Havana Harbor
Artist
Willard Metcalf
(American, 1858–1925)
Date1902
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsImage: 18 5/16 x 26 1/8 in. (46.5 x 66.4 cm)
Frame: 28 1/8 x 36 in. (71.4 x 91.4 cm)
Frame: 28 1/8 x 36 in. (71.4 x 91.4 cm)
Credit LineTerra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection
Object number1992.49
SignedLower left: W.L. Metcalf
InterpretationWillard Leroy Metcalf’s Havana Harbar depicts the port in Cuba from a hillside offering a panoramic view of the wharf and the lush distant hills on the opposite shore of the bay. The slender verticals of tall palms, their foliage stirred by wind, are counterparts to the horizontal line of the high horizon and the diagonal sweep of the nearer shoreline crowded with low buildings. The image is richly colored: the lavender and blue of the calm bay waters, the pink roofs of the buildings, and the brilliant spray of scarlet blossoms at the right suggest the intense light and color that set this southern locale apart from the artist's usual New England haunts.
In early 1902, Metcalf traveled to Cuba to fulfill a commission for a series of Havana city and harbor scenes to decorate the New York store of the Havana Tobacco Company, located in the St. James Building at 26th Street and Broadway. The new store, designed by Metcalf's friend, architect Stanford White (1853-1906), featured a painted ceiling (also by Metcalf), luxurious marble fixtures, potted palm trees, and tapestries, creating what one critic described as “the finest store in the world." The store's design aimed to imaginatively transport customers to Havana while asserting the elegance and sophistication of Cuban cigars, then in direct rivalry with the domestic product offered in the newly opened American Cigar Company store in the Flatiron Building. Havana Harbor is the only surviving composition that Metcalf made in preparation for seven or eight finished murals that decorated the store.
In this painting, Metcalf presented a serene, idyllic vision of Cuba, ignoring the island's fraught political and economic realities. The canvas marks the artist's stylistic transition between softer, brushier effects in thin paint and the rapidly applied spots or parallel strokes of distinct color in almost solid pigment that characterize impressionism. Metcalf used a nearly dry brush to approximate the open effect of the palm fronds as they are stirred by the wind, for example, and rendered the nearer buildings’ roofs in loose parallel lines of contrasting color. Both techniques are similar to the artist's work in pastel, a solid medium for drawing in rich, soft color, in which Metcalf made several studies in Cuba for the tobacco store project.
In early 1902, Metcalf traveled to Cuba to fulfill a commission for a series of Havana city and harbor scenes to decorate the New York store of the Havana Tobacco Company, located in the St. James Building at 26th Street and Broadway. The new store, designed by Metcalf's friend, architect Stanford White (1853-1906), featured a painted ceiling (also by Metcalf), luxurious marble fixtures, potted palm trees, and tapestries, creating what one critic described as “the finest store in the world." The store's design aimed to imaginatively transport customers to Havana while asserting the elegance and sophistication of Cuban cigars, then in direct rivalry with the domestic product offered in the newly opened American Cigar Company store in the Flatiron Building. Havana Harbor is the only surviving composition that Metcalf made in preparation for seven or eight finished murals that decorated the store.
In this painting, Metcalf presented a serene, idyllic vision of Cuba, ignoring the island's fraught political and economic realities. The canvas marks the artist's stylistic transition between softer, brushier effects in thin paint and the rapidly applied spots or parallel strokes of distinct color in almost solid pigment that characterize impressionism. Metcalf used a nearly dry brush to approximate the open effect of the palm fronds as they are stirred by the wind, for example, and rendered the nearer buildings’ roofs in loose parallel lines of contrasting color. Both techniques are similar to the artist's work in pastel, a solid medium for drawing in rich, soft color, in which Metcalf made several studies in Cuba for the tobacco store project.
[possibly exhibited] Installation, Havana Tobacco Company, St. James Building, Broadway and 26th Street, New York, New York, store opening January 1903–deinstalled by 1905.
Selections from the Permanent Collection, Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois, July 19–September 14, 1985.
A Proud Heritage: Two Centuries of American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 21–June 21, 1987. [exh. cat.]
Selections from the Permanent Collection: Americans at Home and Abroad, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, November 6–29, 1987.
An American Revelation: The Daniel J. Terra Collection, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, February 28–October 1, 1988.
Attitudes Toward Nature, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, September 30, 1995–April 21, 1996.
Permanent collection installation, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 12–August 27, 1997.
Collection Cameo, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, May 1998.
Rivières et rivages: les artistes américains, 1850–1900 (Waves and Waterways: American Perspectives, 1850–1900), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 2000. [exh. cat.]
