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Ben Shahn Art

American, 1898-1969
Ben Shahn (1898 – 1969) was a Lithuanian-born American artist. He is best known for his works of social realism, his left-wing political views, and his series of lectures published as The Shape of Content. Shahn began his path to becoming an artist in New York, where he was first trained as a lithographer. Shahn's early experiences with lithography and graphic design is apparent in his later prints and paintings which often include the combination of text and image. Shahn's primary medium was egg tempera, popular among social realists. Shahn mixed different genres of art. His body of art is distinctive for its lack of traditional landscapes, still lifes, and portraits. Shahn used both expressive and precise visual languages, which he coalesced through the consistency of his authoritative line. Shahn is also noted for his use of unique symbolism, which is often compared to the imagery in Paul Klee's drawings. His art is striking but also introspective. He often captured figures engrossed in their own worlds. Although he used many mediums, his pieces are consistently thoughtful and playful.
(Biography provided by ArtWise)
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Artist: Ben Shahn
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. I Have A Dream, Black Portrait Head Civil Rights Activist
By Ben Shahn
Located in Union City, NJ
BEN SHAHN - Martin Luther King, Jr. - I Have A Dream is a limited run, plate signed, commemorative lithograph recreated after the wood engraving by Stefan Martin(1936 - 1994), an American wood engraver and illustrator. Printed using traditional lithography methods in 1981 on fine quality, archival Somerset printmaking paper, 100% acid free. Features a striking black and white portrait head portraying the fine wood engraved image of civil rights leader - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. along with text from his famed inspirational, I’ve been to the mountaintop’ speech. Printed signatures of Ben Shahn in dark reddish brown ink and Martin Luther King Jr. in gray ink. (see Photos) Artists copyright text printed...
Category

1980s Contemporary Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Of Light, White Sleeping Women from the Rilke Portfolio, lithograph by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, American (1898 - 1969) Title: Of Light, White Sleeping Women in Childbed from the Rilke Portfolio Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph on Arches, signed in the plate Edit...
Category

1960s Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

To Roads in Unknown Places from the Rilke Portfolio, lithograph by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, American (1898 - 1969) Title: To Roads in Unknown Places from the Rilke Portfolio Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph on Arches, signed in the plate Edition: 750 Size: 2...
Category

1960s Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

To Parents One Had to Hurt from the Rilke Portfolio, lithograph by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, American (1898 - 1969) Title: To Parents One Had to Hurt from the Rilke Portfolio Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph on Arches, signed in the plate Edition: 750 Size: 2...
Category

1960s Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

The First Word of Verse Arises from the Rilke Portfolio, lithograph by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, American (1898 - 1969) Title: The First Word of Verse Arises from the Rilke Portfolio Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph on Arches, signed in the plate Edition: 750 Siz...
Category

1960s Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Unexpected Meetings from the Rilke Portfolio, Minimalist Lithograph by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, American (1898 - 1969) Title: Unexpected Meetings from the Rilke Portfolio Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph on Arches, signed in the plate Edition: 750 Size: 22.5 x 1...
Category

1960s Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Screams of Women in Labor from the Rilke Portfolio, lithograph by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, American (1898 - 1969) Title: Screams of Women in Labor from the Rilke Portfolio Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph on Arches, signed in the plate Edition: 750 Size: 22...
Category

1960s Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Many Things from the Rilke Portfolio, Minimalist lithograph by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, American (1898 - 1969) Title: Many Things from the Rilke Portfolio Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph on Arches, signed in the plate Edition: 750 Size: 22.5 x 17.75 in....
Category

1960s Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Many Cities from the Rilke Portfolio, Minimalist lithograph by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, American (1898 - 1969) Title: Many Cities from the Rilke Portfolio Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph on Arches, signed in the plate Edition: 750 Size: 22.5 x 17.75 in....
Category

1960s Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Frontispiece from the Rilke Portfolio, Minimalist lithograph by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, American (1898 - 1969) Title: Frontispiece (Portrait) from the Rilke Portfolio Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph on Arches, signed in the plate Edition: 750 Size: 22.5...
Category

1960s Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

original lithograph
By Ben Shahn
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. This lithograph was printed in 1955 for the "Improvisations" portfolio, and published by the Artists Equity Association of New York in an edition of 2000...
Category

1950s Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

original lithograph
By Ben Shahn
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. This lithograph was printed in 1955 for the "Improvisations" portfolio, and published by the Artists Equity Association of New York in an edition of 2000...
Category

1950s Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

original lithograph
By Ben Shahn
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. This lithograph was printed in 1955 for the "Improvisations" portfolio, and published by the Artists Equity Association of New York in an edition of 2000...
Category

