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Though originally sketched during his time in San Francisco, this painting was created at his studio in Waterville, New York. Bierstadt’s return to New York was reported by the Bulletin of October 27, 1873, which noted that “the artist would work many of his Pacific Coast sketches into pictures.” The Golden Gate is a poignant reminder of Bierstadt’s unmatched ability, setting the tone for a picture that, here, represents the toils of man against august nature in the transient beauty of a moment.
ProvenanceChapellier Galleries, New York, NY, 1960s; Private Collection, Pittsburg, 1966; Private Collection 2019
Artist
Albert Bierstadt
(American, 1830 - 1902)
The Golden Gate
Datec. 1872
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsSight: 27 3/8 × 38 3/4 in. (69.5 × 98.4 cm)
Object numberN0001.2024
Credit LineCollection of the Fenimore Art Museum. Gift of the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust
Photograph by Richard Walker
Label TextBierstadt resided in California between 1871 and 1873, where he used San Francisco as his base. The Pacific Ocean held great appeal to the artist, and he took this opportunity to create dozens of oil sketches and paintings of the coast. In this scene, Bierstadt sketched the rocky cove under the dramatically perched original Cliff House. Constructed in 1863, the Cliff House provided stunning views of the ocean and the Marin headlands. Though originally sketched during his time in San Francisco, this painting was created at his studio in Waterville, New York. Bierstadt’s return to New York was reported by the Bulletin of October 27, 1873, which noted that “the artist would work many of his Pacific Coast sketches into pictures.” The Golden Gate is a poignant reminder of Bierstadt’s unmatched ability, setting the tone for a picture that, here, represents the toils of man against august nature in the transient beauty of a moment.
ProvenanceChapellier Galleries, New York, NY, 1960s; Private Collection, Pittsburg, 1966; Private Collection 2019
On View
On view