Artistic Independence in 1898: The Ten American Painters, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, May 4–July 21, 2002.
American Classics from the Collection, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, May 14–June 15, 2003.
American Classics, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, December 13, 2003–February 8, 2004.
Expanded Galleries of American Art with Loans from the Terra Foundation for American Art Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, April 15, 2005–October 2012.
Art Across America, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas; National Museum of Korea, Seoul, South Korea; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizers). Venues: National Museum of Korea, Seoul, February 4– May 12, 2013; Daejeon Museum of Art, Daejeon, South Korea, June 7–September 1, 2013. [exh. cat.]
Galleries of American Art with loans from the Terra Foundation for American Art Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, February 2014–August 2019.
The Studio of Nature, 1860-1910: The Terra Collection in Context (L’atelier de la Nature, 1860-1910. Invitation à la Terra Collection). Terra Foundation for American Art with the Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny (organizers). Venue: Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny, France, September 12, 2020–January 3, 2021. [exh. cat. in French]
Galleries of American Art with loans from the Terra Foundation for American Art Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, June 2021–present.
In the Mind's Eye: Landscapes of Cuba Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, Florida International University, Miami, Florida (organizer). Venue: Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, Florida International University, September 17,2022 - January 8, 2023.
Selections from the Permanent Collection, Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Evanston, Illinois, July 19–September 14, 1985.
A Proud Heritage: Two Centuries of American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 21–June 21, 1987. [exh. cat.]
Selections from the Permanent Collection: Americans at Home and Abroad, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, November 6–29, 1987.
An American Revelation: The Daniel J. Terra Collection, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, February 28–October 1, 1988.
Attitudes Toward Nature, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, September 30, 1995–April 21, 1996.
Permanent collection installation, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 12–August 27, 1997.
Collection Cameo, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, May 1998.
Rivières et rivages: les artistes américains, 1850–1900 (Waves and Waterways: American Perspectives, 1850–1900), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 2000. [exh. cat.]
Artistic Independence in 1898: The Ten American Painters, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, May 4–July 21, 2002.
American Classics from the Collection, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, May 14–June 15, 2003.
American Classics, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, December 13, 2003–February 8, 2004.
Expanded Galleries of American Art with Loans from the Terra Foundation for American Art Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, April 15, 2005–October 2012.
Art Across America, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas; National Museum of Korea, Seoul, South Korea; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizers). Venues: National Museum of Korea, Seoul, February 4– May 12, 2013; Daejeon Museum of Art, Daejeon, South Korea, June 7–September 1, 2013. [exh. cat.]
Galleries of American Art with loans from the Terra Foundation for American Art Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, February 2014–August 2019.
The Studio of Nature, 1860-1910: The Terra Collection in Context (L’atelier de la Nature, 1860-1910. Invitation à la Terra Collection). Terra Foundation for American Art with the Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny (organizers). Venue: Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny, France, September 12, 2020–January 3, 2021. [exh. cat. in French]
Galleries of American Art with loans from the Terra Foundation for American Art Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, June 2021–present.
In the Mind's Eye: Landscapes of Cuba Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, Florida International University, Miami, Florida (organizer). Venue: Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, Florida International University, September 17,2022 - January 8, 2023.
David, A. C. “The Finest Store in the World." Architectural Record XVII (January 1905): 42–9. Text pp. 48–9.
Cortissoz, Royal. “Willard L. Metcalf, an American Landscape Painter." Appleton's Booklovers Magazine 6:4 (October 1905): 509–11.
Walton, William. “Mural Paintings in the Country Since 1898." Scribner's Monthly 40 (November 1906): 637–40. Text p. 638.
Hassam, Childe. “Twenty-Five Years of American Painting." Art News 26 (April 14, 1928): 22–8.
Baldwin, Charles C. Stanford White. New York: Dodd, Mead and Co, 1931.
Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, New York (March 13–15, 1947): lot 195?
American Paintings III 1985. New York: Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., 1985. Text p. 95; ill. p. 95 (color).
de Veer, Elizabeth and Richard J. Boyle. Sunlight and Shadow: The Life and Art of Willard L. Metcalf. New York: Abbeville Press Publishers, 1987. Text pp. 67, 69, 213; fig. 72, p. 69 (color).
Atkinson, D. Scott et al. A Proud Heritage: Two Centuries of American Art. Edited by Terry A. Neff. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1987. Pl. T-96, p. 205 (color).
Gerdts, William H. et al. Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text pp. 46–7; fig. 35, p. 46 (black & white).
