About the Object
This drawing of a New York cityscape features the view of West 42nd Street and 6th Avenue as it appeared in the 1920s. Grids of windows and billboards punctuate the composition and activate the scene. The foreground is dominated by an elevated train station, which was demolished in 1939. Rising from the center of the composition is the Times Tower, which still stands today—in the heart of Times Square—covered in LED billboards.
Additional Information
One of three works by Matulka in the Collection alongside Indian Dancers, c. 1917-18 (2008.03.01) and Still Life with Owl and Violin, 1927 (VF2017.03.01). While each piece is distinct in subject and his handling of medium, they share Matulka’s interest in the fractured and flattened planes of Cubism.
The Artist;
Estate of the Artist;
[Weyhe Gallery, New York, NY];
[Robert Schoelkopf Gallery, New York, NY];
Private Collection, 1970-2014;
[Meconi & Schoelkopf, New York, NY];
Jan T. and Marica Vilcek Collection, New York, NY, 2014-2015;
Possibly: New York, NY. Zabriskie Gallery. Jan Matulka, May 18-June 12, 1965.
Possibly: New York, NY. Robert Schoelkopf Gallery. Jan Matulka, October 24-November 19, 1970.
New York, NY. Whitney Museum of American Art. Jan Matulka (December 18, 1979-February 24, 1980); Houston, TX. The Houston Museum of Fine Arts (April 3-June 1, 1980); Birmingham, AL. Birmingham Museum of Art (June 15-October 1, 1980); Washington DC. National Collection of Fine Arts, Smithsonian Institute (November 21, 1980-February 8, 1981); p. 98, cat. no. 39.
Corpus Christi, TX. The Art Museum of South Texas. Masterpieces of American Modernism from the Vilcek Collection of American Art. September 13, 2018-January 6, 2019.
Tulsa, OK. Philbrook Museum of Art. Making Modern America. February 10-May 26, 2019.
