Frederick Trapp Friis American, 1865-1909

This stunning and beautifully executed nude model in the studio, was done perhaps while Friis was studying at art school. It is a work which speaks little through detail and greatly through light and tone of color.

H. Friis was of Swedish birth and his father was a wealthy businessman. He trained in Paris, Munich, Vienna and Copenhagen. This work has his signature cool white light that appears in many of his paintings. He is known for often depicting figurative works and for having a very free and elegant approach to his brushwork.

Friis rarely ever exhibited in Salons or artist’s venues and his work is not well recognized. He was well off and did not have the necessity of exhibiting or promoting himself to earn a living. The estate of this artist came into the market about a decade ago in the Northeast of America and this work was part of that collection and bears the stamp on the verso stretcher.