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Christmas Still Life by Judith Rothschild
- Judith Rothschild transforms a traditional still life through interlocking forms and vivid color
- The composition demonstrates the influence of Rothschild’s studies with Hans Hofmann
- The Judith Rothschild Foundation records the painting as catalogue number 54.01
- Rothschild's work is held in prestigious collections including the Met and MoMA
- Get complete item description here
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1921–1993 | American
Christmas Still Life
Oil on canvas
American abstract painter and philanthropist Judith Rothschild brought a refined understanding of color and composition to the postwar New York art world. Painted in 1954, Christmas Still Life transforms a familiar tabletop subject into a complex arrangement of interlocking forms. White circular shapes suggest vessels or dishes, while emphatic black contours guide the eye through overlapping passages of red, yellow, blue. . .
1921–1993 | American
Christmas Still Life
Oil on canvas
American abstract painter and philanthropist Judith Rothschild brought a refined understanding of color and composition to the postwar New York art world. Painted in 1954, Christmas Still Life transforms a familiar tabletop subject into a complex arrangement of interlocking forms. White circular shapes suggest vessels or dishes, while emphatic black contours guide the eye through overlapping passages of red, yellow, blue and green.
The painting embodies the visual energy of mid-century American abstraction. Rothschild combines broad planes of saturated color with patterned areas, exposed canvas and gestural brushwork, creating continuous movement between foreground and background. The diamond-patterned passages along the right edge introduce a textile-like rhythm, while the fragmented objects and shifting perspective reveal the influence of Cubism. Having studied with Hans Hofmann, Rothschild understood how contrasts of color and shape could create depth without conventional modeling.
Rothschild was born in New York City to collectors Herbert and Nannette Rothschild, whose interest in European avant-garde art informed her early visual education. Her work is represented in major institutional collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the National Gallery of Art. She later established the Judith Rothschild Foundation to support and bring greater recognition to artists of her generation.
Christmas Still Life descended directly from Rothschild’s estate to the Judith Rothschild Foundation and is recorded by the Foundation as catalogue number 54.01. A signed letter from the Foundation’s sole trustee authenticates the unsigned canvas and confirms its unbroken chain of title.
This painting is accompanied by a letter of authenticity issued by Harvey S. Shipley Miller, sole trustee of the Judith Rothschild Foundation, dated July 29, 2026.
Dated 1954
Canvas: 24" high x 20" wide (61.0 x 50.8 cm)
Frame: 31 1/2" high x 27 1/2" wide x 2 1/4" deep (80.0 x 69.9 x 5.7 cm)
Provenance:
Estate of Judith Rothschild, New York
The Judith Rothschild Foundation, Philadelphia, 1994
M.S. Rau, New Orleans
| Maker: | Rothschild, Judith |
| Period: | 1919-Present |
| Origin: | America |
| Type: | Paintings |
| Style: | Modernism |
| Depth: | 2.25 in. (5.72 cm) |
| Width: | 27.5 in. (69.85 cm) |
| Height: | 31.5 in. (80.01 cm) |
| Canvas Width: | 19.500 in. (49.53 cm) |
| Canvas Height: | 23.500 in. (59.69 cm) |
Buy With Confidence
For over a century, we've placed important art, rare jewels and exceptional objects with more than 14,000 collectors worldwide, and have been recognized by trusted publications including Robb Report, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and more.
On Approval
Examine select works in person before you commit
125% Guarantee
Full credit plus 5% annual appreciation for five years
Trusted Expertise
Over two centuries of combined experience across our specialists
