1930s Still-life Paintings

Simka Simkhovitch (Russian/American 1893 - 1949) This came with a small grouping from the artist's family, some were hand signed some were not. These were studies for larger paintings. This is a miniature watercolor and gouache vibrant, colorful bouquet of flowers in a vase. Simka Simkhovitch (Симха Файбусович Симхович) (aka Simka Faibusovich Simkhovich) (Novozybkov, Russia May 21, 1885 O.S./June 2, 1885 N.S.—Greenwich, Connecticut February 25, 1949) was a Ukrainian-Russian Jewish artist and immigrant to the United States. He painted theater scenery in his early career and then had several showings in galleries in New York City. Winning Works Progress Administration (WPA) commissions in the 1930s, he completed murals for the post offices in Jackson, Mississippi and Beaufort, North Carolina. His works are in the permanent collections of the Dallas Museum of Art, the National Museum of American Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Born outside Kyiv (Petrograd Ukraine) into a Jewish family who owned a small department store. During a severe case of measles when he was seven, Simcha Simchovitch sketched the views outside his window and decided to become an artist, over his father's objections. Beginning in 1905, he studied at the Grekov Odessa Art School and upon completion of his studies in 1911 received a recommendation to be admitted to the Imperial Academy of Arts. Though he enrolled to begin classes in architecture, painting, and sculpture at the Imperial Academy, he was dropped from the school roster in December because of the quota on the number of Jewish students and drafted into the army. Simchovitch served as a private in the 175th Infantry Regiment Baturyn [ru] until his demobilization in 1912. Re-enrolling in the Imperial Academy, he audited classes. Simka Simkhovitch exhibited paintings and sculptures in 1918 as part of an exhibition of Jewish artists and in 1919 placed 1st in the competition "The Great Russian Revolution" with a painting called "Russian Revolution" which was hung in the State Museum of Revolution. In 1922, Simkha Simkhovitch exhibited at the International Book Fair in Florence (Italian: Fiera Internazionale del Libro di Firenze). In 1924, Simkhovitch came to the United States to make illustrations for Soviet textbooks and decided to immigrate instead. Initially he supported himself by doing commercial art and a few portrait commissions. In 1927, he was hired to paint a screen for a scene in the play "The Command to Love" by Fritz Gottwald and Rudolph Lothar which was playing at the Longacre Theatre on Broadway. Art dealers began clamoring for the screen and Simkhovitch began a career as a screen painter for the theater. Catching the attention of the screenwriter, Ernest Pascal, he worked as an illustrator for Pascal, who then introduced him to gallery owner, Marie Sterner. Simkhovitch's works appeared at the Marie Sterner Gallery beginning with a 1927 exhibit and were repeated the following year. Simkhovitch had an exhibit in 1929 at Sterner's on circus paintings. In 1931, he held a showing of works at the Helen Hackett Gallery, in New York City and later that same year he was one of the featured artists of a special exhibit in San Francisco at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park. The exhibit was coordinated by Marie Sterner and included four watercolors, including one titled "Nudes". He is of the generation of Russian Soviet artists such as Isaac Pailes, Serge Charchoune, Marc Chagall, Chana Orloff, Isaac Ilyich Levitan, and Ossip Zadkine. In 1936, Simkhovitch was selected to complete the mural for the WPA Post office project in Jackson, Mississippi. The mural was hung in the post office and courthouse in 1938 depicted a plantation theme. Painted on the wall behind the judge’s bench, “Pursuits of Life in Mississippi”, a depiction of black workers engaged in manual labor amid scenes of white professionals and socialites, was eventually covered over in later years during renovations due to its stereotypical African American imagery. Simka painted what he thought was typical of Jackson. His impression of pre-civil rights Mississippi was evidently Greek Revival column houses, weeping willow trees, working class families, and the oppression of African Americans. He painted African American men picking cotton, while a white man took account of the harvest and a white judge advised a white family, calling it Pursuits of Life in Mississippi. Though clearly endorsed by the government and initially generally well-received, the mural soon raised concerns with locals as the climate toward racial segregation began to change. The main concern was whether depictions that show African Americans in subjugated societal roles should be featured in a courtroom. The following year, his painting "Holiday" won praise at an exhibition in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1940, Simkhovitch's second WPA post office project was completed when four murals, "The Cape Lookout Lighthouse and the Orville W. Mail Boat", "The Wreck of the Crissie Wright", "Sand Ponies" and "Canada Geese" were installed in Beaufort, North Carolina. The works were commissioned in 1938 and did not generate the controversy that the Jackson mural had. The main mural is "The Wreck of the Crissie Wright" and depicts a shipwreck which had occurred in Beaufort in 1866. "The Cape Lookout Lighthouse and the Orville W. Mail Boat" depicted the lighthouse built in 1859 and the mail boat that was running mail during the time which Simkhovitch was there. The boat ran mail for the area until 1957. "Sand Ponies" shows the wild horses common to the North Carolina barrier islands and "Canada Geese" showed the importance of hunting and fishing in the area. All four murals were restored in the 1990s by Elisabeth Speight, daughter of two other WPA muralists, Francis Speight...

