Queensborough Bridge

Provenance

Private collection, Greenwich, Connecticut
Sale, Sotheby’s, New York, New York, March 3, 2010, Lot 144, from above
Private collection, Colorado, acquired from above
Sale, Freeman’s | Hindman Auctions, Chicago, Illinois, July 31, 2020, from above
Stuart Kingston Galleries, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Related Work

Brooklyn Bridge in Winter, oil on canvas, signed lower right: Johann Berthelsen; Hickory Museum of Art, Hickory, North Carolina

Note

Berthelsen immigrated to the United States with his family from Denmark in 1890 when he was just seven years old. Thirty years later, he moved from Wisconsin to New York to be part of the city’s thriving arts community. It was at this time that the artist began to paint the subjects for which he is so well-known: sweeping steel skyscrapers, vibrant urban life, quiet city streets blanketed with snow and the majestic bridges that warmly welcome awestruck newcomers and natives alike. Throughout his career, Berthelsen successfully painted landscapes, still lifes and portraits, yet he always returned to his first love–New York City, and it was primarily this subject matter that helped establish his reputation and burnish his enduring success.