George Sanders Bickerstaff

Untitled (Smoke Tree; Palm Springs), c. 1930

• Oil on canvas
• 24" x 30", artwork
• 30.125" x 36" x 1.25", framed
• Historic

$7,500

Provenance
Consigned to American Legacy Fine Arts, Pasadena, California; Private Collection, Pasadena, California; Mutual Savings, Pasadena, California — acquired presumably from the artist via an art consultant; Displayed at Mutual Savings headquarters, Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, California, c. 1965–1993
A 1955 photo showing Bickerstaff paintings on display at the same Mutual Savings and Loan office in Pasadena can be seen through the online resource at Pasadena Digital History

Label on Verso
Mutual Savings No. 3107

Description
This luminous desert landscape, painted in rich yet delicately modulated tones, depicts California’s Palm Springs Desert with a scattering of smoke trees, low shrubs, and drifting tumbleweeds beneath a grand, cumulus-laden sky. George S. Bickerstaff’s deft handling of light captures the arid clarity of the Coachella Valley, while his composition, anchored by the distant, snow-tipped San Jacinto Mountains, leads the eye gently into the expanse. The combination of warm desert foreground and cool atmospheric distance is characteristic of Bickerstaff’s plein air practice, which sought to preserve California’s unspoiled beauty during the mid-20th century.

Biography
Landscape painter, George Bickerstaff (April 12, 1893, Marianna, Arkansas - July 12, 1954, Ukiah, California) was primarily a self-taught artist except for a brief period at the Art Institute of Chicago. He led a peripatetic life before moving to California in 1922. His early years were spent in San Diego, Los Angeles, and Van Nuys. In the latter part of his life, Bickerstaff frequently exhibited with California landscape artist, Paul Lauritz. A prolific oil painter of mountain and desert scenes, his landscapes often include eucalyptus trees as well as California's rolling hills with fields of wildflowers. Occasionally, he painted seascapes, still lifes, and western and Indian genres. He was adept at promoting his own work and sold many paintings to hotels, hospitals, mortuaries, and rest homes.
Resource AskART from interview recorded on CD of George Sanders Bickerstaff by Elmer E. Taylor

Bibliography
Artists in California: 1786-1940 (2 Volumes) by Edan Milton Hughes; page 1249; published 2002
Who Was Who In American Art, 1564-1975 by Peter Hastings Falk; page 3424; published 1999
Painters of the Desert (Exhibition Catalogue) by Jim Willoughby; page 54; published 1998

Historical Significance
George S. Bickerstaff was a well-regarded California landscape painter, active during the height of the state’s plein air movement. His work celebrated the diverse terrains of California, from coastal vistas to inland deserts, and often featured the distinctive smoke tree of the Coachella Valley, an emblematic subject for desert painters of his era. By the mid-century, Palm Springs was emerging as a resort town, yet much of its surrounding desert remained wild and untouched. This painting reflects not only the artist’s mastery of light and atmosphere but also serves as a visual record of a landscape that has since been altered by development. Created during the late phase of California’s plein air tradition, it bridges the tonal romanticism of earlier painters with the bolder color harmonies of modernist sensibilities.

Frame
The painting is presented in a period-style, wide-profile wood frame finished in a softly distressed antique white. The molding features gently rounded outer edges and an understated inner fillet, lending a subtle elegance without competing with the composition. The light-toned finish enhances the desert palette of the painting, particularly the luminous sky and foliage, while providing a fresh, airy complement that draws the viewer’s attention directly to the scene.

Condition
The painting is in excellent original condition with no visible craquelure, inpainting, or repairs. The surface retains its original color saturation and texture, with only minimal signs of age-appropriate wear to the edges.

Exhibited
Scenic Route: A Half Century of California Discovery, 1900-1950, American Legacy Fine Arts, Pasadena, California, August 15 - October 11, 2025

California Highlights; A Collection of Curated Favorites Showcasing Quintessential California Inspired Subjects, American Legacy Fine Arts, May 7 – June 20, 2021

Aspects of Life: The Art of Observation, American Legacy Fine Arts Satellite Gallery at the Arroyo Chop House, Pasadena, California, May 10 - October 11, 2016

 

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