Chimneys and Towers: 
Charles Demuth’s Late Paintings of Lancaster

Feb 23–Apr 27, 2008

Painting of a black water tower and red chimney tower.
Painting of a black water tower and red chimney tower.

Charles Demuth, Chimney and Water Tower, 1931. Oil on composition board, 30 x 24 in. (76.2 x 61 cm). Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas

Between 1927 and his death in 1935, Charles Demuth produced a last major series of paintings based on the architecture of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the town in which he was raised and lived intermittently throughout his life. This exhibition examines this key group of paintings, beginning with My Egypt, the precisionist depiction of a Lancaster grain elevator that is perhaps Demuth's best known and most powerful late work. Through analyzing the specifics of place, subject, and style, the exhibition and accompanying catalogue explore the complex dynamics of Demuth's world at the end of his career. In addition to six major paintings, the exhibition includes preparatory drawings, watercolors, and photographs of Lancaster's industrial architecture.

The exhibition is organized by the Amon Carter Museum.

Major support for this presentation is provided by the American Fellows of the Whitney Museum of American Art.



Explore works from this exhibition
in the Whitney's collection

View 7 works

In the News

"a gorgeous, tightly focused exhibition"
--The New York Times


On the Hour

A 30-second online art project:
Maya Man, A Realistic Day In My Life Living In New York City

Learn more about this project

Learn more at whitney.org/artport

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