This early 20th-century oil painting by German artist Paul Sannemann (1886-1943) depicts a vibrant still life with chrysanthemums. Sannemann had an eye for colour, never one to shy ...

Jozef Popczyk Cubist Art Deco Painting Still Life oil on poster board. Joseph Popczyk is a Polish artist known for his vivid palette and love of Cubism, and in this case, the chevrons and wavy patterns of Art Deco can also be detected. Like many of his contemporaries in Eastern Europe, the artist was born in Poland and gravitated toward Paris in the 1910s. He loved to depict the flash and jazz of club life in Paris, always with stamina and energy. This still life has outstanding elements: drinking glasses...

Large still life oil painting by French artist, Constantin Font signed in the lower left. This very attractive oil on canvas hails from the 1930's. A composition that is perfecti...

Maurice Asselin (1882-1947) Still life with fruits Signed lower left Oil on cardboard In good condition 15.8 x 21.5 cm Framed : 25 x 31.5 cm (a hole as visible on the photographs ...

This superb oil on canvas painting was created by Felix Eugene Bellenot (1892 - 1963). This vibrant and passionate composition represents the port of Sainte Maxime...

A beautiful signed and dated 1936 oil on canvas still life with flowers, pineapple, fruit and ceramic mug decorated with a pack of hounds, by Arthur Sleight. A striking and unusual A...

Work on canvas Gray wooden frame 46.6 x 38.6 x 1.8 cm

Full Bloom Oil on canvass, 28 x 21 1/2 inches Signed lower right: Robert Hallowell Provenance: Estate of the artist Marbella Gallery, New York Illustrated in Ma...

Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scevola (1871-1950) A Bouquet of anemones Pastel on paper Signed upper left 44.5 x 36.5 cm Framed : 53.5 x 45.5 cm Lucien Victor Guirand de Scévola was ...

Signed oil on board still life circa 1937 by French post impressionist painter Henri Lebasque. The work depicts a basket of fruit filled with apples, grapes and oranges. Signature: ...

Signed upper right, 'V. Isbrand' for Victor Isbrand (Danish, 1897-1989) and painted circa 1935. Framed dimensions: 24 H x 1.5 D x 28.5 W inches. A vibrant Post-Impressionist still...

WPA Landscape American Scene Social Realism Mid 20th Century Modern Farm Rural James McCracken (1875 – 1967) WPA Landscape 28 x 36 inches Oil on canvas, c. 1930s Signed lower right ...

Nicely painted early 20th century historical still life. Oil on canvas. Nicely framed. Signed.

Work on cardboard White and gray wooden frame 43 x 50 x 3 cm

An original oil painting by Benjamin Benno, American (1901 - 1980). By the early 1930s he had established a reputation as a member of the international avant-garde and exhibited wit...

Maurice Asselin (1882-1947) A Bouquet of roses and nasturtiums Signed lower right Oil on cardboard canvas In good condition 39.5 x 31.5 cm Framed : 58.5 x 51.5 cm Maurice Asselin w...

This early to mid-20th-century oil painting by Belgian artist Victor Simonin (1877-1946) depicts a vase of red and pink flowers. Described as a “tender bohemian”, Simonin was predom...

Work on canvas Light brown wooden frame 61 x 53 x 4 cm

Ture Ander (1881-1959) Sweden A Bouquet of Digitalis, Poppy, Iris, Snapdragons, Cornflower, Buttercup. 1936 oil on board signed and dated Ture Ander 36 board dimensions 24,41 x 18,...

Here is your chance to have your own private chapel with devotional objets and saint figures - in the form of this lovely painting by Joseph Bergès (1878-1956). Berges was born in th...

