Seashore
- Date
- c.1913
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- made in
- United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- American Art
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 334
- Dimensions
- 24 1/8 x 32 1/8 in. (61.3 x 81.6 cm)
framed: 31 1/2 x 39 1/4 in. (80 x 99.7 cm) - Credit Line
- The Eliza McMillan Trust
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 33:1948
NOTES
Brightly dressed figures (and one donkey) parade across a beach near Boston, Massachusetts. Maurice Prendergast arranged their flattened forms in a rhythmic pattern against horizontal bands of sky, sea, and sand. Coarse brushstrokes and strong outlines weave the composition together, as deliberately placed as the threads of a tapestry or pieces of mosaic. Prendergast developed this style while studying in Paris, where he drew inspiration from French artists Paul Cézanne and Henri Matisse. He became a trailblazer of American modernism and a founding member of The Eight, a group that sought to change the conservative American art scene of the early 20th century.
Provenance
by 1928 - 1948
Adolph Lewisohn (1849-1938) and Emma Cahn Lewisohn, New York, NY; Samuel A. Lewisohn (1884-1951) and Margaret Seligman Lewisohn (1895-1954), by inheritance [1]
1948 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased at auction "Collection of Modern Paintings... to be sold at auction for the benefit of the United Hospital Fund" at M. Knoedler & Co., Inc., New York, December 9, 1947, lot 63 [2]
Notes:
[1] The catalogue raisonné records the provenance of the painting [Clark, Carol, Nancy Mowll Mathews, and Gwendolyn Owens. "Maurice Brazil Prendergast, Charles Prendergast: A Catalogue Raisonné." Munich: Prestel, 1989, no. 294]. Adolph Lewisohn was one of the pioneer patrons of impressionist art. His son, Samuel, began collecting art around 1912; he also acquired his father's large art collection upon his death [Cowart, Jack, and Dominique Fourcade. "Henri Matisse: The Early Years in Nice." Washington: National Gallery of Art, 1986, p. 256]. See note [2].
[2] The 1948 charity auction catalogue names Mr. and Mrs. S. Lewisohn as the contributors of "Seashore," indicating that it was in the possession of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Lewisohn at the time of the sale ["Collection of Modern Paintings... to be sold at auction for the benefit of the United Hospital Fund." M. Knoedler & Co., Inc., New York, December 9, 1947, lot 63]. No other publications reference Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Lewisohn in the provenance for this painting ["Maurice Prendergast Memorial Exhibition." New York: Whitney Museum of American Art, 1934, cat. 37; Rhys, Hedley Howell. "Maurice Prendergast, 1859-1924." Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1960, no. 19; Kane, Marie Louise. "American Impressionist Painting." "Saint Louis Art Museum Bulletin" 17, no. (Fall 1984): 22]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, February 5, 1948.
Adolph Lewisohn (1849-1938) and Emma Cahn Lewisohn, New York, NY; Samuel A. Lewisohn (1884-1951) and Margaret Seligman Lewisohn (1895-1954), by inheritance [1]
1948 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased at auction "Collection of Modern Paintings... to be sold at auction for the benefit of the United Hospital Fund" at M. Knoedler & Co., Inc., New York, December 9, 1947, lot 63 [2]
Notes:
[1] The catalogue raisonné records the provenance of the painting [Clark, Carol, Nancy Mowll Mathews, and Gwendolyn Owens. "Maurice Brazil Prendergast, Charles Prendergast: A Catalogue Raisonné." Munich: Prestel, 1989, no. 294]. Adolph Lewisohn was one of the pioneer patrons of impressionist art. His son, Samuel, began collecting art around 1912; he also acquired his father's large art collection upon his death [Cowart, Jack, and Dominique Fourcade. "Henri Matisse: The Early Years in Nice." Washington: National Gallery of Art, 1986, p. 256]. See note [2].
[2] The 1948 charity auction catalogue names Mr. and Mrs. S. Lewisohn as the contributors of "Seashore," indicating that it was in the possession of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Lewisohn at the time of the sale ["Collection of Modern Paintings... to be sold at auction for the benefit of the United Hospital Fund." M. Knoedler & Co., Inc., New York, December 9, 1947, lot 63]. No other publications reference Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Lewisohn in the provenance for this painting ["Maurice Prendergast Memorial Exhibition." New York: Whitney Museum of American Art, 1934, cat. 37; Rhys, Hedley Howell. "Maurice Prendergast, 1859-1924." Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1960, no. 19; Kane, Marie Louise. "American Impressionist Painting." "Saint Louis Art Museum Bulletin" 17, no. (Fall 1984): 22]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, February 5, 1948.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.