1950s Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

In Rooms Withdrawn and Quiet from the Rilke Portfolio, lithograph by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, Lithuanian/American (1898 - 1969) Title: In Rooms Withdrawn and Quiet from the Rilke Portfolio Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph on Richard de Bas, printed signature (...
Category

1960s American Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

original lithograph
By Ben Shahn
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. This lithograph was printed in 1958 for the "Improvisations" portfolio, published by the Artists Equity Association of New York on the occasion of the 19...
Category

1950s Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled - Mixed Media by Ben Shahn - 1950s
By Ben Shahn
Located in Roma, IT
Untitled is an drawing realized by Ben Shahn (Kovno 1898-New York 1969) Pen drawing on paper applied on canvas. Hand-signed lower right: Ben Shahn. Some light folds and discoloring...
Category

1950s Contemporary Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Paper

original lithograph
By Ben Shahn
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. This lithograph was printed in 1954 for the "Improvisations" portfolio, published by the Artists Equity Association of New York on the occasion of the 19...
Category

1950s Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

original lithograph
By Ben Shahn
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original lithograph. This lithograph was printed in 1954 for the "Improvisations" portfolio, published by the Artists Equity Association of New York on the occasion of the 19...
Category

1950s Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

WARNING! Register*Vote, INFLATION means DEPRESSION
By Ben Shahn
Located in Fairlawn, OH
WARNING! Register*Vote, INFLATION means DEPRESSION Photo lithograph, 1946 Signed in the image lower left Published by CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations) before their merger w...
Category

1940s American Realist Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Offset

The Sea Itself from the Rilke Portfolio, Minimalist lithograph by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, American (1898 - 1969) Title: The Sea Itself from the Rilke Portfolio Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph on Arches, signed in the plate Edition: 750 Size: 22.5 x 17.75 ...
Category

1960s Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Many Men from the Rilke Portfolio, Minimalist lithograph by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, Lithuanian/American (1898 - 1969) Title: Many Men from the Rilke Portfolio Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph on Richard de Bas, signed in the plate Edition Size: 750 S...
Category

1960s American Realist Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled (Double sided watercolor) Recto: Figures seated at a table
By Ben Shahn
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Watercolor on paper Most probably related to the artist's creation of images surrounding Haggadah (Passover) which he started in 1930 and finished with the publication of his book in...
Category

1960s American Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Watercolor

Man Sounding Horn (Psalm 150)
By Ben Shahn
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Man Sounding Horn (Psalm 150) Lithograph, 1969-1970 Estate signed: "Ben Shahn/by B.B. Shahn" in pencil lower center Stamped signature lower right (see photo) Signed by Mourlot Lith. in pencil lower right (see photo) Edition: 125 (67/125) see photo Psalm 150, "A Hallelujah Chorus" Published by Kennedy Graphics, Ltd., New York, NY Printed by Mourlot Graphics, Ltd., New York, NY Reference: Prescott 255 Kennedy Galleries, The Kennedy Graphics, 380, reproduced Condition: Very good Image/sheet size: 20 1/8 x 25 3/8 inches A posthumous print "This was the final project completed by Ben Shahn (1898-1969), leading American realist painter and muralist widely recognized for his socially conscious works. Born in Lithuania to Jewish parents, Shahn emigrated to the United States in 1906 and became a popular and versatile artist who worked in a variety of media and on a range of projects. His credits are as varied as assistant to muralist Diego Rivera, photographer for the Resettlement Administration (alongside the likes of Dorothea Lange and his friend, Walker Evans), maker of posters for the Office of War Information during WWII, and commercial artist for CBS. He is best known, however, for artwork depicting left-leaning political ideals and highlighting social concerns, such as his series of gouache paintings known as "The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti...
Category

1960s American Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Silkscreen with Old Testament Psalm 57 pencil signed 255/300 provenance letter
By Ben Shahn
Located in New York, NY
Ben Shahn Silkscreen inspired by Old Testament Psalm 57, 1967 Silkscreen on Japon paper Hand signed and numbered 255/300 by the artist on the front, with a copy of the provenance let...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Screen, Pencil

Ben Shahn McCarthy Peace
By Ben Shahn
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Ben Shahn McCarthy Peace poster, 1968. When Eugene McCarthy ran for U.S. president in 1968 against incumbent Lyndon Johnson, his candidacy was based on ...
Category

1960s Pop Art Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Unexpected Meetings from the Rilke Portfolio, Lithograph by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, American (1898 - 1969) Title: Unexpected Meetings from the Rilke Portfolio Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph on Richard de Bas, signed i...
Category

