Chicago Board of Trade by Marcia Gaylor

Marcia Gaylor
b.1947 | American

Chicago Board of Trade

Signed "M. Gaylor" (lower right)
Oil on canvas

This dynamic oil on canvas by the American painter Marcia Gaylor captures the chaotic atmosphere of an open-cry auction on the Chicago Board of Trade floor. Flashing hand signals and yelling voices add to the frenzied experience of the trading pits, while Gaylor's lively use of color contribute to the spirited energy of the scene. The artist is renowned for her canvases that celebrate the financial history of the United States, and this work pays homage to one of the country's most long-standing financial institutions.

Established in 1848, the Chicago Board of Trade began as a place to trade agricultural commodities such as corn, wheat, oats and soybeans. Since its early years, it has added futures and options based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, metals and other financial indicators. Gaylor's work captures the teeming, churning atmosphere of the trading floor, where fortunes are made and lost in that most quintessential of American financial activities. Beautifully executed with an eye for composition, the oil entices the viewer into the action, allowing one to feel they are participating in the activity of the energetic traders. Overall, it is a stunning celebration of the manufacturing, agricultural and financial might of the American heartland.

Based in southern California, Marcia Gaylor is renowned for her historical scenes that capture the New York City and Chicago stock market trading floors and vibrant financial districts. Before pursuing painting as a career, she earned an MBA from the University of Southern California, and her financial background clearly influenced the direction of her art later in her life. Most of her paintings focus on the economic history of the United States as she captures the financial heart of the country's largest cities. The result is a body of work that stands in colorful tribute to the economy and the power of capital. Today, she remains an active member of the California Art Club, Oil Painters of America, Women Painters of America, as well as the American Impressionist Society. Her paintings are in the permanent Corporate Collection of NASDAQ, CBOT, CBOE, and the American Stock Exchange.

Painted in 2012

Canvas: 23 7/8" high x 35 3/4" wide
Frame: 31 1/4" high x 43 3/8" wide