Artist
William H. JohnsonAmerican, 1901–1970
CultureAmerican
Titles
- Cagnes-sur-Mer
Date1928
PlaceCagnes-sur-mer, France
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions29 × 23 5/8 in. (73.7 × 59.9 cm)
Frame: 36 × 30 5/8 × 2 1/2 in. (91.4 × 77.8 × 6.4 cm)
Frame: 36 × 30 5/8 × 2 1/2 in. (91.4 × 77.8 × 6.4 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Charles W. Tate in honor of Dr. Frank Hadlock at "One Great Night in November, 2000"
Object number2000.578
Current Location
The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building
Gallery 203
On view
Explore Further
Department
American ArtObject Type
William H. Johnson joined the Great
Migration to New York’s Harlem in 1918; three
years later, he enrolled at the National Academy
of Design, where Charles Hawthorne became
an important mentor. In 1926 Hawthorne
sponsored Johnson’s travels to France, where he
settled in Cagnes-sur-Mer. The Mediterranean
village became the subject of many paintings,
expressively distorted as if viewed through a
concave lens. Johnson wrote to Hawthorne,
“Here the sun is everything. . . . I am not afraid
to exaggerate a contour, a form, or anything
that gives more character and movement to
the canvas.”
Provenance--Private Collection of Ms. Mary Beattie Brady
--Collection of Mr. Ronald House, Ridgewood, NJ (given as wedding present by the above)
--Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, New York, NY
Exhibition HistoryExhibited:†William H. Johnson: Works From the Collection of Mary Beattie Brady, Director of the Harmon Foundation†, Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, New York, NY, September 14-November 11, 1995.
Acquisitions of the Last Five Years: Selections of Modern and Contemporary Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Upper Brown Pavilion, July 15, 2005 - October 15, 2005.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Inscribed verso of canvas, upper left: "CA - 40"
Label on verso of frame: "Michael / Rosenfeld / Gallery / 24 West 57th Street / New York, NY 10019 / William H. Johnson (1901 - 1970) / ¦Cagnes-sur-Mer, France¦, 1928 / oil on canvas / 29" x 23.5", signed and dated"
Label on verso of frame: "Michael / Rosenfeld / Gallery / 24 West 57th Street / New York, NY 10019 / William H. Johnson (1901 - 1970) / ¦Cagnes-sur-Mer, France¦, 1928 / oil on canvas / 29" x 23.5", signed and dated"
Signed and dated in brown, recto, lower left: "WH Johnson / 28"
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.
Alejandro Otero
1951
Oil on canvas
2021.351
