Charles Turzak Art

Charles Turzak, 'Michigan Avenue Bridge', 1929, woodcut, edition 50. Signed, titled, and numbered '27/50' in pencil. Signed in the block, upper left. A fine, black impression, on cream Japan paper, with full margins (1 5/8 to 2 1/4 inches), in excellent condition. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Scarce. Collection: National Gallery of Art. ABOUT THE ARTIST Charles Turzak was born in Streator, Illinois, the third child and only son of Czechoslovakian immigrant parents. His father was a coal miner who worked long days, and the many chores of daily life occupied Turzak’s boyhood years. When he completed his duties, he retired to do what he most enjoyed—the careful carving of miniature animals from peach seeds, which he would sell for pennies. Turzak learned woodworking from a neighbor, an English cabinet maker, and soon apprenticed for making violins. He drew cartoons for his school's yearbook and sale bills for local merchants. In 1920, he won a cartoon contest sponsored by the Purina Company in St. Louis, Missouri, which helped him earn entrance to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He excelled in drawing and woodcarving and gained membership in Delta Phi Delta, an honorary art fraternity. He supported himself through freelance advertising, selling insurance, and teaching a class in woodcut and wood engraving at the Academy of Fine Arts. By the late 1920s, he had gained recognition from exhibiting and selling prints of Northwestern University and Chicago landmarks such as the Chicago Water Tower, Tribune Tower, and Buckingham Fountain, as well as watercolors of steel mills, boats, harbors, skylines, woodlands, parks, and still life subjects. In 1929 he traveled to Europe to study the works of the masters firsthand, visiting England, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and France. He returned to the United States just as the Great Depression was taking hold of the country. During this severe economic downturn, Turzak created woodcut biographies of notable Americans—his first edition on Abraham Lincoln sold so well at the Century of Progress International Exhibition (Chicago World’s Fair...

Charles Turzak, 'Merchandise Mart', 1931, woodcut, edition 50. Signed, titled, and numbered '33/50' in pencil. Signed in the block, lower right. A fine, black impression, on cream Japan paper, with full margins (1 3/4 to 3 inches), in very good condition. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Scarce. Collections: Art Institute of Chicago, Hubbard Fund, Library of Congress, Newark Museum. ABOUT THE ARTIST Charles Turzak was born in Streator, Illinois, the third child and only son of Czechoslovakian immigrant parents. His father was a coal miner who worked long days, and the many chores of daily life occupied Turzak’s boyhood years. When he completed his duties, he retired to do what he most enjoyed—the careful carving of miniature animals from peach seeds, which he would sell for pennies. Turzak learned woodworking from a neighbor, an English cabinet maker, and soon apprenticed for making violins. He drew cartoons for his school's yearbook and sale bills for local merchants. In 1920, he won a cartoon contest sponsored by the Purina Company in St. Louis, Missouri, which helped him earn entrance to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He excelled in drawing and woodcarving and gained membership in Delta Phi Delta, an honorary art fraternity. He supported himself through freelance advertising, selling insurance, and teaching a class in woodcut and wood engraving at the Academy of Fine Arts. By the late 1920s, he had gained recognition from exhibiting and selling prints of Northwestern University and Chicago landmarks such as the Chicago Water Tower...

Charles Turzak, 'The Kiss', 1932, wood engraving, edition 100. Signed, titled and numbered '70/100' in pencil. A fine, black impression, on cream Japan paper,...

Charles Turzak, Loop Alley (Chicago), color woodcut, edition c. 25, c. 1935. Signed and titled in pencil. A fine, richly-inked impression, with fresh colors, on cream wove Japan pape...

A dramatic, period Chicago cityscape, in the artist's art deco inspired signature style. A brilliant black impression, the full sheet with margins (...