Questroyal 2009

Nelson Augustus Moore ( 1824 – 1902 ) Plate 30 Setting Sail on a Lake in the Adirondacks Oil on canvas 16 1 / 2 x 26 5 / 8 inches provenance Kennedy Galleries, Inc., NewYork Private collection, Pleasantville, NewYork By descent in the family Menconi & Schoelkopf Fine Art, LLC, NewYork [F]ew other American artists have been more familiar with nature in all her various seasons andmoods, or have depicted themmore faithfully. Macbeth Gallery, 1934 1 [T]he canvases nevertheless have yet captured and retain intrinsic charm of design and color and are instinct with a kind of intellectualized poetry. howard devree, art critic and art editor of The NewYork Times, 1934 2 Season Opener Although the famous Macbeth Gallery faced stiff competition frompopular modernist shows, it chose twenty-eight paintings by Nelson Augustus Moore for its opening exhibition of the 1934 – 1935 season. This selection was explained in the catalogue with a simple statement: “Nelson Augustus Moore is an interesting example of a painter of real merit whose reputation today hardly exists outside of the Artists Biographical Dictionary. And yet, in his time, his pictures were eagerly sought by discriminating collectors. . . . This exhibition shows the development of a truly American landscape painter who never studied or painted abroad.” 3 A notable member of the Hudson River school, Moore produced paintings with crisp details and har- monious tones. Macbeth Gallery undoubtedly felt that his “truly American” landscapes stood as a lasting representation of America’s artistic legacy and a worthy competitor for modern art. — jlw Moore’s works are featured in the collections of the EversonMuseumof Art,Mattatuck Museumof theMattatuckHistorical Society,andWadsworth AtheneumMuseumof Art. 1 Paintings by Nelson A. Moore 1824 – 1902 , (NewYork: Macbeth Gallery, 1934 ), n. p. 2 Howard Devree, “Notes on Some Current Exhibitions,” The NewYork Times , October 7, 1934 . 3 Paintings by Nelson A. Moore 1824 – 1902 , n. p.