided a variety of fine art and promotional design services across the expertise of the seven brothers, and a select fourteen other artists on staff. The family spent weekend mornings painting in Bucks County, creating landscapes of New Hope and the Delaware River that showed a strong impressionist influence.

Accolades of Martino were vast and consistent across his lifelong career in the arts, dating back to the Sesquicentennial Exposition in Philadelphia of 1926, for which the twenty-four year old became the youngest artist to win a medal. At the National Academy of Design, he won five prizes, including a Gold Medal. Exhibits spanned from the Philadelphia Art Club to the Art Institute of Chicago, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Philadelphia Sketch Club, the Corcoran Gallery Biennials, the Carnegie Institute, the National Arts Club, the Salmagundi Club and the Whitney Museum of American Art. The awards number over eighty, and Martino is permanently represented in more than twenty-five public collections. He was elected as an Associate of the National Academy of Design in 1938 and a National Academician in 1942, one of the highest distinctions awarded to American artists at the time.

  • Dimensions: Stretcher: 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61 cm.), frame: 26 x 30 in. (66 x 76.2 cm.)
  • Medium: Oil on canvas, signed and titled to the stretcher
  • Condition:
    Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client, is an opinion, and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Reference to condition written, oral or within a condition report shall not be regarded as a full account of condition and may not include all defects, alterations, or restorations. Absence of a condition report does not imply a lot is flawless or lacking imperfections or damage. Selkirk Auctioneers & Appraisers shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. Returns shall not be accepted on the basis of condition. 

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Shipment is the full responsibility of the buyer. Selkirk will not be responsible for any loss, damage, theft, or otherwise responsible for any items left in Selkirk's possession fifteen (15) days after the sale. If arrangements for shipping have not been made and communicated within thirty (30) days, Selkirk reserves the right, at this time, to charge a storage fee of $10 per lot per day for furniture and large format items and $5 per lot per day for all other items, and within sixty (60) days, at its own discretion, sell any items left on the premises. Accumulated fees resulting from storage and insurance cost will be taken out of any proceeds.

Objects that contain materials of endangered or protected species may be subject to regulations disallowing export and import into other states or countries. It is the buyer's responsibility to be aware of all applicable laws and regulations and to obtain any required export or import licenses or certificates and any other required documentation.

October 14, 2023 10:00 AM CDT
St. Louis, MO, US

Selkirk Auctioneers & Appraisers

You agree to pay a buyer’s premium, as outlined below, and any applicable taxes and shipping.
Buyer's Premium
$0 - $1,000,000:
30.00%
$1,000,001 - $2,000,000:
25.00%
$2,000,001+:
20.00%

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $29 $5
$30 $99 $10
$100 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $29,999 $1,000
$30,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $299,999 $10,000
$300,000 $499,999 $25,000
$500,000 + $50,000