(Dutch, 1892 - 1954) )

Adriaan Lubbers was the son of a well-to-do estate agent. After studying mechanical engineering, he traveled to South America from 1911 to 1914. As he always wanted to become an artist, and when he went back to the Netherlands, he settled with others artists in a farm house at Vierhouten. There he met the painter Leo Gestel with whom he traveled to New York, his impresario. At 33 years old, Lubbers produced his first drawings which depicts in a realistic vein New York’s landmarks. Lubbers’ works are today a great testimony of New York architecture between the two world wars.

Impressed by the frenetic energy of the city, Adriaan Lubbers stayed 4 years multiplying odds jobs to survive in this urban juggle. According to Italo Tovolato[1], he was a worker in a factory, a joiner, a herrings peddler, a mechanic and a cabaret singer in Hoboken harbor. Skyline from Jersey Heights is certainly a view from Hoboken. During all his peregrinations, Lubbers had times to experiment different aspects of the New York City’s lifestyles, from the most select places to the poorest. All these experiences gave him enough substance to nourish his art of true New York stories. 

Back to the Netherlands, he started his art career where he exhibited his works in March 1922 in Amsterdam. Early in his career, the Dutch artist was influenced by the contemporary art movements such as cubism and constructivism. This influence is perceptible in Skyline from Jersey Heights realised in 1920 after he made his first trip to New York City.

Adriaan Lubbers
42nd Street, New York
Lithograph
17.25 x 18.75
1944

Adriaan Lubbers
7th Avenue, New York
Lithograph
14.75 x 18.75
1944