By 1929, Gruppe had moved to nearby Gloucester and established his gallery and studio in the town’s old one-room schoolhouse at 32 Rocky Neck Avenue. This prime location offered a wealth of paintable material for the artist, and his depictions of the wharves and their weathered fish houses, and the ships and dockworkers that served as the backbone of the town’s economy, were eagerly snapped up by locals and visitors. With its vigorous brushwork and bold coloring, and discerning interpretation of the reflections on the water, Schooners at Dock demonstrates the hallmarks that made Gruppe a household name and that continue to draw collectors to his work.

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Following his move to Cape Ann, Gruppe became a regular member of the Rockport Art Association, the Gloucester Society of Artists and the North Shore Arts Association. However, his jovial personality and easy going nature made him a teacher at heart, thus in 1942 he and John Carlson formed the Gruppe Summer School, which remained in operation until the mid-1970s.

He was well connected to the art circles of his day, exhibiting his work at the National Academy and Salmagundi Club in New York, and at the Art Institute of Chicago. Gruppe won numerous prizes during his lifetime and continued to teach and participate in New England exhibitions through the 1960s and early 1970s. Examples of his work are held in the public collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the White House.

Provenance:

Katherine Norris Fine Art, LLC, Newport Beach, California

To private collection, Walnut Creek, California, November 2006 to present

Labels:

1. Katherine Norris Fine Art, LLC / Specializing in Early American and Californian Paintings / Newport Beach, CA
2. FACL (Fine Arts Conservation Lab) label on stretcher