Artwork
Love Locked Out
Love Locked Out is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Anna Lea Merritt. It dates from 1896 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery.
About this work
Love Locked Out is a painting by Anna Lea Merritt. It's an oil paint work created in 1890.
This painting was first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1890. It became the first painting by a woman artist acquired for the British national collection through the Chantrey Bequest.
You can learn more about this painting and others at the museum where it's held, the Tate Britain.
Overview
Love Locked Out is an oil painting created by Anna Lea Merritt in 1890, depicting Cupid standing before a locked door. The work is held at the Tate Britain.
Subject & Meaning
The painting features a nude male figure, Cupid, a subject considered controversial for women artists at the time. Merritt portrayed Cupid as a child, potentially to avoid censure. The work was created as a memorial to her husband.
History & Provenance
First exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1890, Love Locked Out became the first painting by a woman artist acquired for the British national collection through the Chantrey Bequest, purchased for £250.
Legacy
The painting was included in the 1905 book Women Painters of the World, and its title was later used for Merritt's memoirs, published in 1982. It is noted as a significant work by an American painter.
Artist & collection
Artist
Anna Massey Lea Merritt (September 13, 1844 – April 7, 1930) was an American artist from Philadelphia who lived and worked in Great Britain for most of her life.
