Lot 152: Dong Kingman W/C Painting, NYC Central Park Monument On 59th St., 1948

Dong Moy Chu Kingman (American, 1911-2000), watercolor painting, “Monument On Fifty Ninth St.” A group of people waits at a crosswalk before  Augustus Saint-Gaudens’s William Tecumseh Sherman monument at Grand Army Plaza in Manhattan. Signed and dated to lower left. Titled and illegibly inscribed (possibly “J401” or “J49”) en verso. Housed under glass in a painted wood frame with cream mat. Sight: 14 1/4 in. H x 21 1/4 in. W. Sheet: 15 1/2 in. H x 22 1/4 in. W. Framed: 28 in. H x 34 in. W. 1948. Biographical Note: “After having nurtured an interest in art during his youth spent in Hong Kong (1916-29), Dong Kingman matured as a watercolorist upon his return to his native Oakland, California, and enrollment at the Fox Morgan Art School in 1931. He soon emerged as a promising artist, working for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and actively exhibiting his land and cityscapes in the San Francisco Bay Area between 1935 and 1945. Kingman’s extensive travels through Guggenheim fellowships, features in national magazines, and relocation to New York City (1946) further promoted his paintings to reach a greater audience. In addition to teaching at Columbia University, Hunter College, as well as the Famous Artists School he co-founded with Norman Rockwell and others, Kingman worked as an advisor and designer for Hollywood between the 1950s and 1960s. His wide recognition as an artist led Kingman to serve as a cultural ambassador for the U.S. Department of State and to become the first American artist to hold a solo exhibition celebrating the resumption of diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China (1981).” (Source: Anna Lee, Smithsonian American Art Museum)

PROVENANCE: Deaccessioned by the Hunter Museum of American Art.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition, with even toning within the sight area and minor waviness to the sheet. Pinhole punctures along the edges, not visible when framed. Mounted with tape affixed to the upper edges on the verso.