Georges Louis Claude (1879-1963) Still life with fruits, 1938 oil on paper 32 x 40 cm In good condition In a vintage white frame, 41.5 x 49 cm, numerous lacks of white painting (see photographs please) Georges Louis Claude was born in Paris in 1879. The artist first studied at the Bernard Palissy School of Drawing in Paris. There he learned mythological and religious subjects, the art of portraiture, still life and of course, wall decoration, which became his favourite medium. His career began as an architectural decorator for the Galland house in Paris. He then collaborated with the orientalist architect Alexandre Marcel. Noticed at the at the 1900 Universal Exhibition, he decided to emancipate himself and presented his his own projects. It was at this time that Georges-Louis laude was to seduce some of the most influential personalities of their time with his talent. First of all King Leopold II of Belgium, followed immediately by Baron Empain became infatuated with the artist to decorate palaces and flats. In Belgium, Georges-Louis Claude was chosen to decorate the Royal Palace of Laeken (Japanese Tower...

Exquisite floral still life of wild meadow flowers by Anna Westphal (Denmark, 1858-1950). Signed "A. Westphal" and dated "1937" lower right. Presented in...

Beautiful vibrant original oil painting on canvas by the Swiss artist, Hans Walter Scheller. Signed lower right and dated 1937. Condition is excellent. The painting is housed in i...

Art Deco Movie Set 20th Century American Modernism Hollywood WPA Social Realism Arthur Rosenman Ross (1913 - 1981) Art Deco Movie Set, Probably MGM Studios, 1937 17 x 27 inches Gouache on illustration Board Signed Art Ross, ‘37 lower right Provenance: Estate of the artist. BIO Arthur Rosenman Ross was a key figure in automotive design at General Motors during America's "Golden Age" of auto design, the 1930's through the 1950s. He attended the Art Institute of Chicago from age 17, exhibiting a special interest for automotive renderings and the female figure. In 1934, he changed his name from Rosenman to Ross, fearing his Jewish ancestry could prejudice his career prospects. At age 20, he turned down job offers from MGM Studios in Hollywood and Duesenberg to work at General Motors alongside the Legendary Harley Earl in 1935. He was hand picked by Mr. Earl and assigned to GM's War and Camouflage Division in 1937 through WW2. It was during this pivotal period in which he executed some extraordinary military aircraft artworks, likely used between GM and America's military aeronautics companies in design preparation for WW2. General Motors played an important role in helping America's aircraft manufacturers preceding and during the war. Just after the war in 1945, Mr. Ross was rewarded by GM, being made Chief Designer of Cadillac, then two years later becoming Chief at Oldsmobile until his retirement in 1959. He was in large part responsible for some of GM's classic Cadillac designs such as the Cadillac Sixty Special, Fleetwood, LaSalle and GM's first concept car, the extraordinary Buick Y-Job. Mr. Ross was an exceptionally charismatic and vivacious man who quite by chance, befriended His idol, Salvador Dali at GM in 1955. They talked about art, cars and girls late into the evening, according to his son, Carter Ross. He had a gift in rendering the erotic arts...

Roger Cortet (1910-1978) Still-life with a white sculpture Oil on canvas Signed lower right 64 x 80 cm Framed : 70 x 85.5 cm There is a small but inconspicuous hole in the frame groo...

Maurice Asselin (1882-1947) A Bunch of flowers in a vase Signed lower left Oil on canvas In good condition 46 x 38 cm Framed : 52 x 44 cm Maurice Asselin was born on June 24, 1882 ...

Oil on canvas by Charles PICART LE DOUX (1881-1959), France, 1934. Bouquet of Wild Flowers. Artwork typical of the manner of Charles Picart Le Doux. However, the robust and contrasti...

Antique American modernist still life oil painting by Victor Thall (American, 1902-1983). Oil on canvas. Framed in a very nice period American frame. Great color and thick impast....

Signed post impressionist still life oil on canvas circa 1930 by sought after French impressionist painter Marcel Dyf. The work depicts wildflowers in a glazed vase. A wonderful piec...

Antique American modernist still life signed oil painting. Oil on canvas, circa 1940. Unframed. Signed. Image size, 30L x 26H

Sully Bersot is a Swiss painter born in 20th century. The work is sold by frame, Total size with frame is 58x68 cm

Agustí Ferré Pino (1884-1960) - Still life of flowers - Oil on canvas Oil measurements 61x50 cm. Restored. Frameless.

Sully Bersot is a Swiss painter born in 20th century. The work is sold by frame, Total size with frame is 43,5x46,5 cm

Still Life with Lemons and Chianti Wine still life on table with wine bottle and lemons by California artist Harold F. Porter (American, 19th-20th Century). A muted mauve and blue wall paper sets the table for this classic still life of a glass of wine and a Chianti bottle with lemon bowl...

