Phillips Collection's Head of Conservation Discusses Discovery of Signed American Impressionist Work August 2, 2007

Phillips conservators discovered a signed painting by American artist Gifford Beal, which had been hidden beneath another Beal work, The Parade of Elephants (1924), for more than 75 years. The painting, given the title On the Hudson at Newburgh when it was found in 1999, had remained in excellent condition, requiring no conservation work. Elizabeth Steele, head of conservation at the Phillips, will discuss the rarity of this finding and speculate on why Beal covered up his work. Steele will also highlight other pieces in the American Impressionism exhibition where the artist chose to paint over a finished work or make changes to a composition.

On the Hudson at Newburgh depicts a woman and her two young children on the front porch of a house looking down a steep hillside toward a parade of soldiers, presumably either returning home or departing for service during the final months of World War I.


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