Untitled [Cityscape] | Harvard Art Museums

Identification and Creation

Object Number: 2010.264
People: Lyonel Feininger, American (New York, NY 1871 - 1956 New York, NY)
Title: Untitled [Cityscape]
Classification: Drawings
Work Type: drawing
Date: October 28, 1950
Persistent Link: https://hvrd.art/o/317163

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Black ink, charcoal, and watercolor on cream laid paper

Dimensions

31.5 x 24.1 cm (12 3/8 x 9 1/2 in.)

Inscriptions and Marks

Signed: l.l., black ink: Feininger. l.r., black ink: 28. X. 50

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History: Lyonel Feininger (1955-56), bequest; to Julia Feininger (1956-by 1970), gift; to William S. Lieberman (by 1970-2005), bequest; to Busch-Reisinger Museum, 2006.

Footnotes:
According to Peter Nisbet's 11 Sept. 2008 memo to Frank Connors (in object file, along with other documentation), it is highly likely that Julia Feininger, the artist's widow, gave William Lieberman (1924-2005) the 590 drawings that compose the Lieberman Bequest. Neither the lawyers for Feininger's estate nor his two sons have been able to confirm whether, and at what time, Julia might have given Lieberman the drawings. However, their statements corroborate the friendship between Julia and Lieberman, and the likelihood of her giving him such a gift.

Lieberman would have received the drawings between 1956, when Feininger died, and 1970, when Julia died. Beginning in the 1960s, nearly all of the drawings were, at some point, on loan to MoMA. Some of the loans came from Lieberman, while others came from Julia; of the loans given by Julia, many passed into Lieberman's ownership later, at which point he re-loaned some of them to MoMA.

Lieberman's personal papers, which might contain more specific information about how he acquired the drawings, are not currently accessible. They are in the care of his executor, Anne Strauss of the Metropolitan Museum, who has yet to examine them.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line: Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Bequest of William S. Lieberman
Accession Year: 2010
Object Number: 2010.264
Division: Modern and Contemporary Art
Contact: am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu
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Subjects and Contexts

The Bauhaus

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Modern and Contemporary Art at am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu

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