LEALAND R. GUSTAVSON (1894-1966)

"The First Clubhouse in America 1892/ Shinnecock Hills." Tempera and casein on board. 512x673 mm; 20x26½ inches. Signed "Gustavson" in lower right. Archivally framed to 32x37 inches.Reproduced: Pepper, George. Golf in America: The First One Hundred Years, NY, 1994; Hobbes, Michael, Golf in Art, NY, 1996.; Golf in America: Reproductions from the Original Series of Historical Watercolors by Lealand R. Gustavson, NY, 1967.Provenance: PGA REACH, The Golf Auction, November 2019, lot 283; thence to Dick McDonough. PGA REACH is the charitable foundation of the PGA of America. In this illustration, Gustavson recreates an image of the first and oldest clubhouse in America, which was designed by Stanford White in 1891 and opened in 1892. Although it has been enlarged over the years, the original clubhouse still serves its members to this day.Gustavson was an excellent golfer himself and illustrated the book How To Play Your Best Golf by Tommy Armour in 1954. He explained that, "eventually, either by choice, economic pressure, or convenient timing, many artists concentrate on a particular subject which they know a great deal about and are able to interpret with precision and meaning. In my own case, that specialty is painting golf subjects. I have been intimately associated with golf since I was a caddie at the age of twelve and have since won five club championships." Gustavson also authored and illustrated the instructional book Enjoy Your Golf: An Illustrated Guide to Better Golf (New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1954).