Victor Joseph Gatto, American, French, 1890 to 1965, mixed media painting on paper depicting a portrait of an animal in a jungle. Signed lower right. Provenance: From the private collection of Mr. Armstrong head of Whitney. Victor Gatto is known for Primitive urban landscape. Born in New York City, he lived there most of his life, retiring to Miami, Florida. He was 45 before he began to paint, having boxed professionally and served in the US Navy . In 1938, he chanced upon an art show in Greenwich Village. Inspired, he began to paint and shortly after attracted critical attention including work exhibited at the Whitney Museum. His oil paintings are remarkably complex. He used brushes with only a few hairs for great detail and built them up layer after layer. One of a kind artwork.