Portrait of Oliver — Harry Soviak’s Dog

Harry Soviak and his partner, Vincent D’Aquila, were among Neff’s closest friends. D’Aquila commissioned this portrait of the couple’s pet dalmatian, Oliver, as a gift to Soviak. Neff’s virtuosity with color is evident in the veritable rainbow that comprises the dog’s black-and-white fur; his pose and the texture of his muscles suggest his advancing age. The artist often included animals in her paintings, be they pets, circus performers, or denizens of the Philadelphia Zoo.

Tragically, Harry and then Vincent died of AIDS in the mid-1980s. At their suggestion during of one of her farewell visits, Neff took back the pastel of Oliver. She subsequently sold it to another couple she counted as friends, artist Peter Paone and his wife, Alma Alabalikian, who in turn gave the pastel to Woodmere in 2018.

Click the links below for more artwork containing dogs and cats:

• Martha Hovenden and Her Dog
• The Concert
• Woodmere Cats
• I Blue Master
• The Puppies' Angel
• Bird Buying a House
• Portrait of David Gates with Dog
• Woman in Bonnet with Dog
• Cole
• Dickie Dog at the Beach
• Lavender Lake
• Dogs and Broken Gallows
• Farm Building with Animals
• The works of Douglass Martenson

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Please note that work by this particular artist might not be on view when you visit.
Don’t worry—we have plenty of exhibitions for you to explore.