John Lavery
, Irish, 1856-1941
Title
Central Park, New York, EveningDate1926
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions
76.5 × 63.5 cm
Signedlower left: J. Lavery
Credit LinePurchased, 2022
Object numberNGI.2022.40
DescriptionJohn Lavery was captivated by the energy and beauty of New York. He made this view of Central Park from the Plaza Hotel where he stayed during the winter of 1925-26. There was an anthracite coal strike at the time and Lavery recalled that ‘soft coal had to be used with all its attendant smoke and dirt - but the haze that this brought over the city softened the outlines of the skyscrapers into a new beauty. It gave a truly Turneresque effect and reminded one of Whistler’s remark about the poor Thames warehouses becoming palaces at night.’Inscriptionon verso: John Lavery, New York, 1926
ProvenanceFamily of the Artist, then by descent to a Private Collection, their sale, Christie's, London, 10 May 2007, lot 112, where acquired by the previous owner; Purchased, 2022Exhibition HistoryAmerican Portraits, Interiors and Landscapes, by Sir John Lavery, RA, RSA, RHA, LLD, Duveen Galleries, New York, 1926; no.7.