Curtis Moffat

Curtis Moffat (1887  – 1949) was an abstract photographer, color still life and society portraitist. At times he collaborated with Man Ray.

Biography

Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1887, the son of Edwin Moffat and Aline Graves, Curtis was brought up in France before being educated at St. Mark's School^{[disambiguation needed ]} in the USA. He studied painting in New York and was part of a group of artists including George Bellows, Randall Davey, Robert Henri and John Sloan. In 1913-1914 he studied at the Beaux arts^{[disambiguation needed ]} in Paris. One man shows of his work were held in New York in 1916 and 1919. In 1916 he married Iris Tree, daughter of Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, in New York. A son, Ivan Moffat, was born in Cuba in 1918. After World War I ended, Curtis and Iris settled in London and he became interested in photography. In 1923 he went to Paris where he was involved with the Surrealists and the Dada movement. He collaborated with Man Ray with whom he developed "painting with light" Rayogram compositions. In 1925 he opened a photographic studio with Olivia Wyndham in London. His large and striking black and white portraits of friends such as the Sitwells, Diana Cooper, Augustus John and Nancy Cunard influenced Cecil Beaton, among others. Two exhibitions of his photographs were held in London in 1925 and 1926. In 1929, financed by the American millionaire, Jock Whitney, he opened a gallery, Curtis Moffat Ltd., at 4 Fitzroy Square. Two adjoining houses were converted into showrooms with a flat above designed by the architect Frederick Etchells. The showrooms combined modern interior design and lighting with one of the first major collections of African tribal sculpture in London. Objects for sale ranged from 16th century antiques to rugs by E. McKnight Kauffer and Marion Dorn, and modern china, silver and glass. The insides of the cupboard doors were painted by Francis Wyndham. Curtis undertook interior design commissions, often collaborating with John Duncan Miller. In 1930 one of the rooms was converted to a picture gallery and run by Freddie Mayor. Opening with a show of work by Augustus John, Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant among others its last show "Since Cezanne" featured artists such as Picasso, Matisse and Modigliani. In 1933 due to the Depression, financial backing was withdrawn and the gallery closed.

Curtis continued to live and work at Fitzroy Square. He and Iris had been divorced in 1932. He returned to portrait photography and also undertook commercial colour photography. He began experimenting with the complex and delicate carbro three colour process. A one man show of his colour photographs, still lifes and compositions with light, was held at the Mayor Gallery in 1925. His work was included in the famous Museum of Modern Art exhibition "Photography 1839-1937". In 1936 he married Kathleen Allan who had worked with him for some years in his studio. A daughter, Penelope, was born in 1938.

Curtis' original and eclectic taste in art and design also extended into the area of gastronomy. He was a leading member of the Wine and Food Society and the Saintsbury Club and a close friend of Andre Simon. His table was famous for its wine and food, the choice of the latter being governed by his selection of the former, according to his son, Ivan. His large flat in Fitzroy Square, perhaps the first and most original of the so-called modern interiors of the late Twenties and early Thirties, was the meeting place for many of the celebrated painters, writers, critics and designers of the day.

Early in 1939, Curtis returned to New York where he held a one-man show of his paintings. He and his family then settled on Martha's Vineyard in 1940 where he continued to paint until he died in 1949. His photographic archive and papers relating to his gallery, Curtis Moffat Ltd., are in The Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Art

References

• V&A Exhibition; 2 August 2007 - 13 April 2008 - http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/photography/features/photo_focus/moffat/biography/index.html
• Ivan Moffat Bio; http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0595573/bio

External links

• V&A Exhibition 2 August 2007 - 13 April 2008

Persondata
Name	Moffat
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1887
Place of birth	Brooklyn, New York
Date of death	1949
Place of death	Martha's Vineyard