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Provenance: Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York (acquired from the artist, 1938); sale, Sotheby & Co., London, 2 July 1974, lot 79.
Ifor Davies, London; Estate sale, Christie's, London, 26 June 2002, lot 178.
Anon. (acquired at the above sale); sale, Christie's, London, 8 February 2005, lot 300.
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner.
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Literature: D. Robbins, P. Georgel and A. Varichon, Albert Gleizes, Catalogue raisonné, Paris, 1998, vol. I, p. 229, no. 653 (illustrated in color).
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Notes: PROPERTY FROM AN AMERICAN COLLECTOR
Gleizes' arrival in New York in September 1915 followed a period of immense upheaval both in his life and in his art. His early impressionistic style had given way to experiments in geometric cubism; these in turn evolved into multiple viewpoints, which ultimately gave way to the flat surfaces that we see in the skyline of New York.
Gleizes' initial reaction to New York City--a metropolis of spectacular height and volume--was extreme. To Gleizes, New York was the new world and provided a striking contrast to Europe, a continent still torn apart by war. He saw the gravity defying sky-scrapers as the new Cathedrals of Europe, and recoiled from the astounding scale of American architecture. Yet at the same time Gleizes recognized and praised the superlative technical and artistic achievements embodied in these modern architectural giants created of steel and stone, which equaled the most admired creations of the Old World.
In the current work, Gleizes depicts the overwhelming scale of the city with its crowded sky-scrapers disappearing off the top and sides of the canvas, while also capturing a sense of instability as the buildings tilt at precarious angles. He was less than enamored with Broadway, which he felt was futile and hard, sentimental and dry, and the deep shadows and vibrant neon at the heart of the painting seem to illustrate both his fascination and aversion to American culture. Gleizes was certainly attracted by the excitement and pace of life in New York, and just as we see in his conflicting views of sky-scrapers, we also see his excitement, in spite of himself, at the intensity and speed of life on Broadway. Gleizes was also irresistibly drawn to jazz music, a proliferating art form encapsulated the atmosphere of New York at this time.
New York is an exciting, vivid depiction of a city which at once delighted, enthralled, surprised and repelled the artist. Of the differing versions of this motif, all created in 1915-1916, the present work is the largest and certainly the most vibrant, presenting a timeless image of neon and steel, scale and tumult that perfectly represents the heart of New York.
