
Stuart Davis (American, 1892–1964). New York Waterfront, 1938. Oil on canvas, 22 x 30 1/4 inches (55.9 x 76.8 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Room of Contemporary Art Fund, 1943 (RCA1943:6). © Estate of Stuart Davis / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
© Estate of Stuart Davis / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

© Estate of Stuart Davis / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

© Estate of Stuart Davis / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.



Stuart Davis
American, 1892-1964
New York Waterfront, 1938
oil on canvas
support: 22 x 30 1/4 inches (55.88 x 76.83 cm); framed: 23 1/2 x 31 1/2 x 2 inches (59.69 x 80.01 x 5.08 cm)
Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York
Room of Contemporary Art Fund, 1943
RCA1943:6
More Details
Inscriptions
Provenance
Downtown Gallery, New York;sold to the Albright Art Gallery, March 9, 1943
Class
Work Type
Information may change due to ongoing research.Glossary of Terms
As a young man, Stuart Davis spent time studying in Paris, where he became immersed in and inspired by European modern art, especially Cubism. By 1922, however, he had already declared that his style of art would be “rigorously logical, American, not French. America has had her scientists, her inventors, now she will have her artist.” Davis’s brightly colored and energetic canvases reflect the dynamism of twentieth-century American life. The waterfront—from the bustling ports of New York to small boat harbors in New England—was one of his favorite themes. While Cubist tableaux often depict figurative or still life motifs, Davis chose instead to portray a bustling urban landscape comprising pier warehouses, smokestacks, and ship fragments. Additionally, Davis was one of the first visual artists to recognize jazz as a distinct American genre; his compositions relate to its syncopated rhythms and the diverse locations where this music thrived. The predominate use of red, white, and blue also underscores this work’s undeniable patriotic theme.
Related Content
-
-
exhibition
The Long Curve: 150 Years of Visionary Collecting at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery
Learn MoreLearn More -
-
-
-
publication
Catalogue of Contemporary Paintings and Sculpture: The Room of Contemporary Art Collection
Learn MoreLearn More -
publication
The Long Curve: 150 Years of Visionary Collecting at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery
Learn MoreLearn More -
publication
Albright-Knox Art Gallery: Painting and Sculpture from Antiquity to 1942
Learn MoreLearn More -
publication
125 Masterpieces from the Collection of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery
Learn MoreLearn More -
-
-
At-Home Art Activity
Adult Activity Inspired by Stuart Davis's New York Waterfront
View Activity