Галерея Александра Асеведо пожертвовала две ключевые картины Томаса Коля национальному историческому месту

CATSKILL — Two major paintings by Thomas Cole were added to the Thomas Cole National Historic Site's permanent collection though a donation last month. The paintings were donated by Alexander Acevedo, founder of the Alexander Gallery in New York City. The donated works are: Study for "The Voyage of Life: Manhood," ca. 1840, oil on canvas, 25½ x 39 inches, Thomas Cole National Historic Site, Gift of Alexander Acevedo/Alexander Gallery, TC.2019.3., as well as Untitled (Cole Family Evening Gathering), attributed to Thomas Cole, ca. 1820, oil on canvas, 17 x 20 inches, Thomas Cole National Historic Site, Gift of Alexander Acevedo/Alexander Gallery, TC.2025.4. According to the Thomas Cole National Historic Site, the Study for "The Voyage of Life: Manhood" is an unusually large study for one of Cole's most important series of paintings, The Voyage of Life. Cole painted two original versions of the four-painting series. The earlier series, completed in 1840 and for which the newly donated work is a study, is in the permanent collection of Munson Museum of Art in Utica. The later series, completed in 1842, is in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The portrait of the Cole family is one of the two earliest known paintings by Thomas Cole and dates to about 1820, when the family lived in Steubenville, Ohio. Though unsigned, the work has been authenticated by Cole researcher Sylvia Hasenkopf, author of the forthcoming The Letters of Thomas Cole, 1820-1832, Volume One, to be published in 2027 by Flint Mine Press. Hasenkopf identified a letter written by Cole to William Dunlap, then vice president of the National Academy of Design, that resulted in an account published in Dunlap's 1834 book, History of the Rise and Progress of the Arts of Design in the United States. Dunlap wrote of Cole: "Now, 1820, he took up the palette to paint portraits. His father first submitted to the operation. It was pronounced like. Another and another succeeded." In 1820, Cole also studied with itinerant portrait painter "Mr. Stein," according to the 2018 book Thomas Cole's Journey: Atlantic Crossings, published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hasenkopf identified the family members in the painting through analysis of letters and other known portraits. From left to right they are Sarah Cole, James Cole, Mary Holloway Cole, Ann Cole and Mary Cole Bayless. The only other earliest known painting by Cole, Ruined Castle on a Rock (1818-1820), is also in the permanent collection of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site after being donated by Richard T. Sharp, for whom the site's Richard Sharp Gallery is named. "The two paintings by Thomas Cole gifted by Alex Acevedo are of enormous significance and are spectacular additions to the permanent collection of the Thomas Cole National Historic Site," Executive Director Maura O'Shea said. "We are extremely grateful to Alex for donating them and are thrilled to share them with our visitors, whose number one request is to see original Thomas Cole paintings." Acevedo founded Alexander Gallery in 1971 after beginning to deal in coins, stamps and comic books at age 12. He opened his first Madison Avenue gallery in 1976, exhibiting American paintings, pre-Columbian and Indigenous American artifacts, and Japanese works of art. The gallery later became known for exhibitions featuring Hudson River School artists including Thomas Cole, Albert Bierstadt, Sanford Gifford and Frederic Edwin Church, and continues to acquire and place works with museums and collectors worldwide. The Thomas Cole National Historic Site preserves the life and work of Thomas Cole (1801-1848), founder of the Hudson River School art movement. The six-acre campus in Catskill includes Cole's home, two studio buildings, the Cole Center visitor center, gardens, panoramic views of the Catskill Mountains and a walkway connecting the site with Olana, the home of Frederic Church. The site hosts exhibitions, art-making activities, school programs and public programs. It is a National Historic Landmark, an affiliated area of the National Park System and operates as an independent nonprofit organization. The Thomas Cole National Historic Site is open year-round, with hours varying by season. The grounds are open daily from dawn to dusk at no charge. Visitor information is available at thomascole.org/visit.