Early Fine Art Dealers specializes in valuing and purchasing important paintings from the 17th century through the early 20th century. Our buyers are in constant search for fine works of art and paintings, spanning the globe for original well-known Old Master, European, American, and early California art. Each year we preview and participate in hundreds of private sales, art shows, gallery showings, exhibitions and auctions. We are in constant search for fine works to purchase. Please contact us today to discuss the sale of one of your paintings. Please note that our gallery only deals with original paintings. No Prints Please.
WE ARE DEALERS OF ORIGINAL PAINTINGS: To contact one of our gallery fine art experts about selling your painting or buying paintings for your collection, complete the form below. Please note that our gallery only deals with original paintings. NO PRINTS PLEASE.
William Joseph McCloskey (1859 -1941)
William Joseph McCloskey is a celebrated American painter of principally still life works. His paintings are very desirable among collectors, with his pieces fetching impressive prices and being regarded as among the finest examples of their genre.
McCloskey is known for his unique subject matter: oranges and tissue paper. His paintings are executed with the highest technical sophistication and attention to detail, the subject matter often appearing intensely real and rendered with an eye-catching depth.
His work is characterized by contrast. The brightly-colored citrus of which he is so famously enamored is often set against dark backgrounds. He would typically position several subjects at different angles to enhance the chiaroscuro to which he had great sensitivity and would explore textural contrast by the thoughtful placement of the oranges and tissue paper. An unusual subject choice but one from which William Joseph McCloskey would create great visual impact. The artist is also known for working in a horizontal format.
McCloskey was born in Philadelphia. He studied under Christian Schussele and Thomas Eakins when he was in his late teens and early twenties. He taught at the Denver Academy of art and, starting in 1884, operated his own portrait studio in Los Angeles.