Mixed media on board, 1956, signed and dated to lower right, framed.

Frame dimensions 22 x 18 in.

Being sold to benefit NCModernist, a non-profit documentation of Modernist houses across North Carolina.

By descent through Ann Seltman's family.

Originally from Illinois, George Bireline moved to North Carolina to pursue an MFA at UNC-Chapel Hill. In 1964 the highly respected André Emmerich Gallery in New York mounted a solo show of his paintings. The NY Times art critic, Stuart Preston, described Bireline's color field paintings in this show a "handsomely endowed alliance arranged between Albers and Rothko" with colors and lines that "vibrate like quivering blocks of jello" and "color itself is a generous feast." (The New York Times, "Variety Fair," March 29, 1964)

Bireline taught at North Carolina State University's School of Design from 1955 until his retirement in 1986, influencing multiple generations of artists from the state and beyond. His paintings are in multiple private and public collections including the NC Museum of Art, Raleigh; the Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond; The Johnson Collection, Spartanburg, SC; the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, D.C.; and others.

Ann Seltman Smart (NC, 1924-1998) was a true pioneer in the radio industry. She was one of the first female radio personalities in Raleigh, North Carolina during the 1950s. Her commercials, call-in shows, and “woman-on-the-street” interviews were the talk of the town between the mid-1940s and 1961.

Ann also appeared in, managed, or helped direct over 40 stage productions at Raleigh Little Theatre over a period of 30 years. In 1958, Raleigh Little Theatre awarded her their Best Supporting Actress “Oscar” for the play Witness for the Prosecution, an award she would win again in 1966 for her role in Summer and Smoke.

Minor scattered flaking to paint surface; craquelure.