Woolworth Building at Night

Artist Jonas Lie American, born Norway, 1880–1940

Datecirca 1913–1914

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions36 x 30 in. (91.4 x 76.2 cm)
Frame: 41 1/4 x 35 1/2 x 1 1/2 in. (104.8 x 90.2 x 3.8 cm)

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineGift of Katherine Pendleton Arrington in memory of her mother, Victoria Louise Clark Pendleton

Object numberG.49.3.2

On View

Not on view

Label TextLie was influential in efforts to popularize modern art in the United States. He helped organize and exhibited in the seminal 1913 Armory Show, which introduced the American public to European avant-garde art. Inspired by impressionist renderings of color and light and the quintessentially American themes of the New York group known as The Eight, his paintings often feature the urban landscape of New York City in dramatic color palettes and striking perspectives.

Executed here in expressive brushstrokes, the Woolworth Building was then the tallest skyscraper in the world. Christened the “cathedral of commerce,” the mammoth structure represented a modernist celebration of technological achievement.
[L. Applebaum, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," 2022]Provenancereated New York; collection of the artist. Katherine Pendleton Arrington (1876–1955), Warrenton, NC; given to NCMA, 1949.
Published ReferencesAmerican Paintings since 1900 from the Permanent Collection (exhibition catalogue) (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 1967), cat. no. 45.
Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina State Art Gallery, "Pendleton Pictures," traveling exhibition, 1947-53.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "American Paintings since 1900 from the Permanent Collection," April 1-23, 1967, cat. no. 45.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," October 7, 2022–present. Object Rights Statement

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