Hovsep Pushman (American, b. Armenia, 1877–1966) The Incense Burner, before 1921
Oil on wood panel
31 1/2 × 24 3/8 in. (80.01 × 61.91 cm)
Layton Art Collection Inc., Gift of Messers, J.K. Ilsley, Charles F. Dickens, Charles Ray, G. Miller, Fred Vogel, Howard Greene, L.J. Petit as memorial to Frederick Layton L197
Hovsep Pushman
On August 16, 1919, Frederick Layton died at the age of ninety-two. The Layton trustees decided to donate an artwork to the collection in his memory. In November of that year, the Milwaukee Art Institute (now Milwaukee Art Museum) hosted an exhibition of Hovsep Pushman’s paintings. The Layton trustees selected this striking painting from the exhibition to honor Layton. The fuchsia dress of the young North African girl and Pushman’s fluid brushstrokes contrast in both subject and style with the genre and landscape paintings favored by Layton. The trustee’s choice symbolized a new direction for the gallery, and signaled that it would not be a static institution.
