LOUISA GOULD GALLERY

54 Main St.

Vineyard Haven, MA 02568

Martha’s Vineyard

(508) 693.7373

www.louisagould.com

PRESS RELEASE ( Martha’s Vineyard) The Louisa Gould Gallery is very proud to announce the first show of its kind, the original oil paintings and cartoons of Denys Wortman Sr. (1887 – 1958). This is the first time any of Mr. Wortman’s artwork have been available for sale since 1958. Denys Wortman, NA was a celebrated cartoonist and prolific easel painter. The show will open on Sunday August 12^th, with an opening reception that evening from 5 to 7pm. The show will run until Sunday August 26^th at 5:30pm.

Denys Wortman's work as a cartoonist was what he was known for and how he made his living. For thirty years (from 1924 to 1954), six days a week, Mr. Wortman produced a new drawing for "Metropolitan Movies", his newspaper cartoon depicting episodes in the lives of an assortment of colorful characters, the most notable being "Mopey Dick and the Duke", a couple of lovable vagrants who commented on life in America from the Depression through World War II and into the early fifties. He also drew for “Life” among many other publications.

Denys Wortman was also a prolific painter. He exhibited a painting in the famous Armory Show of 1913 in New York City. Most of his earliest paintings reflect his New York student days, with genre scenes of markets, crowded streets, and interesting people. He also produced fine landscapes and seascapes, painted in Bermuda, Gloucester, and Martha's Vineyard.

Denys Wortman VII spent all his summers on the island until 1941 when he moved to Martha’s Vineyard year round. On the Vineyard, he became reacquainted with artist Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975), whom he had known earlier in New York. Wortman and Benton were friends and contemporaries on Martha’s Vineyard.

The Louisa Gould Gallery is located at 54 Main St. Vineyard Haven. The gallery is open daily from 10:30am to 5:30pm and weekend evenings. The show is also available to preview online at www.louisagould.com. Please contact the gallery at (508) 693.7373 with any questions.