Hirschfeld Donates 130 New York City Themed Art Works to the New York Historical Society
Comprising works from the mid-19th through the 21st centuries, Elie Hirschfeld’s NYC-inspired art collection has been donated to the New York Historical Society, and will be available to the public for the first time in a Fall 2021 exhibition. The collection, acquired over a period of almost four decades, contains 130 paintings, sculptures, and works on paper, featuring renowned artists such as David Hockney, Andy Warhol, Marc Chagall, Georgia O’Keeffe, Edward Hopper, Thomas Hart Benton, Norman Rockwell, and more.
Washington Square Art Fair, Thomas Hart Benton
The collection is particularly strong in it’s representation of 20th-century works, and offers a significant expansion for the New York Historical Society, which has been known previously for it’s Hudson River School landscapes, Colonial portraiture, and 19th-century genre painting.
82 of the 107 artists included have not been previously represented at the institution, including Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Fernand Léger, and Stuart Davis. Historical art movements showcased by the collection include early Abstraction, the Harlem Renaissance, Cubism, and Pop Art. New York City’s culture and history is seen as depicted by an international viewpoint alongside quintessential American artists.
Brooklyn Bridge, Georgia O’Keeffe
“I think of my collection as more than just art,” Elie said. “”It’s really the history of New York.”
Following the major exhibition opening Fall 2021, the collection will be shown in rotation, in a permanently dedicated space.