Retrospective Art of Ivy Bottini
The Interweaving of Life and Art from 1960 to Present Day
Ivy believes creative energy is endless and she expresses it in many ways: visually, strategically, and theatrically; through thought and interpretation.
Ivy is a visionary, lifelong natural leader. Simultaneously, while fighting for civil rights and equality as an activist leader, Ivy returns again and again to her first creative expression, painting.
This retrospective lays out Ivy’s creative path through life, and how the different creative choices she made changed the direction of her life for that period of time.
A Giclee print can be made from most of Ivy’s original works of art appearing on this site.
Section
I: BEFORE coming out as a lesbian in 1968
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Painting Period: 1960–1966
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Low Tide in Cape Cod Bay |
1960 |
Print from Engraving
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10x4
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Collection of Ivy Bottini |
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1961 |
Oil on Canvas |
20x30 |
Collection of Ivy Bottini |
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1964 |
Acrylic on Illustration Board |
30x24 |
Collection of Ivy Bottini |
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1964 |
Oil & Acrylic on Illustration Board |
24x22 |
Collection of Ivy Bottini |
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1966 |
Oil on Canvas |
36x40 |
Collection of Ivy Bottini |
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1966 |
Acrylic on Illustration Board |
22x28 |
Collection of Ivy Bottini |
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1966 |
Oil on Illustration Board |
24x20 |
Collection of Ivy Bottini |
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1966 |
Oil on Canvas |
26x18 |
Collection of Ivy Bottini |
Context: Hiatus in art work. Ivy helped found the first chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in New York City and became its third president in 1968. In late 1968, Ivy’s marriage to Eddie ended, she acknowledged her lesbianism and moved to New York City.
The art on this site
includes works from 1960 to present day. Before Ivy came out as a lesbian in
1968, the subject matter, color pallet and style are noticeably different than
after she came out. There is a visual dividing line in her art created between
1960 to 1966 and 1971 to present day. After Ivy came out her color pallet
became bright and alive, her subject matter became woman driven, and her style
became vibrant, experimental, and at times playful.
Section
II: AFTER coming out as a lesbian in 1968
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1968 –1971,
New York City: a leader in the Women’s Movement, including NOW during which
time she lead the now-famous takeover of the Statue of Liberty on August 10,
1970.
In 1970 - Ivy
met the first woman with whom she resided as a partner.
Painting Period: 1971–1972
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First Sunday – New York Apartment
|
1971 |
Marker on Paper |
18x14 |
Collection
of Ivy Bottini |
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Shenandoah - on trip to California
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1971 |
Marker on Paper |
18x14 |
Collection of Ivy Bottini |
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1971 |
Ink on Paper
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18x14 |
$900
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September 1971 - Ivy and her then partner moved to California. Ivy brought feminist consciousness raising, which she developed in the New York NOW chapter as a membership development tool, to the west coast
1972 - Ivy established Wollstonecraft Publishing, where, as the creative director, she illustrated and designed the books they published. The focus was largely on books by and about woman.
Ivy was active in Los Angeles NOW and studied at Lee Strasberg Institute, a professional acting school.
Non-Painting Period: 1973–1993
Context: Ivy believes that creativity is the same no matter where one applies it. It takes many different forms, whether creating works of art, characters on a stage, illustrating books, or developing political strategy. During this period she directed her creative energy toward performance art and then into political campaigns and activism.
The same energy that Ivy used to create works of art was then directed into political campaigns and activism. Creativity is the same no matter where you apply it – it takes many different forms whether works of art or political strategy or characters on the stage.
In November 1973, she moved back to New York, with a new partner. Upon being invited to perform in a New York NOW seven-week “Women to Women” theatre series at Town Hall in NYC, she began developing her standup comedy. Her performance in March 1974 was part of opening night of Town Hall where she debuted “Everywoman.” “Everywoman” went on to become the signature closing of her one-woman show, Many Faces of Woman. She toured the country with her show for several years.
