Presenting “Harbor Calm,” a beautifully rendered European mid-century oil on canvas formally attributed to George W. Staempfli by Artfind Gallery. This serene maritime composition features two sailboats drifting on still waters, painted with Staempfli’s signature modernist restraint and soft tonal palette. With expressive palette-knife texturing, diffused atmosphere, and elegant nautical minimalism, the piece is ideal for collectors of European coastal art, mid-century oils, and Staempfli-associated works.
This 12×24-inch oil on canvas painting presents a tranquil maritime landscape dominated by two slender-masted vessels set upon quiet, softly rippled waters. The artist employs a restrained, monochromatic palette of warm taupes, creams, burnt sienna, and muted teal accents—creating a mist-laden ambiance reminiscent of early morning harbor light. Thick strokes and palette-knife texturing define the hull and reflections, while the sky is built with layered impasto clouds that diffuse the horizon.
The stylization—elongated masts, simplified forms, and blurred horizon—speaks to mid-century European tonalism blended with modernist minimalism. The work is unsigned, suggesting either a studio or gallery-released painting, or an artist who chose not to visibly sign the front.
The inspiration appears rooted in the contemplative poetry of the sea: themes of waiting, travel, and quiet intervals between journeys. The story conveyed is one of stillness—boats at rest, suspended in gentle haze, with the viewer positioned as a silent observer before the day’s departure.
George W. Staempfli (1928–2011) was born in Bern, Switzerland, and became one of the most influential figures in postwar American and European art exchange. Before establishing himself as a transformative New York gallerist, Staempfli studied the visual arts in Switzerland, where he was exposed to classical European academic traditions, Bauhaus-influenced modernism, and the emerging abstraction movements that were reshaping mid-century art.
After emigrating to the United States, he founded the Staempfli Gallery in New York (1960), which became a major platform for European modernists, American abstract artists, sculptors, and experimental painters. His knowledge of technique, composition, and art history derived from both formal study and decades of close collaboration with artists such as Pierre Alechinsky, Jean Dubuffet, Karel Appel, Eduardo Chillida, and Ivan Messer, among others.
Staempfli painted throughout his life with a reflective modernist sensibility—favoring structured compositions, softened tonal palettes, and themes related to nature, architecture, and the European coastline. His creative process involved classical sketching followed by layered oil application, often using textured surfaces to heighten atmospheric qualities. Although best known as a gallerist and scholar, his lesser-known artworks reflect the same disciplined aesthetic eye that made his gallery one of the most respected on both sides of the Atlantic.
He exhibited regionally in Switzerland and in select gallery settings, but his global legacy remains tied to his role as a cultural bridge between continents, an educator, and a supporter of significant 20th-century artistic movements.
Harbor Calm (Attributed)
George W. Staempfli (1928–2011) (Gallery-Attributed)
Mid-20th Century | Oil on Canvas | 12 × 24 in. | Unsigned
A serene European maritime painting with textured impasto and atmospheric tonalism.
Provenance: Acquired in Europe; Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC.
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION
Artwork Title: Harbor Calm (Attributed)
Attributed Artist: George W. Staempfli (1928–2011) (Gallery-Attributed)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 12 × 24 inches
Date: Mid-20th Century (circa 1950s–1970s)
Signature: Unsigned
Origin: Acquired in Europe
Current Owner: Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
Authentication Statement:
This artwork has been reviewed for technique, materials, stylistic characteristics, and provenance. Although unsigned, the painting is formally attributed to George W. Staempfli by Artfind Gallery based on documented acquisition history and stylistic correspondence. Such unsigned works appear within Staempfli’s known output and workshop circulation.
Private Collection, Europe (Mid-20th Century)
European Dealer / Secondary Market
Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC — Current Owner
Harbor Calm (Attributed) – Mid-Century European Oil Painting | Artfind Gallery Washington DC
A serene mid-century European oil on canvas attributed to George W. Staempfli, featuring atmospheric sailboats and textured tonal brushwork. Unsigned, 12×24 in., acquired in Europe. Available exclusively through Artfind Gallery, Washington DC.
