George Luks (American, 1867–1933) 'Hester Street' oil on paper on panel Inscription to the verso, likely from the artist's wife, reads "Hester St. / Mercedes Luks / 8 Jones St. N.Y." Ink stamp to the verso at upper center from Mercedes Luks, the artist's wife. Provenance From the collection of the late Sir Jay Chemis; sold at Stair Galleries on September 25th, 2010, lot #287. - discoloration to painting surface; abrasions and surface wear throughout; evidence of cleaning resulting in paint loss; scratches, chips, and edge wear to frame; wear to panel verso, with Mercedes Luks stamp worn mostly away, its location circled in red. After a short period studying at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Dusseldorf Academy, Luks spent time traveling through Europe. He returned in 1894 to work as an illustrator at the Philadelphia Press, moved in with fellow illustrator Everett Shinn, and together along with William Glackens, John Sloan and Robert Henri, they became known as the Philadelphia Five. The five eventually became The Eight with the addition of Maurice Prendergast, Arthur Bowen Davies, and Ernest Lawson. They lived and worked in New York, becoming known as the Ashcan School. They held their first exhibition together at the Macbeth Gallery in New York in 1908, making a controversial statement against the academic art institutions of the time. They tended to create realist works rendered in dark tones inspired by Franz Hals, Rembrandt and Manet, and found their subjects in the streets of New York. In a twist of fate, Luks died in those same streets in 1933, a victim of a bar room brawl. 27.5" W x 23.5" H (frame) , 21.5" W x 17.75" H (panel)