Alexander O. Levy (1881-1947)

Redhead models seem to have been a preference for Levy, for one appears in one of his finest and presumably among the earliest of his true Art Deco paintings, his Woman with Parrot of 1919. But as much as the background of vertical wooden bars might suggest the confinement of a harem girl or odalisque, the figure projects total self-assurance, even dominance, often characteristic of ’20s Art Deco imagery in Europe.

- William Gerdts, Ph.D.