Marie Vassilieff

Collection of playwright Arthur Miller (acquired directly from the artist circa 1948)
Virginia Myers Downes (daughter of artist Jerome Myers), New York
Thence by descent

Mariya Ivanova Vassilieva, more commonly known as Marie Vassilieff, moved to Paris in 1907. There she befriended many important artists and intellectuals, including Henri Matisse, with whom she studied painting. In 1908 Vassilieff founded the Académie Russe in Montparnasse , which she renamed the following year as the Académie Vassilieff. She went on to create her own atelier, which hosted the likes of Modigliani and Soutine, and most famously, she opened an affordable canteen for artists during World War I, which became the social nexus for virtually the entire Parisian art community.

Vassilieff's oeuvre was both diverse and experimental. Girl with Toy exhibits simplified imagery influenced by folk art, and the child's toy reflects the artist's important fascination with dolls.