Presenting 70 works from public and private collections, this beautifully illustrated volume offers the opportunity to re-evaluate the American artist Walter Gay's depiction of "empty" rooms, filled with furniture but with no human presence. Walter Gay (1856 - 1937) was a highly accomplished artist, collector and tastemaker. He and his wife Matilda lived in Paris for much of their life and enjoyed a leading role in stylish society; many of the interiors that he painted, with their 18th-century French furnishings, were rooms in their own homes, or those of friends. Awarded a gold medal at the Paris Salon in 1888, it is the poetic rooms that form the basis of Gay's legacy. Three essays explore his career, his reputation within the art market, his place in the history of American collecting; and the importance of interior decoration to Walter and Matilda Gay, along with the influence of leading contemporaries such as Edith Wharton.
