Wallis Simpson has gone down in history as being the twice-divorced American socialite for whom King Edward VIII abdicated the throne on December 10, 1936, in order to marry, six months later. This watercolor portrait of Simpson by the Irish artist Ronald Ossory Dunlop was likely painted around the time of the abdication crisis. Although largely forgotten today, Dunlop came to prominence in the 1930s following his first successful one-man show at the Redfern Gallery in London in 1929. During the ensuing decade, he produced many landscapes in oil and watercolor but also painted portraits of prominent society figures. The artist was primarily an exponent of alla prima painting and advocated a vigorous, expressionist technique so as to infuse his oils and watercolors with vitality and emotion. Gallery label for A Decade of Gifts and Acquisitions (Yale Center for British Art, 2017-06-01 - 2017-08-13)
