Now open at Questroyal Fine Art in New York City is the gallery’s annual exhibition devoted to the iconic American painters whose works are so cherished by collectors. This is the 22nd volume of the successful show, this year titled The American Masters.
Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902), Mount St. Helens, Columbia River, Oregon, ca. 1889. Oil on canvas, 181/8 x 325/8 in., monogrammed lower left: ‘ABierstadt.’
“Our fall catalog of important American paintings always offers a good representation of our gallery and the things we offer,” says Nina Sangimino, assistant director at the gallery. “Given that we have called this year The American Masters, we felt it important to show painters who could pass that test.”
One of the highlights of the show is Albert Bierstadt’s oil from the late 1890s, Mount St. Helens, Columbia River, Oregon. The major Bierstadt work, measuring more than 32 inches wide, shows the magnificent snow-topped peak of the volcano and then several peaceful deer in the warmer, greener setting in the foreground. The painting documents the size and shape of the mountain 90 years prior to the devastating eruption in 1980 that drastically changed the mountain’s shape.
Thomas Moran (1837-1926), The Grand Canal, Venice, 1903. Oil on canvas, 201/8 x 163/16 in., monogrammed and dated lower right: ‘TMoran. 1903.’
Childe Hassam (1859-1935), Fire Opals (Lady in Furs: Portrait of Mrs. Searls), 1912. Oil on canvas, 483/8 x 319/16 in., signed and dated middle upper left: ‘Childe Hassam / Jan. 1912; on verso: C.H. 1912’.
Another master landscape painter in the show is Thomas Moran, whose 1903 oil The Grand Canal, Venice will be offered to collectors. Moran, whose images of the American West are some of the most treasured landscape paintings ever created, was also fond of Venice and the water that surrounded it. “It’s just a spectacular piece and we’re hoping that it is one of the welcoming pieces for the catalog,” says Sangimino.
Sanford Robinson Gifford (1823-1880), Study for ‘Sunset on the Shore of No Man’s Land–Bass Fishing’, 1877. Oil on canvas, 9½ x 171/8 in., signed and dated lower right: ‘SRGifford 77’.
Another landscape artist represented in the Questroyal show is Sanford Robinson Gifford, whose 1877 oil Study for ‘Sunset on the Shore of No Man’s Land–Bass Fishing’ will be on view.
A figurative piece of note is Childe Hassam’s 1912 oil Fire Opals (Lady in Furs: Portrait of Mrs. Searls). “The fire opals of the title refers to the jewels that she’s wearing on her ring and on the broach at her neckline. It’s a stunning portrait, with wonderful color and vibrancy, and the brushwork is so active,” Sangimino says. “Then there is a quiet scene in the back that adds depth through the doorway, creating a nice balance.”
In all, more than 50 paintings will be on view, and collectors will also be able to find work by Ralph Albert Blakelock, Rockwell Kent, Grandma Moses, Marsden Hartley, Charles E. Burchfield and many others. —
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