The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

The White Dam

The White Dam

1939
(American, 1910–1995)
America, Ohio, Cleveland
oil on Masonite
Framed: 103.5 x 116 x 5 cm (40 3/4 x 45 11/16 x 1 15/16 in.); Unframed: 97.8 x 112.7 cm (38 1/2 x 44 3/8 in.)
Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1996.325
Location: 228B Cleveland Artists

Did You Know?

Gleitsmann gave up painting entirely in 1954, claiming he “had nothing to say anymore.”

Description

Unable to afford tuition, Akron-based Gleitsmann befriended faculty and students at the Cleveland School (now Institute) of Art where eventually he was invited to take classes without registering. The White Dam, a fantastical image of an industrial complex that dwarfs two nude workers, earned his greatest success when it was featured in the New York World’s Fair of 1939. Gleitsmann’s unsettling vision of industry contrasts with the favorable attitudes typically adopted by artists of a previous generation.
  • 1996-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
    1996
    (Sale, Christie’s, New York, Dec. 4, 1996, lot 266, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1987-1996
    Robert B. Horton [1939-2012], Cleveland/London
    1987
    (Sale, Wolfs Gallery, Cleveland, OH, April 26, 1987, no. 197, sold to Robert B. Horton)
    Possibly the 1960s-1987
    Joe Erdelac [1914-2005], Cleveland, Ohio, consigned to Wolf
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 Consigned by Robert Horton.
    2 Erdelac purchased the painting from the artist or his family.
  • "Cleveland's Artistic Tradition Highlighted in Museum Exhibition." Spotlights Volume 1, Issue 27 (May 16-23, 1996). Mentioned and Reproduced: Section B
    Christie, Manson & Woods. Important American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture. 1996. Dec. 4, 1996.
    National Art Society. American Art Today: New York World's Fair. New York: National Art Society, 1939. Reproduced: p.84
    Raphael Gleitsman: Paintings 1934-1954. Exh. Cat. Youngstown, OH: The Butler Institute of American Art, 1971. Mentioned: p.3
    Singer, Clyde. "Akron Artist Honored at Butler Show." Youngstown Vindicator, March 7, 1971. Mentioned: p.A30
    Cullinan, Helen. "Collector shares his treasures of city." The Plain Dealer, February 12, 1984. Reproduced: p.12D
    Beck Center for the Cultural Arts. A Clevelander Collects Clevelanders: An Exhibit from the Collection of Joseph M. and Elsie Erdelac. Exh. Cat. Cleveland: Beck Center for the Cultural Arts, 1984. Reproduced: p.12 (unpaginated)
    Cullinan, Helen. "Standard Oil chief is bullish on art." The Plain Dealer, May 9, 1987. Mentioned and Reproduced: p.20A
    Robinson, William H., et. al. Transformations in Cleveland Art, 1796-1946: Community and Diversity in Early Modern America. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1996. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 97
    "'96 Spring Arts Preview. Transformations in Cleveland Art: 1825-1945." Northern Ohio Live (March 1996). Reproduced
    Kempthorne-Snow, Jan C. "Transformations in Cleveland Art: A Landmark Exhibition Celebrates Cleveland's Bicentennial." Cultural Arts Preview 3 (May-August 1996). Reproduced: p.3
    Schaefer, Karen. "A City and its Artists." Northern Ohio Live (May 1996). Mentioned and Reproduced: p.12
    "Show Documents 'Transformations'" Canton Repository, May 17, 1996. Reproduced (unpaginated)
    "Transformations in Cleveland Art, 1796-1946." Antiques & The Arts Weekly, May 17, 1996. Reproduced (unpaginated)
    Litt, Steven. "Museum's gift to city: Big bicentennial show is the best imaginable." The Plain Dealer, May 19, 1996. Reproduced: p.4-K
    "Week: What To Do." Cleveland Free Times, May 22, 1996. Reproduced (unpaginated)
    Vallongo, Sally. "Cleveland proudly shows off its rich, varied art heritage." Toledo Blade, May 26, 1996. Mentioned p.2
    "Cleveland Museum of Art Hosts 'Transformations' through July 21." Antique Collector: A Weekly Section of Farm and Dairy, May 30, 1996. Mentioned and Reproduced: B1
    Von Glahn, Michael. "Painting the Town: A Look Along the Timeline of Cleveland's Artistic Heritage." Small Business News (June 1996). Reproduced: p.47
    Busta, William. "Art Museum Greatly Honors Our Own." The Cleveland Free Times, June 5, 1996. Mentioned and Reproduced: p.26
    Harrist Jr., Robert E. "Book chronicles Cleveland artists and their works." The Plain Dealer, August 11, 1996. Reproduced: p.10J
    Cleveland Museum of Art, “Renaissance Armor, Early Islamic Ceramic, French Vase, Gleitsman Painting Added to Museum Collection,” December 13, 1996, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    Chassey, Eric de. Made in USA: l'art américain, 1908-1947. Exh. Cat. Paris: Réunion des musées nationaux, 2001. Mentioned: p.142; Reproduced: p.175
    "L'art americain en quete de son identite." Demeures et Chateaux 130 (fevrier-mars 2002). Mentioned and Reproduced
    Ohio Historical Society, and Ohio History Connection. Timeline: A Publication of the Ohio Historical Society 20, Nos.2,3 (March-June 2003). Mentioned and Reproduced: 81
    Adams, Henry. What's American About American Art?: A Gallery Tour in the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2008. Mentioned: p.130; Reproduced: p.131
    Jones, Jennie. "Personal Favorite." Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 53, No.3 (May/June 2013). Mentioned and Reproduced: p.9
  • Julie Mehretu: Portals (FRONT International: Oh, Gods of Dust and Rainbows). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 16-November 13, 2022).
    Gallery One 2012. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 12, 2012-March 5, 2017).
    The State of the Arts: A Celebration of Ohio's Rich Artistic Heritage. Riffe Gallery, Columbus, OH (organizer) (March 3-May 4, 2003); The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH (January 18-March 28, 2004).
    Made in U.S.A., l'art américain, 1908-1943, entre nationalisme et internationalisme [FRAME]. Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux, F-33000 Bordeaux, France (organizer) (October 5-December 31, 2001); Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rennes, Rennes, France (January 17-March 31, 2002); Musée Fabre, Montpellier, France (April 10-June 25, 2002).
    Transformations in Cleveland Art, 1796-1946. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 19-July 21, 1996).
    A Clevelander Collects Clevelanders: An Exhibit from the Collection of Joseph M. and Elsie Erdelac. Kenneth C. Beck Center for the Cultural Arts, Lakewood, OH (February 12-March 11, 1984).
    Raphael Gleitsman: Paintings 1934-1954. The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH (March 7-28, 1971).
    American Art Today. 1939 New York World's Fair, New York, NY (April 30, 1939-October 27, 1940).
  • {{cite web|title=The White Dam|url=false|author=Raphael Gleitsmann|year=1939|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1996.325