May 3, 2016 11:00 EST
Impressionist & Modern Art
96
Guy Carleton Wiggins
Guy Carleton Wiggins
American, 1883-1962
Downtown New York
Signed Guy C. Wiggins (lr); inscribed Down Town / New York and signed Guy C. Wiggins on the reverse
Oil on board
16 x 12 inches
Provenance:
Plaza Art Galleries, New York
This lovely early painting by Guy Wiggins includes a form of signature that he used only until around 1918, after which he dropped his middle initial. The absence of N.A. following the signature further confirms an early date; Wiggins was not elected an academician at the National Academy of Design until 1919. Here, too, we see horses and carriages, as opposed to the automobiles and buses so evident in later compositions.
Guy A. Wiggins, the artist's son, believes this to be the earliest snow scene by his father that he has ever seen. Titled Downtown New York, the present work appears to depict lower Broadway, a subject he addressed in later paintings, but never with the flair, facility and elegant palette that we see here. When the Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired his painting Metropolitan Tower in 1912, Wiggins became the youngest artist to enter their collection.
This lot is accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Guy A. Wiggins.
Sold for $46,875
Estimated at $30,000 - $50,000
Includes Buyer's Premium
Guy Carleton Wiggins
American, 1883-1962
Downtown New York
Signed Guy C. Wiggins (lr); inscribed Down Town / New York and signed Guy C. Wiggins on the reverse
Oil on board
16 x 12 inches
Provenance:
Plaza Art Galleries, New York
This lovely early painting by Guy Wiggins includes a form of signature that he used only until around 1918, after which he dropped his middle initial. The absence of N.A. following the signature further confirms an early date; Wiggins was not elected an academician at the National Academy of Design until 1919. Here, too, we see horses and carriages, as opposed to the automobiles and buses so evident in later compositions.
Guy A. Wiggins, the artist's son, believes this to be the earliest snow scene by his father that he has ever seen. Titled Downtown New York, the present work appears to depict lower Broadway, a subject he addressed in later paintings, but never with the flair, facility and elegant palette that we see here. When the Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired his painting Metropolitan Tower in 1912, Wiggins became the youngest artist to enter their collection.
This lot is accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Guy A. Wiggins.
Frame rubbing, discolored yellow varnish around the perimeter. No evidence of inpaint under UV exam. Work was recently cleaned:1. Remove Discolored varnish from painting.2. Apply new varnish with BEVA varnish (Regalrez resin with UV stabilizer)
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Auction: Impressionist & Modern Art, May 3, 2016