Signed still life oil on canvas circa 1930 by French impressionist painter Leon Detroy. The work depicts a bronze vase filled with tulips in an array of autumnal colours, and peonies...

Sully Bersot is a Swiss painter born in 20th century. The work is sold by frame, Total size with frame is 43,5x46,5 cm

Signed lower left, 'V. Isbrand' for Victor Isbrand (Danish, 1897-1989) and painted circa 1935. Precocious as a child, Victor Isbrand painted professionally from a young age and was...

Exceptional modernist still life by Henry Lee McFee. The Blue Compote (1930-31) Oil on canvas 24" x 30" 33" x 39" x 2 ¼" framed Signed "McFee" lower lef...

Antique American modernist still life oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed.

Antique American impressionist still life oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed illegibly. Image size, 20L x 24H.

Wonderful art deco style still life of yellow and lavender tulips in vase with sugar bowl by Hamlin (American, 20th Century), circa 1935. Signed lower right "Hamlin" Condition: Good;...

The painting is signed, inscribed "Jerusalem" and dated "1931" at the lower right corner. Condition: Good Condition. unexamined out of the frame. Note: This work will be shipped from Israel...

This appealing original oil on canvas painting is by British artist Paul Earee. Painted in a Post Cubist manner circa 1930, this floral still life depicts a vase of flowers on a table in bold blocks of colour. A really vibrant painting in superb tones. Signed lower right. Provenance. Estate of the artist. Condition. Oil on canvas. Image size 24 inches by 20 inches and in excellent condition. Housed in a gallery frame with complementary tones, 31 inches by 27 inches approx framed. As Frederick Percy Eary, he was born at Sudbury, Suffolk on 16 July 1888, son of Albert Henry Eary (1862-1941), mat weaver, and his wife Hannah (1860-1939). Known as Paul Earee, he was an artist who was professionally trained as an ecclesiastical architect, art teacher and illustrator, using his spare time in painting, etchings and drawing with strong regional content. As an architect he designed many buildings and interiors in Sudbury including the pulpit of St Gregory...

This superb floral still life oil painting is by Scottish artist David Alison. Painted circa 1930 it is an arrangement of pink roses in a glass vase on a table. The darker background...

Lois Mailou Jones: 1905-1998. Well listed African American painter and one of the most important African-American female artists of the 20th c...

Maurice Asselin (1882-1947) Les Anémones, a bouquet of anemones signed upper right oil on canvas 38 x 46 cm Label of the exhibition Maurice Asselin at the Galerie Schmit in february...

Clarence Keiser Hinkle: 1880-1960. Well listed California artist with Auction records up to $76,000 but sells for much more in galleries. This fabulous fresh to the market oil on mas...

This lovely Art Deco British Post Impressionist floral oil painting is by noted and much exhibited female flower artist Theresa Norah Copnall. She studied at the Slade School amongst...

Studio Interior Scene Mid 20th Century American Modern WPA Still Life Realism The painting measures 10 x 12 inches. Framed, the work is 13 1/4 x 15 1/...

Henri Lucien Joseph BURON This is potentially Henri Buron's premier work of art. It was exhibited in the Salon des Artistes Française in 1934 having been painted in 1933. The revers...

This beautiful British Art Deco floral oil painting is by noted Cornish artist Philip Rashleigh, who used the name Frank for exhibition purposes. The Rashleighs were an old and disti...

This charming and exuberant posy of peonies immediately made me think of similar works by Marcel Dyf - but it is actually a work by the ultimate master of art deco...

Ture Ander (1881-1959) Sweden Floral Symphony, 1936 oil on board signed and dated Ture Ander 36 board dimensions 24,41 x 18,90 inches (62 x 48 cm) frame 2...

This vibrant French Art Deco floral oil painting is by noted French artist Jacques Emile Blanche. Painted circa 1930, the palette is of wonderful tones of yellow and orange with spla...

This charming British still life floral oil painting is by Herbert Davis Richter. Painted circa 1930 it is a vibrant and interesting arrangement of fuchsia and geraniums in a vase ne...

Mystery American Artist Untitled, 1930 Oil on canvas 29 1/2 x 23 3/4 in. Framed: 34 1/2 x 28 3/4 x 1 1/2 in. Signed and dated lower left

This lovely Art Deco British Post-Impressionist floral oil painting is by noted and much exhibited female flower artist Theresa Norah Copnall. She studi...