Gloria Vanderbilt

Harold Arlen, New York (acquired directly from the artist)

Jerry Arlen, New York (acquired by descent from the above in 1986)

Rita Arlen, New York (acquired by descent from the above in 1988)

Acquired by descent from the above in 2023 by the present owner

A renowned actress, author and designer, Gloria Vanderbilt’s work within the visual arts is best categorized for its simplified forms and vibrant color palettes. Fine art held an influential presence throughout Vanderbilt’s life, as she was primarily raised by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, an artist herself and the founder of the Whitney Museum in New York City. Vanderbilt began her formal training at the Art Students League of New York and held her first exhibition in 1948. Her success across several artistic industries and prominent family lineage made her a sensational public figure.

In The King, Vanderbilt expresses her playful curiosity through the free-flowing quality of her line work and her whimsical color palette. Despite being hurried into adulthood at a young age, Vanderbilt described her artistic process as “seeing things with a child’s spontaneity” (Quoted in “Art of Gloria Vanderbilt: Joy Born from Pain,” New York Times, February 1973, p. 142). As opposed to expressing her attraction to the unusual through her use of form and color, Vanderbilt instead chooses to include the unexpected in her eclectic array of materials and textures, such as the tinfoil on the crown. The figure’s features are suggested with simple outlines, and he holds a scepter and orb that both resemble European regalia. Vanderbilt’s The King is a prime example of a work on paper in which Vanderbilt pares down her typically dynamic compositions yet retains the youthful charm that makes her work remarkably lively.