Fine & Outsider Art

UTZ, Thornton (American, 1914-1999). Rosalynn and Amy Carter Portrait. Circa 1976/7. Oil portrait on board depicting the First Lady and daughter Amy cradling her pet cat. 45 ½ x 33”. Framed. [With]: a typed letter signed from Rosalynn Carter to Maud Utz (5 Aug. 1976); and a vintage photograph of Rosalynn with one of Utz’s portraits. A similar portrait by Utz of the First Lady and Amy is in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History Behring Center. One of Utz’s portraits of Rosalynn and Amy was used on a limited edition plate issued by Gorham Fine China in 1977 for its series “The First Ladies.” Thornton Utz (American, 1914-1999), Illustrator and portrait painter. Utz studied in Memphis with Burton Callicot, and went on to have a distinguished career. He was a member of the American Academy of Art, and the Chicago Artists Guild. He received the Governor Bryant Award for his “Freedom” posters; his portrait commissions include ones for Governor (and later President) Jimmy Carter and family, and Princess Grace of Monaco. Utz provided advertising illustrations for clients such as Coca-Cola, General Electric and Ford Motors. His work appeared on more than fifty covers of the “Saturday Evening Post.” Collections of Utz's work have been shown at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO, the Pentagon, and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D. C.