The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 20, 2025

The Umbrian Valley, Italy

1914

Frederick Gottwald

(American, born Austria, 1860–1941)
America, Ohio, Cleveland
oil on canvas
Unframed: 72.8 x 60.4 cm (28 11/16 x 23 3/4 in.)
Gift of Mrs. John Huntington 1915.88
Location: On view at Office of Senator Bernie Moreno, Washington, DC, Jul 1, 2025 - Jan 3, 2031

Did You Know?

This was the first painting by a living artist acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Description

Munich-trained Frederick Gottwald taught for more than four decades at the Cleveland School (now Institute) of Art, and was the most influential figure in the city’s burgeoning artistic development. During the years leading up to World War I, he spent summers in Italy, where he created this work.
  • "The Collection of Painting." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art. 2:2 (July, 1915). Mentioned: p. 5
    Sackerlotzky, Rotraud, Mary Sayre Haverstock, Nan Grossman. F.C. Gottwald and the Old Bohemians. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Artists Foundation, 1993. Reproduced: p. 38; Mentioned: p. 36
    Witchey, Holly Rarick, with John Vacha. Fine Arts in Cleveland: An Illustrated History. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1994. Reproduced: plate 17, between pp. 32-33
    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. Reproduced: p. 58, fig. 51; Mentioned: p. 247
    Adams, Henry, and Lawrence Waldman. Painting in Pure Color: Modern Art in Cleveland Before the Armory Show (1908-1913). Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Artists Foundation, 2013. Reproduced: p. 23, fig. 10
  • Ohio Artists Showcase. Office of Senator Bernie Moreno, Washington, DC (organizer) (July 1, 2025-January 3, 2031).
    Long Term Loan - Ohio Artists in the Governor's Residence. Ohio Governor's Residence, Bexley, Ohio (April 22, 2002-December 31, 2006).
    Transformations in Cleveland Art, 1796-1946. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 19-July 21, 1996).
    The Cleveland Institute of Art: 100 Years. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 22, 1982-January 30, 1983).
    Inaugural Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (co-organizer) (June 6-September 20, 1916).
  • {{cite web|title=The Umbrian Valley, Italy|url=false|author=Frederick Gottwald|year=1914|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1915.88