In the fall of 1954, William Zorach took a leave of absence from his teaching post at the Art Students League in New York City to teach at the Des Moines Art Center. As Guest Instructor, he taught classes for four weeks that included sculpture, life drawing, and watercolor. His presence in Des Moines was an event. Besides being feted by parties and giving lectures at organizations such as the Iowa Teachers Association, Zorach attended the Iowa State Fair. According to the Des Moines Register, the New York artist admired the “marvelous Iowa cattle” and “beautiful ponies” he saw there.

          Zorach’s watercolor of Des Moines was produced during his stay. The landscape is composed from blocks of color and areas of quick, spontaneous brushstrokes. As the title notes, Zorach captured this view of midcentury Des Moines from the Brown Hotel. Built in 1912, the 12-story hotel boasted moderate priced rooms that included kitchenettes. It stood at the corner of 4th Street and Keosauqua (now Watson Powell Jr. Way), and was demolished in 1971.

October, 2020