Federico Beltrán Massés

Estate of the artist
Irene Narezo Dragoné (the artist's widow); thence by descent
Private Collection, Barcelona
Stair Sainty Gallery
Purchased from the above by the present owner

The present work depicts Hollywood legend and decorated war hero Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr. He is portrayed in a short white tuxedo with a red carnation in his buttonhole, poised and holding a cigarette. He rests against a balcony overlooking an indeterminate Venetian vista. In the background a couple embrace, the woman thought to be Joan Crawford who Fairbanks Jr. had married in 1929 after a short, passionate courtship. The marriage however, lasted less than four years.

Fairbanks Jr. was raised in New York, California, Paris and London by his wealthy mother, the heiress Anne Sully. His parents had divorced in late 1918 and his father Douglas Fairbanks Sr. was an actor, screenwriter, director, producer and was one of the founding members of United Artists and The Motion Picture Academy. Fairbanks Jr. inherited the considerable fortunes of each parent however he was also academic, a brilliant athlete and had an illustrious career as an actor, producer and was a decorated naval officer of World War II. He was awarded the United States Navy's Legion of Merit with bronze V (for valor), the Italian War Cross for Military Valour, the French Légion d'honneur, the Croix de guerre and the British Distinguished Service Cross. In 1949, he was made an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Born in Guaira de la Melena, Cuba, where his father was the Spanish military envoy, Massés moved to Barcelona in 1899 where he studied at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes. Masses was known as a portrait painter of the rich and famous, depicting royals and leaders of high society. Masses' paintings were extremely popular during his lifetime and the distinctive dark, moody style and the ‘Beltran blue’ so characteristic of his works, set him apart from his contemporaries.