Portside Scenes

Questroyal Fine Art’s annual catalog show presents artwork from revered 19th- and 20th-century artists

Opens October 2020

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Every year, Questroyal Fine Art in New York City holds its catalog show, and each comes with a different theme focusing on some realm of historical fine art. Beginning this October, the 2020 catalog show will feature works by esteemed American 19th- and 20th-century masters. Important American Paintings, Volume XXI: The American Masters will present artwork by such respected names as Charles Burchfield, John Frederick Kensett, Hayley Lever, Edward Moran, John Sloan and Andrew Wyeth.John Frederick Kensett (1816-1872), New England Coastal Scene with Figures, 1864. Oil on canvas, 14¼ x 243⁄16 in., monogrammed and dated lower right: ‘JF.K. / ‘64’.

John Sloan (1871-1951), Fishing Port, Gloucester. Oil on canvas, 20 1⁄16 x 24 1⁄8 in., signed lower right: ‘-John Sloan-’.

“With so much uncertainty in our daily lives, American paintings represent stability and longevity,” says Nina Sangimino, assistant director at Questroyal Fine Art. “Their value is determined by the ages, not the times. In addition, the transportive quality of landscape paintings provide a much needed escape after months spent in quarantine.”

Included in the exhibition are a number of noteworthy pieces, many of which feature nautical themes. Kensett’s 1864 oil New England Coastal Scene with Figures displays turquoise waters lapping against a rocky shoreline, while Lever’s oil Figures on a Dock depicts a party getting ready to embark on what appears to be a casual boating voyage. Fishing Port, Gloucester by Sloan gives viewers a bird’s-eye view of the port in Massachusetts, evoking feelings of warmth and contentment.

Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009), Above the Tide, 1951. Watercolor, gouache, and pencil on paper, 21 1⁄8 x 29 in., signed lower left: ‘Andrew Wyeth’.

Edward Moran (1829-1901), New York Harbor. Oil on canvas, 30 x 25 1⁄16 in., signed lower left: ‘Edward Moran’; on verso: ‘Edward Moran. / New York 1874’.

“Many of the works included in this year’s catalogue capture personal details about the artists,” says Sangimino. “The Burchfield is an intimate depiction of his home village in western New York.” In the nocturne Night in Gardenville, a watercolor and ink on board painted in 1937, viewers are met with a dark, grayscale palette contrasted by bright yellow-ish lights glowing from the windows of Burchfield’s New York home. Sangimino continues, “In the Wyeth, the abandoned boat acts as a stand-in for Wyeth’s recently deceased neighbor.” The 1951 watercolor, gouache and pencil on paper, Above the Tide, has a subdued mood. The painting, made up of desaturated tones, shows a weather-worn boat high up along the beach, seemingly unused for some time.Charles Burchfield (1893-1967), Night in Gardenville, 1937. Watercolor and ink on board, 10 3⁄8 x 14 3⁄8 in., monogrammed and dated lower left: ‘CEB / 1937’.

Hayley Lever (1876-1958), Figures on a Dock. Oil on canvas, 20 x 237⁄8 in., signed lower right: ‘Hayley Lever’.

“In addition...a plein air sketch of Olana by Frederic Edwin Church will be included,” says Sangimino of another highlight in the catalog exhibition. “It comes from the collection of his successful protégé, Walter Launt Palmer. Also, an incredible Francis Augustus Silva that is a pristine luminist masterpiece.”

Important American Paintings, Volume XXI: The American Masters will be on view through the fall season.