William Trost Richards

(American, 1833-1905)

Sunrise and Surf, 1888

oil on canvas

signed Wm. T. Richards and dated (lower left)

28 x 44 in.

Provenance:

Private Collection, New York.

By descent to the current owner.

Lot Note:

William Trost Richards' 1866 sojourn in Europe marked a turning point in his career. He spent the next six summers immersed in the coastal landscapes of the East Coast, before building a home in Jamestown, Rhode Island, in the Narragansett Bay, in 1881. His sustained engagement with the Atlantic seaboard directly informed his mature marine paintings, the present lot among them. Possibly a depiction of Long Beach, New Jersey or Long Island, Sunrise and Surf (1888) speaks to a profound understanding of the ocean's dynamics, honed during periods of intensive observation. Rendered in exact detail–in a manner that reveals the influence of 19th-century Luminism–individual waves catch the morning light, crest and, then, break into ribbons of foamy surf.

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Adam Veil

VP, Head of Department, American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists

[email protected]267.414.1221

Adam Veil serves as Vice President and a Fine Art Specialist at Freeman’s.

Veil joined Freeman’s in 2021 following years of experience in both the auction world and the academy. His area of specialization is pre-WWII American Art, although he has lectured and published on topics ranging from Mexican landscape painting and Old Master printmaking to art market economics.

Veil earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in art history from Penn State University and pursued doctoral studies at Indiana University Bloomington. Prior to joining Freeman’s, Veil was Head of Fine Art at a Washington, D.C.-area auction house, and Executive Director of the Santa Fe Art Auction, where he oversaw market-setting auctions of classical and contemporary Western, Southwestern, and California art. He has also held positions in provenance research, art fair operations, and as editor and producer of The Conversation, a popular Los Angeles–based contemporary art podcast. Concurrent with his role at Freeman’s, Veil is a professor at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches courses in Renaissance, Modern, and American art history.

American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists

Sunrise and Surf, 1888

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