1960s Expressionist Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

To Childhood Illnesses from the Rilke Portfolio
By Ben Shahn
Located in Mount Vernon, NY
The Rilke Portfolio by Ben Shahn contained 24 prints from the Atelier Mourlot in New York. The Munn Collection offers 7 unframed lithographs from the o...
Category

1960s American Realist Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Basketball Player
By Ben Shahn
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Basketball Player Gouache on card stock, c. 1940 Signed by the artist in ink lower center A study for the fresco mural in the Social Security Buildin...
Category

1940s American Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Gouache

Atelier Mourlot by Ben Shahn, 1968
By Ben Shahn
Located in New York, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn Medium: Original Lithographic poster, 1968 Dimensions: 28 x 21 in, 71 x 53 cm Arches Paper - Perfect Condition A+ This original lithographic poster by Ben Shahn was created to promote the opening of the Atelier Mourlot...
Category

1960s Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Partings Long Seen Coming from the Rilke Portfolio
By Ben Shahn
Located in Mount Vernon, NY
The Rilke Portfolio by Ben Shahn contained 24 prints from the Atelier Mourlot in New York. The Munn Collection offers 7 unframed lithographs from the o...
Category

1960s American Realist Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Culture
By Ben Shahn
Located in New York, NY
Ben Shahn created this 1968 serigraph entitled “CULTURE” in black ink with red calligraphy. This is an UNSIGNED impression. Provenance; Shahn estate, private collector, The Old Print Shop...
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1960s Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Screen

Ben Shahn Original Hand Signed Litho WPA Artist Rilke Poem Lithograph Portfolio
By Ben Shahn
Located in Surfside, FL
"To Days of Childhood That are Still Unexplained". It depicts six female silhouette figures in long dresses or coats against a blue and pastel purple background. From the Rainier Ma...
Category

1950s American Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Of Light, White Sleeping Women in Childbed from the Rilke Portfolio
By Ben Shahn
Located in Mount Vernon, NY
The Rilke Portfolio by Ben Shahn contained 24 prints from the Atelier Mourlot in New York. The Munn Collection offers 7 unframed lithographs from the o...
Category

1960s American Realist Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Levana
By Ben Shahn
Located in New York, NY
This elegant Ben Shahn lithograph entitled “Levana” was created in 1966. It was printed by Gemini G. E. L., Los Angeles, California, in an editi...
Category

1960s Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

One Must Know the Animals from the Rilke Portfolio, Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, American (1898 - 1969) Title: One Must Know the Animals from the Rilke Portfolio Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph, signed in the plate Edition: 750 Size: 22.5 x 17.7...
Category

1960s Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Suzanna and the Elders
By Ben Shahn
Located in Miami, FL
A modern interpretation of the biblical story Suzanna and the Elders. Signed lower right Ink and wash on paper The Downtown Gallery Felix Landau Gallery Ernest Brown & Phillips, Ltd...
Category

1940s American Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Ink, Watercolor, Gouache, Archival Paper

Ben Shahn Original Lithograph From Portfolio - Levana & Our Ladies Of Sorrow
By Ben Shahn
Located in Surfside, FL
SCARCE EARLY WORK. BEN SHAHN Levana and our Lady's Sorrows. lithograph printed in sepia on Papier Ancien, 1931. 13 1/8x9 7/8 inches (sheets), full margins, loose as issued. One of o...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Blind Botanist
By Ben Shahn
Located in New York, NY
This 1963 lithograph, printed in color, is a fine example of Ben Shahn’s long preoccupation with the theme of the blind botanist and illustrates his con...
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Many Cities from the Rilke Portfolio, Framed Lithograph by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, American (1898 - 1969) Title: Many Cities from the Rilke Portfolio Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph on Richard de Bas, signed in the plate Edition: 750 Size: 22.5 x ...
Category

1960s Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Ben Shahn Original Lithograph From Portfolio - Levana & Our Ladies Of Sorrow
By Ben Shahn
Located in Surfside, FL
SCARCE EARLY WORK. BEN SHAHN Levana and our Lady's Sorrows. lithograph printed in sepia on Papier Ancien, 1931. 13 1/8x9 7/8 inches (sheets), full margins, loose as issued. One of o...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Ben Shahn Original Lithograph From Portfolio - Levana & Our Ladies Of Sorrow
By Ben Shahn
Located in Surfside, FL
SCARCE EARLY WORK. BEN SHAHN Levana and our Lady's Sorrows. lithograph printed in sepia on Papier Ancien, 1931. 13 1/8x9 7/8 inches (sheets), full margins, loose as issued. One of o...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