1975 - Ivy returned to California, continued touring with her show and another new partner, including to Alaska and Hawaii in 1976, as well as two cross-country tours, performing her one-woman comedy show through 1977. She then became involved in political activism, focusing on various issues of importance to her.
1976 - Ivy served as the Women’s Program Director at the LA Gay & Lesbian Community Services Center until she took a leave of absence to work on the Briggs Initiative in 1978.
1976 - Ivy and other Lesbian/Gay community leaders began preparing for the Anita Bryant and John Briggs attack on lesbians and gay men in California, which became known as the “Briggs Initiative/No on Proposition 6.” Ivy served in that campaign as Southern California Deputy Director, and the Briggs Initiative was successfully defeated in November, 1978.
1979 - Ivy obtained her Real Estate License. There were other initiatives leveled against the Lesbian/Gay community over the years and this profession allowed her the freedom of time to continue her leadership role, heading the grassroots aspects of other campaigns, both of which were also defeated.
1981 - Appointed by Governor Jerry Brown as Commissioner for “California Commission on Aging” – the first “out” lesbian or gay to be appointed to a California board or commission.
1982 - The AIDs epidemic began; the death of a good friend prompted Ivy to take an active leadership role in fighting the epidemic and its devastating effects.
1984–1988 - served as President of Stonewall Democratic Club, Los Angles. During that time she also served as part of the California State Democratic party leadership.
In the early 1990’s, Ivy took her creativity back to performance art for a time.
1991 - Ivy received Drama Logue’s “Best Performance Award” for the highly acclaimed, Against the Rising Sea at Celebration Theatre.
1994 - Ivy performed with Patty Duke in a two woman show, Conversations With and Without Another.
Painting Period: 1994–1996
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1994 |
Black Ink on Paper |
24x18 |
Collection of Ivy Bottini |
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1994 |
Acrylic on Illustration Board |
30x22 |
$650
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1994 |
Oil on Illustration Board
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28x22 |
$650
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1994 |
Acrylic on Illustration Board |
26x22 |
$650
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1994 |
Acrylic on Illustration Board |
10x8 |
Collection of Ivy Bottini |
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1994 |
Acrylic on Illustration Board |
10x8 |
Collection of Ivy Bottini |
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1994 |
Mixed Media: Acrylic & Wood on
Illustration Board |
22x30 |
Collection of Ivy Bottini |
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Red Closet |
1994 |
Acrylic on Wood |
3 Dimensional |
Collection of Ivy Bottini |
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Landscape Closet |
1994 |
Acrylic on Wood |
3 Dimensional |
Collection of Ivy Bottini |
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1994
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Acrylic on Illustration Board |
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Collection of Jean Cordova |
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1995 |
Oil on Canvas |
40x30 |
Collection of Ivy Bottini |
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1995 |
Acrylic on Illustration Board |
24x30 |
$650
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1995 |
Markers on Paper |
14x17 |
$650
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Context: 1997 - moved from Silverlake to West Hollywood where she became active in West Hollywood Lesbian/Gay movement politics.
Late 1998 - Ivy was appointed to the City of West Hollywood’s Gay & Lesbian Advisory Board and became co-chair in 2000 and serves in that role to the present time.
Painting Period: 1999–2001
For about two years, Ivy worked exclusively in permanent markers in which she represented the human form. She loved the discipline that was imposed upon her by the nature of the medium. She did not do an under-sketch in pencil, preplanning sketches or thumbnails. She preferred to be pushed by the nature of the medium; she began when she began. Since marker colors are permanent at the time they touch the paper, she had to know where and how she was going to represent the form before beginning every stroke, mark and line. She found that very exciting!
This reflects the philosophy she learned from her lettering professor while at Pratt who said, “When you put your pen to paper, know where you want to go and go there.” Those words became the major philosophy of how Ivy has lived her life.