Gerdts, William H. et al. Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text pp. 46–7; fig. 35, p. 46 (black & white).
Havana Harbor, Willard Leroy Metcalf. Collection Cameo sheet, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, May 1998. Ill. (black & white).
Cartwright, Derrick R. Waves and Waterways: American Perspectives, 1850–1900. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2000. Text p. 27 (checklist); ill. frontispiece (color).
Cartwright, Derrick R. Rivières et rivages: les artistes américains, 1850–1900. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2000. Text p. 27 (checklist); ill. frontispiece (color).
Willard Metcalf (1858–1925): Yankee Impressionist. (exh. cat., Spanierman Gallery). New York: Spanierman Gallery, LLC, 2003. Text p. 20; fig. 4, p. 21 (color).
Art Across America. (exh. cat., National Museum of Korea, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Terra Foundation for American Art). Seoul, South Korea: National Museum of Korea, 2013. (English and Korean versions). Text pp. 38, 237; ill. fig. 38, p. 39 (color), p. 236 (color).
Bourguignon, Katherine M., and Peter John Brownlee, eds. Conversations with the Collection: A Terra Foundation Collection Handbook. Chicago: Terra Foundation for American Art, 2018. Text p. 168; ill. p. 168 (color).
Bourguignon, Katherine and Valerie Reis. The Studio of Nature, 1860-1910: The Terra Collection in Context. (exh. cat, Terra Foundation for American Art with the Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny). Paris, France: Réunion des musées nationaux, 2020. Pl. 85, p. 154 (color).
Cortissoz, Royal. “Willard L. Metcalf, an American Landscape Painter." Appleton's Booklovers Magazine 6:4 (October 1905): 509–11.
Walton, William. “Mural Paintings in the Country Since 1898." Scribner's Monthly 40 (November 1906): 637–40. Text p. 638.
Hassam, Childe. “Twenty-Five Years of American Painting." Art News 26 (April 14, 1928): 22–8.
Baldwin, Charles C. Stanford White. New York: Dodd, Mead and Co, 1931.
Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, New York (March 13–15, 1947): lot 195?
American Paintings III 1985. New York: Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., 1985. Text p. 95; ill. p. 95 (color).
de Veer, Elizabeth and Richard J. Boyle. Sunlight and Shadow: The Life and Art of Willard L. Metcalf. New York: Abbeville Press Publishers, 1987. Text pp. 67, 69, 213; fig. 72, p. 69 (color).
Atkinson, D. Scott et al. A Proud Heritage: Two Centuries of American Art. Edited by Terry A. Neff. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1987. Pl. T-96, p. 205 (color).
Gerdts, William H. et al. Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text pp. 46–7; fig. 35, p. 46 (black & white).
Gerdts, William H. et al. Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text pp. 46–7; fig. 35, p. 46 (black & white).
Havana Harbor, Willard Leroy Metcalf. Collection Cameo sheet, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, May 1998. Ill. (black & white).
Cartwright, Derrick R. Waves and Waterways: American Perspectives, 1850–1900. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2000. Text p. 27 (checklist); ill. frontispiece (color).
Cartwright, Derrick R. Rivières et rivages: les artistes américains, 1850–1900. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2000. Text p. 27 (checklist); ill. frontispiece (color).
Willard Metcalf (1858–1925): Yankee Impressionist. (exh. cat., Spanierman Gallery). New York: Spanierman Gallery, LLC, 2003. Text p. 20; fig. 4, p. 21 (color).
Art Across America. (exh. cat., National Museum of Korea, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Terra Foundation for American Art). Seoul, South Korea: National Museum of Korea, 2013. (English and Korean versions). Text pp. 38, 237; ill. fig. 38, p. 39 (color), p. 236 (color).
Bourguignon, Katherine M., and Peter John Brownlee, eds. Conversations with the Collection: A Terra Foundation Collection Handbook. Chicago: Terra Foundation for American Art, 2018. Text p. 168; ill. p. 168 (color).
Bourguignon, Katherine and Valerie Reis. The Studio of Nature, 1860-1910: The Terra Collection in Context. (exh. cat, Terra Foundation for American Art with the Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny). Paris, France: Réunion des musées nationaux, 2020. Pl. 85, p. 154 (color).
[possibly] Havana Tobacco Company, St. James Building, Broadway and 26th Street, New York, New York
Don Dunne, Boston, Massachusetts
Parke-Bernet, New York, New York, March 15, 1947, lot 195
Mrs. William Green, Lubbock, Texas
Alan and Judy Goffman, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, 1978
Berry Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York, 1985
Daniel J. Terra Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1985
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1992
