Property from the Gouterman American Art Collection

Charles Green Shaw

Skyscrapers

Lot Closed

October 6, 06:05 PM GMT

Estimate

15,000 - 25,000 USD

Lot Details

Description

Property from the Gouterman American Art Collection

Charles Green Shaw

1892 - 1974

Skyscrapers

signed Charles G. Shaw and dated July, 1939 (on the reverse)

oil on canvas

canvas: 16 ¼ by 12 ¼ inches (41.3 by 31.1 cm)

framed: 23 ½ by 19 ½ inches (59.7 by 49.5 cm)

The canvas is unlined, the outer edges are covered in black tape and the work retains the original stretchers. The surface is slightly dirty and there are minor frame abrasions along the extreme edges. There is surface cracking within the darker pigments and an associated small chip loss in the brown pigment at upper center and pindot flake losses in the black pigment at lower left. Under UV: The work retains an uneven varnish. There do not appear to be signs of inpaint or previous restoration.

The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.

Snyder Fine Art, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above, by 1995

By the time the present work was completed in 1939, Charles Green Shaw was particularly concerned with becoming involved with the war effort and specifically spoke in his journals of his desire to support the British War Relief Society. The resulting stylistic influence that the war had on his work included him incorporating abstract motifs inspired by the patterning of the camouflage of military uniforms. Shaw later sent Skyscrapers to Washington D.C. in the fall of 1940 and while the details of the loan are unknown, it could be suggested that he sought to lend his design for fundraising efforts or to exhibit a work that reflected his own preoccupations with the war.