May Day in Central Park (Primary Title)
George Bellows, American, 1882 - 1925 (Artist)
George Bellows had been in New York City less than a year when, inspired by his instructor Robert Henri, he painted this picture. May Day festivals in New York City featured schoolgirls dressed in white parading through Central Park’s Sheep Meadow. Here, each child holds a rose-red ribbon attached to a central canopy over the veiled May Queen. The group is surrounded by an assortment of onlookers, from two disinterested men smoking cigarettes to other elegantly attired and attentive young ladies. The scene identifies Central Park and specifically the May Day parade with all socioeconomic levels, and includes the diverse group on the same canvas. While other urban realists concentrated on the margins of society, Bellows chose a more democratic purview.
Signed lower left: "Geo Bellows"
James W. and Frances Gibson McGlothlin Collection
George Bellows, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, June 10 - October 8, 2012; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, November 15, 2012 - February 18, 2013
Private Passion, Public Promise: The James W. and Frances G. McGlothlin Collection of American Art, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, May 1 - July 18, 2010
Capturing Beauty: American Impressionist and Realist Paintings from the McGlothlin Collection, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, May 19 - September 18, 2005
Private Passion, Public Promise: The James W. and Frances G. McGlothlin Collection of American Art, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, May 1 - July 18, 2010
Capturing Beauty: American Impressionist and Realist Paintings from the McGlothlin Collection, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, May 19 - September 18, 2005
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.
