Cecil Bell (1906 - 1970)

World War II Invades Central Park, 1943, oil on canvas, signed lower right, 30 x 36 inches, literature: Barton, Phyllis, Cecil C. Bell, McGrew Color Graphics (Kansas City, MO, 1976), pp. 78-79 (illustrated)

$18,000

Bell's World War II Invades Central Park is among the artist's most significant works from the war years. Painted nine years after The Fleet's In, Bell takes on the same subject matter as Paul Cadmus' notorious painting from the inter-war period. In his evening scene, Bell portrays groups of US sailors carousing at Central Park's pond with a high rise building and the Gapstow Bridge in the background. Author Phyllis Barton further explains the context of this work:

"Exhorted by the Soldier's Handbook that 'while on pass you will be observed by civilians who will judge you by your appearance and conduct as an individual . . .,' every serviceman lived for the day when, bootcamp or tour-of-duty behind him, he would go on leave or liberty. Clutching his pass, which he had signed acknowledging the stern warning on the back, the eager GI or swab-jockey set off to dredge up some action. With the same espirit that holds armies and navies together, the fighting man geared up for his big night . . . . Most wartime Don Juans were merely boastful, but some, like the sailors pictured in Bell's World War II Invades Central Park, returned to their barracks with legitimate memories!"

This painting is a prime example of what New York Times art critic Howard Devree described in 1945 as Bell's ability to capture "with sympathy and insight divergent strains in the symphony or cacophony of New York." "Never clamorous in manner, Bell is persuasive in both color and design," Devree continued, "This is work which should attract both artists and the general public."

Cecil Crosley “Spike” Bell was an American painter, printmaker, and illustrator celebrated for his vivid depictions of urban life and everyday scenes in mid-20th century America. Born on July 15, 1906, in Seattle, Washington, Bell began his artistic career in 1925 at Tacoma Engraving. In 1928, he pursued formal studies in printmaking at the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1930, Bell moved to New York City with his wife, Agatha Lewis, immersing himself in the city’s dynamic art scene. He studied at the Art Students League under notable artists such as John Sloan, Charles Locke, Will Barnet, and Harry Wickey. During this period, he also worked as a commercial artist for Fox Films and continued freelance illustration work.

Bell’s artwork is characterized by its focus on American cityscapes and genre scenes, often portraying ordinary people in everyday situations with rich hues and a humanistic approach. His subjects ranged from bustling urban environments to rural Vermont landscapes and New Jersey beach scenes. In 1936, his growing reputation was solidified when the Whitney Museum of American Art acquired one of his paintings. Throughout his career, Bell exhibited at prestigious institutions, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Tacoma Art Museum in Washington. Bell was represented by New York's Kraushaar Galleries which featured Bell in three solo exhibitions in 1945, 1952 and 1959. His works are part of several prominent collections, such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Delaware Art Museum, and the Barry Art Museum in Norfolk, Virginia.

Despite facing serious health issues in the mid-1950s, Bell continued to create art, including a six-week period in Mexico in 1961, which marked his only work executed outside the United States. He retired in 1968 and passed away on July 26, 1970, in Rutland, Vermont. After Bell's death, he was honored with a solo retrospective at the Museum of the City of New York entitled The Vanished City: Paintings of New York - 1930 - 1970. This exhibition played an important role in Bell's rediscovery by the art world, after more than a decade of benign neglect. Bell is listed in Who Was Who in American Art and all other standard references.