To Days of Childhood from the Rilke Portfolio, Lithograph by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, Lithuanian/American (1898 - 1969) Title: To Days of Childhood from the Rilke Portfolio Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph on Richard de Bas, signed in the plate Edition...
Category

1960s Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Many Cities from the Rilke Portfolio
By Ben Shahn
Located in Mount Vernon, NY
The Rilke Portfolio by Ben Shahn contained 24 prints from the Atelier Mourlot in New York. The Munn Collection offers 7 unframed lithographs from the o...
Category

1960s American Realist Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Ben Shahn Original Lithograph From Portfolio - Levana & Our Ladies Of Sorrow
By Ben Shahn
Located in Surfside, FL
SCARCE EARLY WORK. BEN SHAHN Levana and our Lady's Sorrows. lithograph printed in sepia on Papier Ancien, 1931. 13 1/8x9 7/8 inches (sheets), full margins, loose as issued. One of o...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Ben Shahn Original Lithograph From Portfolio - Levana & Our Ladies Of Sorrow
By Ben Shahn
Located in Surfside, FL
SCARCE EARLY WORK. BEN SHAHN Levana and our Lady's Sorrows. lithograph printed in sepia on Papier Ancien, 1931. 13 1/8x9 7/8 inches (sheets), full margins, loose as issued. One of o...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Screams of Woman in Labor
By Ben Shahn
Located in Mount Vernon, NY
The Rilke Portfolio by Ben Shahn contained 24 prints from the Atelier Mourlot in New York. The Munn Collection offers 7 unframed lithographs from the o...
Category

1960s American Realist Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Partings Long Seen Coming from the Rilke Portfolio
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, American (1898 - 1969) Title: Partings Long Seen Coming from the Rilke Portfolio Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph on Richard de Bas, si...
Category

1960s American Realist Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Memories of Many Nights of Love from the Rilke Portfolio
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, Lithuanian/American (1898 - 1969) Title: Memories of Many Nights of Love from the Rilke Portfolio Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph on Richard de Bas, printed signatur...
Category

1960s American Realist Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Skowhegan, Wood Engraving by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, Lithuanian/American (1898 - 1969) Title: Skowhegan Year: 1965 Medium: Wood Engraving, signed in pencil Edition: 200 (unnumbered) Image Size: 9 x 8 inches Size: 16 ...
Category

1960s American Realist Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Woodcut

Halleluja Portfolio by Ben Shahn, 24 Lithographs in Portfolio Case
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
The Hallelelujah Portfolio by Ben Shahn Illustrating the 150th Psalm from the Old Testament of the Holy Bible. Including an introduction by Bernarda Bryson Shahn and with a letter f...
Category

1970s Expressionist Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Paris Review, Lithograph by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, American (1898 - 1969) Title: Paris Review Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph on Arches, Signed in black crayon, numbered in pencil Edition: 200 Paper Size: 39 x 26 in....
Category

1960s American Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

IMMIGRANT FAMILY
By Ben Shahn
Located in Portland, ME
Shahn, Ben. IMMIGRANT FAMILY. Serigraph, 1941. Prescott 2. Edition size unknown; Prescott knew of only 3. This copy unsigned. 11 1/2 x 18 inches (image), 19 1/4 x 25 1/4 (sheet), fra...
Category

1940s Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Screen

Beside the Dying from the Rilke Portfolio, Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, American (1898 - 1969) Title: Beside the Dying from the Rilke Portfolio Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph, signed in the plate Edition: 750 Size: 22.5 x 17.75 in. (57...
Category

1960s Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Beside the Dead from the Rilke Portfolio, Lithograph by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, American (1898 - 1969) Title: Beside the Dead from the Rilke Portfolio Year: 1968 Medium: Lithograph, signed in the plate Edition: 750 Size: 22.5 x 17.75 in. (57....
Category

1960s Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Nurse and Patient, Original Drawing by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ben Shahn, American (1898 - 1969) Title: Nurse Medium: Pencil on Paper, signed l.r. Image Size: 7 x 5 inches Frame Size: 15 x 13 inches
Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Graphite

