City Views

A promised gift from collectors Elie and Sarah Hirschfeld goes on view at the New-York Historical Society

October 22-February 27, 2022

New-York Historical Society
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Opening October 22 at the New-York Historical Society is a new exhibition that will shine a light on the collection of prominent and respected collectors who have assembled works that show New York City during its rapid growth in the 20th century. The exhibition, Scenes of New York City: The Elie and Sarah Hirschfeld Collection, will include 127 works, which is the entirety of a promised gift by the Hirschfelds.Robert Henri (1865-1929), Snow in Central Park, 1902. Oil on canvas, 26 x 32 in. New-York Historical Society. Promised Gift of the Elie and Sarah Hirschfeld Collection, Scenes of New York City.

“They’ve never seen the entire collection in one place before. Some of the works were in their apartment, while others were at their beach house, in their offices and some were in storage,” says co-curator Wendy N. E. Ikemoto, curator of American art at the New-York Historical Society. “Everything will be on the walls, so it will be a very unique experience for them.”William James Glackens (1870-1938), Early Spring, Washington Square, ca. 1910. Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 in. New-York Historical Society. Gift of the Elie and Sarah Hirschfeld Collection, Scenes of New York City, 2020.35.2.

Ikemoto, who curated the exhibition with Roberta J.M. Olson, says the works will speak to the changing of the city, but also how similar the city is to its 20th-century self. “The exhibition revolves around New York. It exudes New York,” she says. “And we organize the works thematically so guests will be able to see the works—parks and skyscrapers, for example—together to see the varied styles of the artists within the collection. I also invited a number of people from outside the museum to respond to the works. These are people who have a connection to these places, or maybe they still live there or just have a fond memory.”John Henry Twachtman (1853-1903), Dredging in the East River, ca. 1879. Oil on canvas, 12 x 18 in. New-York Historical Society. Gift of the Elie and Sarah Hirschfeld Collection, Scenes of New York City, 2020.35.4.

For instance, a dredger captain was asked to respond to John Henry Twachtman’s 1879 oil Dredging in the East River, a work that was made for a June 1882 issue of Harper’s Weekly. “It’s such a muscular work, bold and gritty,” Ikemoto says. “I love that it just digs into the industrial side of New York. There’s a quote in the original Harper’s article that is really great: ‘How many histories lie at the bottom of that there water that floats around New York?’”Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), Gramercy Park, ca. 1918. Oil on canvas, 301/8 x 19 in. New-York Historical Society. Promised Gift of the Elie and Sarah Hirschfeld Collection, Scenes of New York City.

Another work in Scenes of New York City is Robert Henri’s 1902 oil Snow in Central Park. “It’s a wonderful work. Henri was the founder of the Ashcan School, but this work in so many ways is really very unassuming and almost banal—it’s almost daring in its banality. He painted this random snow-covered slope in Central Park, and he does it with these violent and muddy brushstrokes, which represent his rebellion against the posh paintings of the period,” the curator says.

Other artists in the collection include William Merritt Chase, George Luks, William Glackens, Oscar F. Bluemner, Preston Dickinson and Norman Rockwell. —