Skip to main contentProvenanceThe artist
Margo Pollins Schab, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1995
Exhibition HistoryPublished References
Charles Sheeler
(American, 1883–1965)
Delmonico Building
1927
Lithograph on wove ivory paper
Image: 9 3/4 x 6 3/4 in. (24.8 x 17.1 cm)
Sheet: 15 1/4 x 11 1/2 in. (38.7 x 29.2 cm)
Mat: 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
Sheet: 15 1/4 x 11 1/2 in. (38.7 x 29.2 cm)
Mat: 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
Credit LineTerra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection
Object number1995.3
SignedIn graphite, lower right beneath image: Charles Sheeler 1927
InterpretationCharles Sheeler's Delmonico Building features a midtown New York City skyscraper as a study of geometric forms. Instead of emphasizing the building's facade, Sheeler chose a street level vantage point looking upward at the windowless side. A blank, uninked section of the paper represents the white, sunlit silhouette of the tower with its graduated set-backs. Instead of outlining the building, Sheeler defined the white shape's crisp edges by surrounding it with gray tonal areas (that is, inked areas) signifying the sky on the right; the shaded façade of the Delmonico's obliquely glimpsed upper stories at left; and roof lines of the lower buildings between the two skyscrapers. A large dark shadow is cast by the building on the right, which is partially indicated as a cropped fragment of dark walls and windows, with the glass articulated by lighter passages of even strokes of the lithographic crayon. Along the left side of the image, Sheeler further exploited the empty space in the composition to evoke an expanse of sky suffused with sunlight as a counterpoint to the dark tones dominating the right side of the image.
The fourth of only six prints Sheeler made, Delmonico Building is a monochromatic example of the artist's so-called precisionism, a style characterized by tight lines, smooth surfaces, and streamlined realism, applied to the urban panorama. Many of Sheeler's paintings and photographs depict buildings, particularly after 1912, when he was working as a commercial architectural photographer. The dramatic perspective on the Delmonico Building presented on this print was derived from the artist's early experiences of looking at the city through the camera lens. He further refined his distinctive style through his collaboration with photographer Paul Strand in the creation of their 1920 film Manhatta, which used innovative means to capture urban dynamism, and from the influence of so-called cubist art, in which everyday objects are abstracted as series of their component planes and angles. Delmonico Building, which ranks among the masterpieces of American lithography, celebrates the interplay of rectilinear planes and tones, in contrast with Sheeler's Yachts (TF 1996.50), an earlier print that explores curved forms.
The fourth of only six prints Sheeler made, Delmonico Building is a monochromatic example of the artist's so-called precisionism, a style characterized by tight lines, smooth surfaces, and streamlined realism, applied to the urban panorama. Many of Sheeler's paintings and photographs depict buildings, particularly after 1912, when he was working as a commercial architectural photographer. The dramatic perspective on the Delmonico Building presented on this print was derived from the artist's early experiences of looking at the city through the camera lens. He further refined his distinctive style through his collaboration with photographer Paul Strand in the creation of their 1920 film Manhatta, which used innovative means to capture urban dynamism, and from the influence of so-called cubist art, in which everyday objects are abstracted as series of their component planes and angles. Delmonico Building, which ranks among the masterpieces of American lithography, celebrates the interplay of rectilinear planes and tones, in contrast with Sheeler's Yachts (TF 1996.50), an earlier print that explores curved forms.
Margo Pollins Schab, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1995
Exhibition History
Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920 (The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–July 15, 1999. [exh. cat.]
L'Amérique et les modernes, 1900–1950 (American Moderns, 1900–1950), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, July 25–October 31, 2000. [exh. cat.]
Paris-New York, aller-retour. Une Modernité américaine en formation, 1875–1940. Oeuvres des collections de la Terra Foundation for the Arts et des Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens (Paris-New York, Roundtrip. American Modernism in the Making, 1875–1940. Works from the Terra Foundation for the Arts and the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, September 15–November 30, 2002. [exh. cat.]
