$35,000
Estimate: $30,000 - $50,000
American Art & Pennsylvania Impressionists
Auction: June 5, 2016 3:00:00 PM EDT
1929. Edition of 110. Pencil signed in the margin, drypoint, unframed
Image size: 11 1/4 x 14 5/16 in. (28.6 x 36.4cm)
Sheet size: 14 1/8 x 18 3/4 in. (35.9 x 47.6cm)
[McCarron 77]
Provenance: Private Collection, New Jersey.
NOTE:
The present print depicts New York City's glowing Chanin Building in the distance, which had just been completed when Lewis executed this work. It is still standing today at the corner of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. The foreground, replete with elements of modernity and urban development, shows a woman surrounded by hanging laundry, fire escapes, and multiple apartment buildings. During his lifetime and up to the present day, Lewis is recognized as a master of printing techniques, particularly his skillful portrayal of the light and dark contrast between the illuminated and the obscured. Lewis was awarded the Print Club of Philadelphia's Charles M. Lea Prize for this print in 1930, and is considered by some to be his most important and iconic work.