Bachardy, Don (American, born 1934). PORTRAIT OF ARTHUR MITCHELL. Ink on paper, c. 1964. Signed by Bachardy, lower right, and signed and dated by Mitchell, lower left. 29 1/4 x 23 inches, framed to 29 7/8 x 23 3/4 inches. In very good condition, but with uneven toned area. Provenance Banfer Gallery, NY, private collection, NY. An exceptionally good portrait by Bachardy from his earliest period of one of the most iconic figures in American ballet, and enhanced by Mitchell's signature.Arthur Mitchell, (American, 1934-2018) was the first African-American to dance with a major Ballet Company. He was a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet from 1955 to 1966. Thereafter he had a long and prominent career as a choreographer. He is best known as the founder and director of the Dance Theater of Harlem stDon Bachardy had his first one-man show in 1961. His long-term relationship with the writer Christopher Isherwood was celebrated in the film "Christopher and Don - A Love Story." Over the years his portraits have undergone stylistic changes, but the early portraits of actors, dancers, writers, and other cultural icons remain among his best works.