"Two Days of Childhood That are Still Unexplained, " Litho signed by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Two Days of Childhood That are Still Unexplained" from "For the Sake of a Single Verse" is an original lithograph signed in the lower right by the artist Ben Shahn. It depicts six female figures in long coats. One group is silhouetted in blue and the other in a pastel purple. 22 1/2" x 17 5/8" art 32 3/4" x 28" frame Ben Shahn (American, September 12, 1898 - March 14, 1969) was a painter, lithographer, and photographer best known for his left-wing political leanings, works of social realism, and The Shape of Content, a publication of his lectures. Shahn was born in Kovno, Lithuania, when the country was still occupied by the Russian Empire. In 1902, Shahn's father, Joshua Hessel, was exiled to Siberia. Shahn then moved to Vilkomir, Lithuania, with his mother, Gittel, and his two siblings. Their family moved to the United States in 1906 to join their father who had fled from exile. After settling in Brooklyn, NY, Shahn began to train in lithography and graphic design, and his favorite medium was egg tempera. In 1919, Shahn enrolled in New York University to study Biology before entering the City College in 1921 to study Art. He also studied Art at the National Academy of Design. In the 1920s, Shahn and his wife traveled around Africa and Europe to study the works of renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881- 1973) and Raoul Dufy (French, 1877-1953). In 1933, Shahn worked as an assistant of Diego Rivera (Mexican, 1886 - 1957); at this time, Rivera was working on the mural at the Rockefeller Center in New York. Two years later, Shahn was recommended by Walker Evans (American, 1903 - 1975) to join the Farm Security Administration photographic group. One of the artist’s most famous works is the fresco mural he did for the Jersey Homesteads' community center. Shahn also worked on murals for the state on the Federal Security Building and the Bronx Central Annex Post Office. During the Second World War, Shahn made a series of paintings laced...
Category

1960s American Modern Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

PORTRAIT OF SACCO AND VANZETTI.
By Ben Shahn
Located in Portland, ME
Shahn, Ben. PORTRAIT OF SACCO AND VANZETTI. P.32. Serigraph in black, 1958. Edition unspecified; Prescott knew of 55 copies. Printed on Japan paper...
Category

Mid-20th Century Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Screen

"Beside the Dying, " an Original Lithograph signed by Ben Shahn
By Ben Shahn
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Beside the Dying" is an original signed lithograph by Ben Shahn. This print is from the series "For the Sake of a Single Verse" and depicts the head of a man in dark gray seemingly asleep or dead on a white background. It is signed lower right and is edition 27/200. 22" x 17" art 32 3/8" x 27 3/8" frame Ben Shahn (American, September 12, 1898 - March 14, 1969) was a painter, lithographer, and photographer best known for his left-wing political leanings, works of social realism, and The Shape of Content, a publication of his lectures. Shahn was born in Kovno, Lithuania, when the country was still occupied by the Russian Empire. In 1902, Shahn's father, Joshua Hessel, was exiled to Siberia. Shahn then moved to Vilkomir, Lithuania, with his mother, Gittel, and his two siblings. Their family moved to the United States in 1906 to join their father who had fled from exile. After settling in Brooklyn, NY, Shahn began to train in lithography and graphic design, and his favorite medium was egg tempera. In 1919, Shahn enrolled in New York University to study Biology before entering the City College in 1921 to study Art. He also studied Art at the National Academy of Design. In the 1920s, Shahn and his wife traveled around Africa and Europe to study the works of renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881- 1973) and Raoul Dufy (French, 1877-1953). In 1933, Shahn worked as an assistant of Diego Rivera (Mexican, 1886 - 1957); at this time, Rivera was working on the mural at the Rockefeller Center in New York. Two years later, Shahn was recommended by Walker Evans (American, 1903 - 1975) to join the Farm Security Administration photographic group. One of the artist’s most famous works is the fresco mural he did for the Jersey Homesteads' community center. Shahn also worked on murals for the state on the Federal Security Building and the Bronx Central Annex Post Office. During the Second World War, Shahn made a series of paintings laced...
Category

1960s Ben Shahn Art

Materials

Lithograph

Ben Shahn art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Ben Shahn art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Ben Shahn in lithograph, screen print, silver gelatin print and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Ben Shahn art, so small editions measuring 8 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Chaim Gross, André Minaux, and Renato Guttuso. Ben Shahn art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $100 and tops out at $40,000, while the average work can sell for $750.
Questions About Ben Shahn Art
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
    Miner's Wives is a Social realist painting, a piece of art intended to make a statement about society by depicting everyday people. Ben Shahn produced the work in tempera on a panel in 1948. On 1stDibs, find a selection of Ben Shahn art.
  • 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 7, 2024
    The style of art of Ben Shahn is social realism. Artists working in this movement sought to highlight social issues by depicting scenes that showed the struggles of modern-day life. For example, Shahn produced four paintings and more than 100 drawings inspired by a 1947 mining accident that killed 111 people in Centralia, Illinois. Arguably the most famous of these works is Miner's Wives, which shows the widows of the miners in mourning. On 1stDibs, shop a variety of Ben Shahn art.

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