Details
CHESLEY BONESTELL (1888-1986)
MILKY WAY GALAXY
signed Chesley Bonestell (lower left)
oil on board
1512 x 2934 in. (39.4 x 75.6 cm.)
Executed circa 1975.
Provenance
Anonymous sale; Profiles in History, Beverly Hills, California, 17-18 December 2010, lot 593.
Acquired at the above sale by the late owner.
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Lot Essay

The Milky Way Galaxy as envisioned from a hypothetical planet far above the galactic plane.

The artist's caption is affixed to the verso: "Our galaxy from a hypothetical planet 400,000 light years distant. To show M31, M33, and Magellanic Clouds. The galaxy is turned 39 degrees from viewpoint. A lava flow is shown on the left side of the planet." Also affixed to the verso are a photograph of the Boston mural of a similar view and a pencil tracing showing the arms of the Milky Way with the position of our own sun. The painting was likely a study for the mural at the Tucson Planetarium.

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