Henri Sabin (?-1972) American, Oil on Canvas. Portrait of Christ. Signed and dated '67 bottom right. 

Overall: 37 1/2 X 31 in. 

Sight: 29 3/4 X 23 1/2 in. 

Depth: 2 1/4 in. 

#2696 . 

During World War I it was estimated that anywhere from 200,000 to half a million children were orphaned in France. One of them was a boy adopted by an American family who gave him the name Henri Sabin. They knew very little about him, except that he had been an only child. He grew up in the United States, becoming a highly sought-after portrait artist in Hollywood, California beginning in the late 1920s. Although little is known of his life overall, his signature was in the style of a draftsman, and it is believed he studied architecture in the 1920s before focusing on artwork full time. His pastel sketches of film stars frequented the covers and pages of several movie magazines in the 1930s. Often Henri Sabin would be commissioned for portraits in oil on canvas, either by actors and actresses or for wealthy families. Howard Hughes used him often to create portraits of his leading actresses, with many pieces found in the eccentric filmmaker’s collection when he died. Although his images were often bright and colorful with elements of the “glamor shot” style of the day, his later works grew much darker, including a painting of a clown in 1963 which is thought to be a self-portrait. The final years of Sabin’s life were spent in relative anonymity, making quick sketches, painting landscapes, and making the occasional portrait for locals in San Francisco when he needed the money. He passed away in 1972 with no apparent heirs, leaving behind hundreds of large works as a testament to the many who moved to Hollywood to find fame and fortune.