Opening Reception - Saturday, June 11, 10am - 2pm
*The exhibition has been extended until August 6, 2022*
Harold LeRoy Olmsted (1886-1972)
Artist page with complete bio and addtional works link
Meibohm Fine Arts is honored to present works from the estate of Harold LeRoy Olmsted (1886-1972), along with works by his friend Robert North (1882-1968) and granddaughter Susan P. Maxfield (1944-2019). Olmsted was an artist, professional architect, landscape designer and lecturer from Buffalo, NY with an enduring reputation for his distinctive style and portrayal of the natural world. Olmsted was a staunch individualist with a wonderful sense of humor and quick wit, affording him many lasting friendships and relationships that inspired this exhibition.
Before the age of ten, Olmsted determined that painting was an unmarketable commodity that was to be pursed strictly for pleasure. Steadfast in his love of art and under the guidance of his neighborhood art and music teacher, Miss Alice Muzzey, Olmsted explored the subtleties and intricacies of his surroundings which he included in innumerable sketches, paintings, and letters from a very young age. Mentors during his education at Harvard University gave his work further adeptness and vision which he applied to countless travel journals and drafting images throughout his professional career. Olmsted once referred to his travels saying that “the day lives on in that sketch.” He also drew inspiration from his residences on Bryant Street in Buffalo, NY and Main Street in Springville, NY as well as the family property known as Olmsted Camp in Sardinia, NY. The heart-warming images depicted throughout this exhibition are recognizable scenes from our everyday lives, perhaps even a simpler time that invite us to sit back and enjoy the view.
Olmsted’s devotion to his fellow man gave way to countless friendships throughout the Western New York Community. His influence supported both emerging and established artists and enriched the lives of art collectors, family, and friends.
“While I am a great admirer of the work of Harold Olmsted, it is not the artist I wish to write about, but the man himself. I think everyone will agree that Harold’s work will speak well enough for itself. But when I come to speak about the man, that poses a problem. How can I speak objectively about a person so lovable as Harold Olmsted? How to define the charm he exerts upon you? A visit from him (all too rare) leaves you feeling that a strong, fresh breeze has blown through the house, leaving you stimulated and refreshed. You might cite his keen mind, his knowledge of so many things, his unbounded energy and enthusiasm for life – these are important – but I think the real key is Harold’s almost unlimited interest in and love for his fellow man.” – Charles Ephraim Burchfield (1893-1967)
· Dimensions are in inches, height precedes width.
· All works are authenticated from the artists’ estate.
· All works are titled by the artists unless noted otherwise.
· ilr= initialed lower right; ill= initialed lower left; ilm= initialed lower middle; sv=signed verso
· Additional works by Harold L. Olmsted & Susan P. Maxfield are available through Meibohm Fine Arts.
· View the full exhibition and additional works at meibohmfinearts.com
Catalog of Exhibition:
1. In the Shrouds
(Off Marblehead with Welles Moot)
14 x 9-7/8, watercolor
1000.00
2. Receding Wave
10-3/4 x 14-1/4, watercolor, ilr, 1929
1000.00
3. The Ariel
20-1/4 x 27-1/8, watercolor
2600.00
4. The Ariel off Portsmouth
3-7/8 x 4-3/4, etching, c.1940’s
300.00
5. Miss Muzzey’s Studio
9-1/2 x 7, watercolor, 1897
600.00 (sold)
6. Vacation
(Armand Tibbets at Stony Brook)
16-1/2 x 14, oil on canvas, 1966
1100.00
7. Hopkins House, Sardinia, NY
16 x 18, oil on masonite, ilr, c.1950’s
1300.00
8. Garden at Sardinia
17-1/2 x 22-3/4, watercolor
1650.00
9. Jet
14-3/4 x 20, watercolor
1500.00
10. Pasture Lot
17-1/2 x 22-3/4, watercolor, sv, 1930
1800.00 (sold)
11. View of Blue Hill
15 x 19, watercolor
1450.00
12. Jake’s Backyard
18 x 24, watercolor, 1920
2400.00
13. Picket Fence
24-1/2 x 19, watercolor, ilr, 1922
2600.00 (sold)
14. Back Fence
23 x 18, watercolor, 1922
2600.00
15. Bryant St. Backyards
18 x 111-3/4, mixed media
1750.00
16. Sketch for Philip Goetz Library
18 x 22-5/8, watercolor, 1925
1500.00
17. View from Ashland Ave.
8 x 12-7/8, gouache
700.00 (sold)
18. Untitled- City View
14 x 13, watercolor
1500.00
19. Robert North (1882-1968)
Portrait of Harold Olmsted
25-7/8 x 23-3/4, oil on masonite
1000.00
20. Rear of Bryant Street Houses
23-5/8 x 17-7/8, watercolor, ilr, 1920
2800.00 (sold)
21. Dwarfie on Calfie
28 x 22, watercolor, 1920
2500.00
22. Discarded Christmas
7-1/2 x 5-1/2, watercolor
450.00
23. Christmas Tree at Bryant St.
8 x 6, etching, 2nd state no. 2, 1941
400.00
24. An Attempt at Tulips
9-5/8 x 13-5/8, watercolor, ilr
850.00
25. Webster’s Dictionary
20-1/4 x 15-3/4, watercolor, 1922
1350.00
26. Untitled- Old Stove
14 x 9-3/4, pastel
750.00
27. Robert North (1882-1968)
Harold n’Evies House, Springville, NY
16 x 20, oil on canvas-lined board, slr
950.00
Work by Susan Peterson Maxfield (1944-2019)
28. Clay Banks
11-1/8 x 18-1/4, watercolor, ilr, 1998
700.00
29. Winter Weeds #4
9 x 11-1/2, India inks on silk, ilr, 2013
750.00 (sold)
30. Cattaraugus Creek View
12 x 17-1/2, watercolor, ilr, 1991
800.00
31. Winter Weeds #5
8-1/2 x 11-1/2, India inks on silk,
ilm, 2013
750.00
32. Downstream at Forks Creek
5-1/4 x 16, oil on artist board, ilr, 1996
600.00
33. Early Autumn
5-1/2 x 15-3/4, oil on artist board,
ill, 1995
600.00
34. Thistles
27-1/2 x 22-1/4, mixed media
1300.00
35. Tiger Lily
22 x 15, carbon pencil, ilr, 2004
475.00
36. Day Lily
22 x 15, carbon pencil, ilr, 2004
475.00
37. Boneset
22 x 15, carbon pencil, ilr, 2008
475.00
38. Untitled- Tree
22-1/2 x 15, watercolor
725.00
39. Milkweed I
22 x 15, mixed media, ilm
1000.00 (sold)
40. Queen Anne’s Lace
15 x 11, mixed media, ilr
700.00 (sold)
41. Summer Grasses V
15 x 11, mixed media, ilr
700.00
42. Summer Grasses VI
15 x 11, mixed media, ilr
600.00
43. Grasses II
15 x 11, mixed media, ilr
600.00
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