Oil painting depicting the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, with a tugboat in foreground, and a ferry crossing from New York to Brooklyn; framed in a hand carved Dutch polychromed frame. Signed and dated 1936. Adriaan Lubbers was born in the Netherlands in 1892, the son of a well-to-do estate agent. As a young man he studied mechanical engineering, which brought him to South America in 1911. By 1914 he realized that he wanted to return to the Netherlands to fulfill his dream of becoming an artist. He returned the Holland in 1919 and leased a studio in the Dutch art colony of the North Sea village of Bergen. There he was strongly influenced by the Dark Expressionism style championed by the Dutch regionalist painters including Leo Gestel, who became Lubbers' close friend and traveling companion when he returned to New York.At 33 years old, Lubbers produced his first drawings which celebrate New York's architectural landmarks. Lubbers lived in New York fewer than six years, mostly from 1916 to 1919 and 1926 to 1928 but continued to cross the Atlantic for visits to New York. During this period Lubbers' style matured which resulted in a substantial body of work which included drawings, paintings, and prints of New York City during the 1920's, 30's, 40's. Lubbers loved New York City which became his most important source of inspiration. His work was exhibited in Berlin as early as 1923 followed by shows in Hamburg, Hanover, and Dresden.He returned to New York in 1926 to an enthusiastic welcome and was lauded by the press as an internationally known artist, to which he replied: "I have always loved New York, and now I want to paint it, to interpret it, to show New Yorkers it is the most magnificent city in the world."In 1928 Lubbers returned to Europe and settled in Paris where he continued to execute views of Manhattan and reminisce with his friends, who included fellow Dutchman Piet Mondrian and the French artist Maurice Utrillo. In 1937 he returned to New York for a special exhibition of his work at Rockefeller Center and to carry out an important commission for the Whitney Museum and the Museum of the City of New York.Following the outbreak of World War II Lubbers was in Holland during the Nazi occupation. During this period Lubbers worked for the National Solidarity Fund which assisted artists who were forced into hiding. In 1992 the Museum of the City of New York organized a major retrospective of Lubbers depictions of New York City. His works remain an extraordinary record of New York architecture and atmosphere between the first and second world wars. Provenance: Phyllis Lucas Gallery, NYC. [Art: 36" H x 29" W; Frame: 46" H x 38" W]. In good condition.

In good condition.