Manifest Destiny, Manifest Responsibility: Environmentalism and the Art of the American Landscape. Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, Illinois and Loyola University Museum of Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizers). Venue: Loyola University Museum of Art, May 17–August 10, 2008. [exh. cat.]
America’s Cool Modernism: O’Keeffe to Hopper, Terra Foundation for American Art and the Ashmolean Museum of Art & Archaeology, Oxford, UK (organizers.) Venue: Ashmolean Museum of Art & Archaeology, Oxford, UK, March 23, 2018–July 22, 2018 [exh. cat.]
In the Streets: Modern Life and Urban Experiences in the Art of the United States, 1893-1976 (Pelas ruas: vida moderna e experiências urbanas na arte dos Estados Unidos, 1893–1976). Terra Foundation for American Art and Pinacoteca de São Paulo (organizers). Venue: Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, August 27, 2022–January 30, 2023. [exh. cat.]
L'Amérique et les modernes, 1900–1950 (American Moderns, 1900–1950), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, July 25–October 31, 2000. [exh. cat.]
Paris-New York, aller-retour. Une Modernité américaine en formation, 1875–1940. Oeuvres des collections de la Terra Foundation for the Arts et des Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens (Paris-New York, Roundtrip. American Modernism in the Making, 1875–1940. Works from the Terra Foundation for the Arts and the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, September 15–November 30, 2002. [exh. cat.]
Manifest Destiny, Manifest Responsibility: Environmentalism and the Art of the American Landscape. Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, Illinois and Loyola University Museum of Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizers). Venue: Loyola University Museum of Art, May 17–August 10, 2008. [exh. cat.]
America’s Cool Modernism: O’Keeffe to Hopper, Terra Foundation for American Art and the Ashmolean Museum of Art & Archaeology, Oxford, UK (organizers.) Venue: Ashmolean Museum of Art & Archaeology, Oxford, UK, March 23, 2018–July 22, 2018 [exh. cat.]
In the Streets: Modern Life and Urban Experiences in the Art of the United States, 1893-1976 (Pelas ruas: vida moderna e experiências urbanas na arte dos Estados Unidos, 1893–1976). Terra Foundation for American Art and Pinacoteca de São Paulo (organizers). Venue: Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, August 27, 2022–January 30, 2023. [exh. cat.]
Gordon, M. "A Catalogue of the Prints of Charles Sheeler." Photo/Print Bulletin I (1976).
Driscoll, John P. Charles Sheeler: The Works on Paper. (exh. cat., Palmer Museum of Art). University Park, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University, 1974. No. 37, pp. 59, 76.
Carey, Frances and Anthony Griffiths. American Prints, 1879-1979: Catalogue of an Exhibition at the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum. (exh. cat., British Museum). London, England: The Trustees of the British Museum, 1980. No. 78, p. 36.
Jacobowitz, Ellen S. and George H. Marcus. American Graphics, 1860–1940: Selected from the Collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1982. No. 70, pp. 74–75.
Adams, Clinton. American Lithographers 1900–1960: The Artists and their Printers. Albuquerque, New Mexico: The University of New Mexico Press, 1983. Text pp. 83, 84; ill. p. 92.
Master Prints of Five Centuries: The Allan and Marianne Schwartz Collection. (exh. cat., The Detroit Institute of Arts). Detroit, Michigan: The Detroit Institute of Arts, 1990. No. 93, p. 113.
Cartwright, Derrick R. The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1999. Text p. 25 (checklist). [specific reference to Terra print]
Cartwright, Derrick R. Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1999. Text p. 25 (checklist). [specific reference to Terra print]
Cartwright, Derrick R. and Paul J. Karlstrom. American Moderns, 1900–1950. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2000. Fig. 3, p. 77 (black & white). [specific reference to Terra print]
Cartwright, Derrick R. and Paul J. Karlstrom. L'Amérique et les modernes, 1900–1950. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2000. Fig. 3, p. 77 (black & white). [specific reference to Terra print]
Griffith, Bronwyn and Lee A. Vedder. Paris-New York, aller-retour. (New York-Paris Round Trip). (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2002. Text p. 42 (French), 94 (English), 107 (checklist); fig. 17, p. 39 (color). [specific reference to Terra print]
Brownlee, Peter John. Manifest Destiny / Manifest Responsibility: Environmentalism and the Art of the American Landscape. (exh. cat., Loyola University Museum of Art, Chicago, Illinois). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for American Art and Loyola University Museum of Art, 2008. Text p. 37 (checklist).
