b/w lithograph
1929
22 x 28 1/4
signed in pencil.
"Mexican Orchestra" is one of the George Overbury Hart's largest pieces. It is #14 from a limited edition of 50. The image captures a festive event with hanging lanterns, an orchestra, people cooking -- multiple figures performing joyful tasks. Permanent Collection of the Metropolitan Museum and the Museum of Modern Art, National Gallery of Art, Chicago Art Institute and the Brooklyn Museum. Hart lived for a time with artist Jules Pascin in New Orleans. The building is the Pontalba Apartments overlooking the St. Louis Cathedral on Jackson Square. This piece was illustrated in Albert Reese's American Prize Prints of the 20th Century George Overbury Hart was born in Cairo, Illinois. He left home at an early age and supported himself with odd jobs. From 1907 to 1912 he painted signs at amusement parks in the New York City area. During the next decade, he painted stage sets for motion picture studios in Fort Lee, New Jersey. As his paintings and prints gained serious recognition, his reputation grew. Known simply as "Pop," Hart spent most of his life traveling the world. In South America, Iceland, the South Seas, Mexico, and Europe, Hart captured scenes of everyday life in casual, lively watercolors. Late in his career, this self-taught artist turned to lithographs and etchings. Museums began to acquire his work in the 1920s
