HEREWARD LESTER COOKE American, 1916–1973 Autumn on the Potomac, 1968 Mixed media on paper: watercolor, pastel and/or gouache Panorama artwork which captures the transition of autumn along the Washington, D.C. waterfront, looking across the Potomac River toward the city’s skyline. The composition is grounded by a bustling maritime foreground featuring a variety of vessels, from a red tugboat and fishing skiffs to white yachts moored at the docks. Along the shoreline, a row of trees in vibrant shades of rust and gold provide a seasonal frame for the architectural landmarks beyond. Unframed. Not laid down. Sheet (artwork): 8.5 x 22.5 inches $150-200
ARTIST PROFILE: Hereward Lester Cooke (1916–1973) was a distinguished American painter and art historian whose multifaceted career earned him the nickname "Sherlock Holmes of the Art World." Educated at prestigious institutions including Oxford, Yale, and Princeton—where he earned his Ph.D.—Cooke served as the Curator of Painting at the National Gallery of Art from 1961 until his death. In this role, he became a preeminent authority on art attribution and forgeries, heading the Expert Opinions Section while also serving as a pivotal advisor to government programs for NASA and the EPA. Though widely celebrated for his scholarly contributions and his 1967 text Painting Lessons from the Great Masters, Cooke was an accomplished artist in his own right; he won the Prix de Rome, a Fulbright Fellowship, and the American Beaux Arts prize for murals, further distinguishing himself as the director of the American pavilion at the Venice Biennale. His legacy remains a unique bridge between the technical mastery of painting and the rigorous detective work of art historical authentication.
