New York Skyline
Stuart Davis (1894-1964)

American painter Stuart Davis studied under Robert Henri, the leader of the early modern art group the Eight. Davis made covers and drawings for the social realist periodical The Masses, which was associated with the Ashcan School. He was one of the youngest painters to exhibit in the Armory Show, where he was exposed to the work of such artists as Vincent van Gogh and Pablo Picasso. After visiting Paris, Davis introduced American art to Cubism and committed to Modernism.

Stuart Davis’ New York Skyline is a gouache on paper painting measuring 12 by 15.8 inches, with his signature on the lower right. The piece was purchased by Jack Sharp on October 22, 1947 and also been held by William T. Kemper in The William T. Kemper Charitable Trust in Kansas City, Missouri, as well as The Downtown Gallery New York. It was obtained by Christie’s New York on December 1, 1989.