Guy Wiggins (American, 1883-1962) Winter from the Plaza, New York

Signed 'Guy Wiggins N.A.' bottom left; also titled and signed verso, oil on canvas
25 x 30 in. (63.5 x 76.2cm)
In a Newcomb-Macklin frame.

Provenance

Roughton Galleries, Dallas, Texas.
Acquired directly from the above.
Property from the Estate of Virginia M. Ford, Pennsylvania.

Note

Guy Wiggins' most celebrated wintry subjects feature New York landmarks such as Trinity Church, The New York City Stock Exchange, the New York Public Library on 5th Avenue, as well as the Plaza Hotel, as seen in the present work. Here, the iconic hotel is depicted from the intersection of West 59th Street and 5th Avenue, looking south toward Saint Patrick's church, whose spire (one of two) can be spotted at center left. Replacing the quintessential carriages from before WWII, is a line of automobiles, including yellow cabs, running up and down the avenue to get the attention of the nearby pedestrians who move through the blustery blizzard sheltered under their colorful umbrellas, unperturbed. Their coats lift in the winter wind, mimicked in the movement of the flags flying above the building at left. The snow appears like delicate lace slowly pouring over the city skyline, at once blanketing the roofs of the skyscrapers and swirling across the surface of the canvas.

Frame: 29 1/2 x 34 1/2 x 2 1/4 in.

The unlined canvas in excellent original condition, with no sign of inpainting as seen under UV light.