Self Portrait shows the young Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts student standing in a city backyard--a scene very similar to his Back Yards, which was acquired by the Academy a year earlier. Originally encouraged by instructor Julius Bloch to study at the Academy, Sloan won the Philadelphia City Council Scholarship in 1952 and enrolled the following year. Sloan became a leading figure in the Philadelphia art scene for over 50 years, and a faculty member at the Academy from 1962-97. During his career, Sloan received many prestigious awards, including the Louis Comfort Tiffany Grant, the Academy's Jennie Sesan Gold Medal, The Emily Lowe Grant, the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship and the James VanDerZee Award from Philadelphia's Brandywine Workshop. (http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/louis-b.-sloan-1932-2008-self-portrait.-43-c-559e6e7ef6)