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JOSEPH DUDLEY DOWNING (1925-2007) "Oui, mon ami-ivze". Watercolor. Signed lower right Downing. In good condition. The painting is from the East Hampton estate of E. Coe Kerr of Knoedler Galleries. Kerr was very active in the East Hampton arts community and we have included a photo from the book Guild Hall of East Hampton by Enez Whipple, showing Kerr at a Guild Hall opening in 1948. Measures 9 ¾" x 11 ¾". Frame measures 15 ½" x 18 ½". From AskArt: "Born in Tompkinsville, Kentucky on Nov. 15, 1925. Internationally renowned artist Joseph Dudley Downing died Dec. 29, 2007, at the age of 82. Downing passed away in the village of Menerbes in the Provence region of France, a place where he kept a home for over 40 years. Following his 18th birthday in November, 1943, Downing was inducted into the United States Army, where he served as an artillery observer in Europe during World War II. He was assigned to a unit that landed at Normandy soon after D-Day and the unit was engaged in a distinguished record of service leading to the end of World War II. Downing, himself, earned the Bronze Star with the citation for courage in action. While in Europe, Downing caught a brief glimpse of Paris, the city that would become his home in 1950 and where he maintained an apartment and studio until his death. Downing also took classes at the Chicago Art Institute. In 1950, following his graduation, Downing went to Paris for what was to be a three-month stint, only to find that he could not bring himself to leave. In 1952, Downing had his first one-man show, attended by Pablo Picasso, whose simple words of "well done" were encouragement enough to spur Downing on. Downing's work is owned by such museums as the Paris Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian Institution and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, as well as the Kentucky Museum in Bowling Green, the Speed Museum in Louisville and the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art."