Reginald Marsh
Third Avenue El1931

On view:

Geffen Galleries

Narrative painting of seven figures, mostly women in winter hats and fur-collared coats, seated closely together in a row, with wooden shuttered windows behind them

Artist or Maker: Reginald Marsh
France, active United States, 1898-1954
Title: Third Avenue El
Place Made: United States
Date Made: 1931
Medium: Egg tempera, watercolor, and ink on paper backed by canvas and Masonite
Dimensions: Frame: 32 3/4 × 44 7/8 × 3 1/2 in. (83.19 × 113.98 × 8.89 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of the American Art Council, Mr. and Mrs. Alan D. Levy, Mr. and Mrs. Willard G. Clark, Mr. and Mrs. Will Richeson, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. William D. Witherspoon, and Mr. and Mrs. J. Douglas Pardee
Accession Number: M.82.146
Classification: Drawings
Collecting Area: American Art
Curatorial Notes: Fascinated by the activity of city life, Reginald Marsh set much of his work in buses, subways, trains, and stations. Third Avenue El illustrates the crowded conditions of New York City's trains but it does not give a sense of the extreme congestion often experienced by daily commuters. This is somewhat surprising since Marsh delighted in the hustle and bustle of urban crowds, but his depictions of buses and trains lack the raucous quality of his other New York images. They are quieter and more serious. By focusing on a few figures and presenting them as physically and psychologically separated, he captured the sense of isolation often felt by those who live in urban centers.
One possible source of inspiration for Marsh’s painting is Honoré Daumier's Third Class Carriage (c. 1860-70; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), a work that he could have known through several painted and lithographed versions or through reproductions, which were numerous. Marsh not only borrowed the composition of this well-known image, he shared the French artist’s appreciation for the dignity of the working classes. Each passenger is a large, statuesque figure with a monumental presence. Marsh painted Third Avenue El in his characteristic, thin tempera wash, drawing in many details, such as the facial features and fur collars and cuffs.
Provenance: The artist § Estate of the artist, 1954 to at least 1955 § With Frank K. M. Rehn Galleries, New York, as of 1955 § Frank and Flora Winston, Birmingham, Mich. § With ACA American Heritage Gallery, New York, c. 1965 § Seymour Wadler, New York, c. 1965 § With Erma Rudin, New York § With Rowe Company Fine Arts, Chicago, to 1982.
Estate of the artist. [Frank K. M. Rehn Galleries, New York, by 1955, sold 1961 to]; Frank J. (1914–2001) and Flora Jane Winton (b. 1918), Birmingham, Michigan. [ACA American Heritage Gallery, New York, c. 1965]; Dr. Seymour Wadler, New York, c. 1965. [Irma Rudin (1922–2006), Ltd., New York]. Daniel Goldenson, sold 1982 through; [Rowe Company Fine Arts, Chicago, to]; LACMA.
Selected Bibliography: Fort, Ilene Susan and Michael Quick. American Art: a Catalogue of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Collection. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1991.
Phil Freshman. Los Angeles County Museum of Art Report, July 1, 1981-June 30, 1983. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1984.
LACMA: Obras Maestras 1750-1950: Pintura Estadounidense Del Museo De Arte Del Condado De Los Angeles. Mexico, D.F.: Museo Nacional de Arte, 2006.
Kim, Woollin, Jinmyung Kim, and Songhyuk Yang, eds. Art Across America. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2013.
Miller, Angela, and Chris McAuliffe, eds. America: Painting a Nation. Sydney: Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2013.
Copyright: © Estate of Reginald Marsh / Art Students League, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Reginald Marsh
Third Avenue El1931

On view:

Geffen Galleries

Artist or Maker: Reginald Marsh
France, active United States, 1898-1954
Title: Third Avenue El
Place Made: United States
Date Made: 1931
Medium: Egg tempera, watercolor, and ink on paper backed by canvas and Masonite
Dimensions: Frame: 32 3/4 × 44 7/8 × 3 1/2 in. (83.19 × 113.98 × 8.89 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of the American Art Council, Mr. and Mrs. Alan D. Levy, Mr. and Mrs. Willard G. Clark, Mr. and Mrs. Will Richeson, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. William D. Witherspoon, and Mr. and Mrs. J. Douglas Pardee
Accession Number: M.82.146
Classification: Drawings
Collecting Area: American Art
Curatorial Notes: Fascinated by the activity of city life, Reginald Marsh set much of his work in buses, subways, trains, and stations. Third Avenue El illustrates the crowded conditions of New York City's trains but it does not give a sense of the extreme congestion often experienced by daily commuters. This is somewhat surprising since Marsh delighted in the hustle and bustle of urban crowds, but his depictions of buses and trains lack the raucous quality of his other New York images. They are quieter and more serious. By focusing on a few figures and presenting them as physically and psychologically separated, he captured the sense of isolation often felt by those who live in urban centers.
One possible source of inspiration for Marsh’s painting is Honoré Daumier's Third Class Carriage (c. 1860-70; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), a work that he could have known through several painted and lithographed versions or through reproductions, which were numerous. Marsh not only borrowed the composition of this well-known image, he shared the French artist’s appreciation for the dignity of the working classes. Each passenger is a large, statuesque figure with a monumental presence. Marsh painted Third Avenue El in his characteristic, thin tempera wash, drawing in many details, such as the facial features and fur collars and cuffs.
Provenance: The artist § Estate of the artist, 1954 to at least 1955 § With Frank K. M. Rehn Galleries, New York, as of 1955 § Frank and Flora Winston, Birmingham, Mich. § With ACA American Heritage Gallery, New York, c. 1965 § Seymour Wadler, New York, c. 1965 § With Erma Rudin, New York § With Rowe Company Fine Arts, Chicago, to 1982.
Estate of the artist. [Frank K. M. Rehn Galleries, New York, by 1955, sold 1961 to]; Frank J. (1914–2001) and Flora Jane Winton (b. 1918), Birmingham, Michigan. [ACA American Heritage Gallery, New York, c. 1965]; Dr. Seymour Wadler, New York, c. 1965. [Irma Rudin (1922–2006), Ltd., New York]. Daniel Goldenson, sold 1982 through; [Rowe Company Fine Arts, Chicago, to]; LACMA.
Selected Bibliography: Fort, Ilene Susan and Michael Quick. American Art: a Catalogue of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Collection. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1991.
Phil Freshman. Los Angeles County Museum of Art Report, July 1, 1981-June 30, 1983. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1984.
LACMA: Obras Maestras 1750-1950: Pintura Estadounidense Del Museo De Arte Del Condado De Los Angeles. Mexico, D.F.: Museo Nacional de Arte, 2006.
Kim, Woollin, Jinmyung Kim, and Songhyuk Yang, eds. Art Across America. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2013.
Miller, Angela, and Chris McAuliffe, eds. America: Painting a Nation. Sydney: Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2013.