Bourguignon, Katherine M., Lauren Kroiz, and Leo G. Mazow. America’s Cool Modernism: O’Keeffe to Hopper. Oxford, United Kingdom: Ashmolean Museum of Art & Archaeology–University of Oxford, 2018. Text. p. 63, cat. no. 66 (checklist); ill. pp. 62, 158 (color).
Piccoli, Valéria, Fernanda Pitta, and Taylor Poulin. Pelas ruas: vida moderna e experiências urbanas na arte dos Estados Unidos, 1893-1976. (exh. cat., Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo and Terra Foundation for American Art). São Paulo, Brazil: Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, 2022. Pl. p. 45 (color).
Driscoll, John P. Charles Sheeler: The Works on Paper. (exh. cat., Palmer Museum of Art). University Park, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University, 1974. No. 37, pp. 59, 76.
Carey, Frances and Anthony Griffiths. American Prints, 1879-1979: Catalogue of an Exhibition at the Department of Prints and Drawings in the British Museum. (exh. cat., British Museum). London, England: The Trustees of the British Museum, 1980. No. 78, p. 36.
Jacobowitz, Ellen S. and George H. Marcus. American Graphics, 1860–1940: Selected from the Collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1982. No. 70, pp. 74–75.
Adams, Clinton. American Lithographers 1900–1960: The Artists and their Printers. Albuquerque, New Mexico: The University of New Mexico Press, 1983. Text pp. 83, 84; ill. p. 92.
Master Prints of Five Centuries: The Allan and Marianne Schwartz Collection. (exh. cat., The Detroit Institute of Arts). Detroit, Michigan: The Detroit Institute of Arts, 1990. No. 93, p. 113.
Cartwright, Derrick R. The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1999. Text p. 25 (checklist). [specific reference to Terra print]
Cartwright, Derrick R. Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1999. Text p. 25 (checklist). [specific reference to Terra print]
Cartwright, Derrick R. and Paul J. Karlstrom. American Moderns, 1900–1950. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2000. Fig. 3, p. 77 (black & white). [specific reference to Terra print]
Cartwright, Derrick R. and Paul J. Karlstrom. L'Amérique et les modernes, 1900–1950. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2000. Fig. 3, p. 77 (black & white). [specific reference to Terra print]
Griffith, Bronwyn and Lee A. Vedder. Paris-New York, aller-retour. (New York-Paris Round Trip). (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2002. Text p. 42 (French), 94 (English), 107 (checklist); fig. 17, p. 39 (color). [specific reference to Terra print]
Brownlee, Peter John. Manifest Destiny / Manifest Responsibility: Environmentalism and the Art of the American Landscape. (exh. cat., Loyola University Museum of Art, Chicago, Illinois). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for American Art and Loyola University Museum of Art, 2008. Text p. 37 (checklist).
Bourguignon, Katherine M., Lauren Kroiz, and Leo G. Mazow. America’s Cool Modernism: O’Keeffe to Hopper. Oxford, United Kingdom: Ashmolean Museum of Art & Archaeology–University of Oxford, 2018. Text. p. 63, cat. no. 66 (checklist); ill. pp. 62, 158 (color).
Piccoli, Valéria, Fernanda Pitta, and Taylor Poulin. Pelas ruas: vida moderna e experiências urbanas na arte dos Estados Unidos, 1893-1976. (exh. cat., Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo and Terra Foundation for American Art). São Paulo, Brazil: Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, 2022. Pl. p. 45 (color).