Presenting “Harbor Calm,” a beautifully rendered European mid-century oil on canvas formally attributed to George W. Staempfli by Artfind Gallery. This serene maritime composition features two sailboats drifting on still waters, painted with Staempfli’s signature modernist restraint and soft tonal palette. With expressive palette-knife texturing, diffused atmosphere, and elegant nautical minimalism, the piece is ideal for collectors of European coastal art, mid-century oils, and Staempfli-associated works.
This 12×24-inch oil on canvas painting presents a tranquil maritime landscape dominated by two slender-masted vessels set upon quiet, softly rippled waters. The artist employs a restrained, monochromatic palette of warm taupes, creams, burnt sienna, and muted teal accents—creating a mist-laden ambiance reminiscent of early morning harbor light. Thick strokes and palette-knife texturing define the hull and reflections, while the sky is built with layered impasto clouds that diffuse the horizon.
The stylization—elongated masts, simplified forms, and blurred horizon—speaks to mid-century European tonalism blended with modernist minimalism. The work is unsigned, suggesting either a studio or gallery-released painting, or an artist who chose not to visibly sign the front.
The inspiration appears rooted in the contemplative poetry of the sea: themes of waiting, travel, and quiet intervals between journeys. The story conveyed is one of stillness—boats at rest, suspended in gentle haze, with the viewer positioned as a silent observer before the day’s departure.
George W. Staempfli (1928–2011) was born in Bern, Switzerland, and became one of the most influential figures in postwar American and European art exchange. Before establishing himself as a transformative New York gallerist, Staempfli studied the visual arts in Switzerland, where he was exposed to classical European academic traditions, Bauhaus-influenced modernism, and the emerging abstraction movements that were reshaping mid-century art.
After emigrating to the United States, he founded the Staempfli Gallery in New York (1960), which became a major platform for European modernists, American abstract artists, sculptors, and experimental painters. His knowledge of technique, composition, and art history derived from both formal study and decades of close collaboration with artists such as Pierre Alechinsky, Jean Dubuffet, Karel Appel, Eduardo Chillida, and Ivan Messer, among others.
Staempfli painted throughout his life with a reflective modernist sensibility—favoring structured compositions, softened tonal palettes, and themes related to nature, architecture, and the European coastline. His creative process involved classical sketching followed by layered oil application, often using textured surfaces to heighten atmospheric qualities. Although best known as a gallerist and scholar, his lesser-known artworks reflect the same disciplined aesthetic eye that made his gallery one of the most respected on both sides of the Atlantic.
He exhibited regionally in Switzerland and in select gallery settings, but his global legacy remains tied to his role as a cultural bridge between continents, an educator, and a supporter of significant 20th-century artistic movements.
Harbor Calm (Attributed)
George W. Staempfli (1928–2011) (Gallery-Attributed)
Mid-20th Century | Oil on Canvas | 12 × 24 in. | Unsigned
A serene European maritime painting with textured impasto and atmospheric tonalism.
Provenance: Acquired in Europe; Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC.
CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION
Artwork Title: Harbor Calm (Attributed)
Attributed Artist: George W. Staempfli (1928–2011) (Gallery-Attributed)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 12 × 24 inches
Date: Mid-20th Century (circa 1950s–1970s)
Signature: Unsigned
Origin: Acquired in Europe
Current Owner: Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
Authentication Statement:
This artwork has been reviewed for technique, materials, stylistic characteristics, and provenance. Although unsigned, the painting is formally attributed to George W. Staempfli by Artfind Gallery based on documented acquisition history and stylistic correspondence. Such unsigned works appear within Staempfli’s known output and workshop circulation.
Private Collection, Europe (Mid-20th Century)
European Dealer / Secondary Market
Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC — Current Owner
Harbor Calm (Attributed) – Mid-Century European Oil Painting | Artfind Gallery Washington DC
A serene mid-century European oil on canvas attributed to George W. Staempfli, featuring atmospheric sailboats and textured tonal brushwork. Unsigned, 12×24 in., acquired in Europe. Available exclusively through Artfind Gallery, Washington DC.