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1999 |
Markers on Paper |
17x14 |
$650
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1999 |
Markers on Paper |
17x14 |
$650
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2000 |
Markers on Paper |
12x14 |
$500
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2000 |
Markers on Paper |
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Collection of David Cavanaugh & Rick Mills
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Context: Ivy studied portraiture and full figure painting at Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, San Fernando Valley. Some works during this period were done in her private studio, applying her new knowledge and skills, including painting portraits of friends.
Painting Period: 2002–2007
*Denotes
art from a private collection
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Wilted Sunflower |
2002 |
Oil Stick on Canvas |
- |
Collection of David Cavanaugh & Rick
Mills |
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2003 |
Conte Pencil on Paper |
18x24 |
Collection of Ivy Bottini |
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2003 |
Oil on Canvas Board |
12x16 |
$500
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2003 |
Oil on Canvas Board |
16x20 |
$500
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2003 |
Oil on Canvas |
24x16 |
$750
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2003 |
Oil on Canvas |
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$800
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2003
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Oil on Canvas |
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$700
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2003
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Oil on Canvas |
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$750
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2004 |
Oil on Canvas |
30x24 |
$1,100
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2004 |
Oil on Wood |
24x32 |
$1,200
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2004 |
Conte Pencil on Paper
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18x24 |
$1,200
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2004 |
Oil on Canvas Board |
16x20 |
$1,100
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2004 |
Oil on Canvas Board |
16x20 |
$1,200
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2005 |
Oil on Wood |
32x24 |
$750
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2005 |
Oil on Wood |
22x30 |
$1,200
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2005 |
Oil on Canvas |
18x24 |
$750
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2005 |
Oil on Canvas |
24x30 |
$2,200
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2005 |
Oil on Canvas |
18x24 |
$2,500
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2005 |
Oil on Canvas |
18x24 |
Collection of Eric Scott |
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2005 |
Oil on Canvas |
24x30 |
Collection of Elaine Suranie |
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Nude Women |
2005 |
Colored pencil on paper, matted |
14x11 |
$400
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Woman Pleasuring |
2005 |
Colored pencil on paper, matted |
14x11 |
$400
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Context: Recognizing that her failing eyesight, due to macular degeneration, would not allow her to paint portraits any longer because of her inability to paint detail, Ivy went through a nearly two-year period of grieving the loss of her eyesight and her ability to paint portraits.
Early 2009 – Ivy received a note from one of her collectors, Rick Mills, who simply wrote her that he wanted her to know how much pleasure her “Wilted Sunflower” painting that he purchased several years ago gives him every morning as he sat in his breakfast area eating. It was just the nudge it took for her to see what she could do with the sight that remains. Her first venture was “American Landscape,” which took three months to finish, as she experimented with her sight limitations. She chose florals and nature as her next subject matter, because she believes there is more fluidity and experimentation possible in shape and color. She has produced well over two dozen new works in the last year, with a bold and bright approach.
Painting Period: 2009–present
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
36x18 |
Collection of Andrew Campbell
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
30x24 |
$2,000 |
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
20x16 |
$1,000
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
16x20 |
Collection of Dorathy J. Wine |
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
20x20 |
$1,800 |
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
36x24 |
$2,600
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
18x24 |
$1,800
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
8x8 |
Collection of Laura Toy
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$2,000
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$1,200
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$1,000
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$1,100
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$1,500
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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Collection of Regina Dotson
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$2,000
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$1,500
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$1,200
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$1,000
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$2,000
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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Collection of Dorathy J. Wine
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$3,000
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$2,000
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$1,200
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$1,250
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$3,000
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$3,000
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$3,000
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$1,800
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$1,200
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$1,500
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2009 |
Acrylic on Canvas |
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$3,000
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2010
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Acrylic on Canvas |
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$2,000
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2010
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Acrylic on Canvas |
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$600
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2010
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Acrylic on Canvas |
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$2,000
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2011
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Acrylic on Canvas |
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$5,000
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