Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 7

Nicholas Sperakis
"Standing Figure, " Nicholas Sperakis, Rhino Horn Group, American Realist

About the Item

Nicholas George Sperakis (American, b. 1943) Standing Figure, n.d. Oil and paper on canvas 60 x 42 inches Signed and titled on the reverse Nicholas Sperakis, the youngest of the original Rhino Horn artists, was born in New York City. He decided to become an artist when he was nine, upon his first visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, during which he saw a portrait of a soldier holding his helmet by Rembrandt. Sperakis studied on scholarships at the Art Students League from 1961 to 1963, at the Pratt Graphics Art Center from 1960 to 1963, and at the National Academy of Design from 1960 to 1961. In 1963, Sperakis exhibited in the Annual Print Exhibition of Mercy Hurst College in Pennsylvania and won the First Prize Purchase Award. He also had his first one-man exhibition at the Paul Kessler Gallery in Provincetown. In 1964 he was elected into the Society of American Graphic Artists and his work was exhibited in the Brooklyn Museum Print Biennial as well as among the New Acquisitions at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Provincetown. In 1969, Sperakis and six other artistic colleagues (Ken Bowman, Peter Dean, Michael Fauebach, Jay Milder, Peter Passuntino, and Benny Andrews) formed Rhino Horn, an art collective that maintained figurative and politically themed art when abstraction and minimalism were trending in in galleries and museums.
More From This SellerView All
  • "Tully Lumber Mill, Orange, Massachusetts, " Dorothy Eaton, WPA Factory Rural
    Located in New York, NY
    Dorothy Eaton Tully Lumber Mill, Orange, Massachusetts, 1935 Signed and dated lower right Oil on canvas 17 1/2 x 23 1/2 inches Dorothy Eaton was born in East Orange, New Jersey in 1893. She studied at Smith College...
    Category

    1930s American Realist Landscape Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • "Playground, Carl Schurz Park" George Picken, New York City, East River, UES WPA
    By George Picken
    Located in New York, NY
    George Picken Playground, Carl Schurz Park, 1938 Signed and dated lower left Oil on canvas 28 x 36 inches Provenance: Estate of the artist A native New Yorker, George Picken was born in 1898. His father, an artist and photographer, emigrated from Scotland; his mother came from Wales. They joined other European immigrants settling in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen. Picken enlisted in the army during World War I and saw action at Verdun. After the war, he stayed in France and like many Americans returning from the vibrant Paris art scene, was inspired by the radical movement known as Impressionism. Upon his return Picken decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and become an artist. George began his studies in 1919 at the Art Students League during Robert Henri, Max Weber, and John Sloan’s tenure. There he took classes in studio art, illustration, and etching through 1923 studying extensively with George Bridgman. The writings of French philosopher Henri Bergson were widely circulated among the artistic community and looking at Picken’s early paintings one cannot help but wonder if as a young artist he was influenced by Bergson’s ideas. Bergson said, "[There are] two profoundly different ways of knowing a thing. The first implies that we move round the object; the second that we enter into it. The first depends on the point of view at which we are placed and on the symbols by which we express ourselves. The second neither depends on a point of view nor relies on any symbol. The first kind of knowledge may be said to stop at the relative; the second, in those cases where it is possible, to attain the absolute.” Picken’s recognition came early with showings of his work while he was a student. His drawings were published in the New Masses, a significant left-wing publication. The New York Public Library honored him with one-man shows in 1924 and 1928 and his work was included in group exhibitions at the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, the Whitney Studio Club, Montross Gallery, and the Art Students League. During this time Picken married Viola Carton, one of Reginald Marsh’s models, and they lived in Westchester. Later they moved to Yorkville in Manhattan between 82nd street and East End Avenue where they began their family. Picken’s grandson Niles Jaeger recalled that, “Grandpa’s home and studio were in a five-story walk-up apartment, heated only by a coal stove. But there were wonderful views of the East River and the Queensborough Bridge...
    Category

    1930s American Realist Landscape Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • "Clowns: Aren't We All?" Henry Glintenkamp, WPA Era Circus Figures, Modern
    By Hendrik Glintenkamp
    Located in New York, NY
    Hendrik (Henry) J Glintenkamp Clowns: Aren't We All?, 1942 Signed lower left; signed, titled and dated on the reverse Oil on Masonite 20 x 16 inches The painter and illustrator Henr...
    Category

    1940s American Realist Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Masonite, Oil

  • "Three Engineers, " Albert Pels, Men at Table with Compass, WPA, American Realism
    By Albert Pels
    Located in New York, NY
    Albert Pels (1910 - 1998) Three Engineers, circa 1935 Oil on board 10 x 13 1/2 inches Signed lower right Albert Pels was an art educator and painter of figures, genre scenes, urban ...
    Category

    1930s American Realist Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Oil, Board

  • "Senator" William Gropper, Social Realism, WPA Political Art, Caricature
    By William Gropper
    Located in New York, NY
    William Gropper Senator Signed lower center Oil on board 16 x 12 1/4 inches ACA Galleries, New York Private Collection, New York Bonhams, American Art Online, August 23, 2023, Lot 3...
    Category

    Mid-20th Century American Realist Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Oil, Board

  • "Woman Listening, " Honore Sharrer, Magical Realism Landscape with Flora & Figure
    By Honore Sharrer
    Located in New York, NY
    Honore Sharrer (1920 - 2009) Woman Listening Signed lower right Caseine on paper 15 x 20 inches Provenance: Forum Gallery, New York Private Collection ...
    Category

    Late 20th Century American Realist Landscape Paintings

    Materials

    Paper, Casein

You May Also Like
  • In the Studio, Large Painting by John Winslow
    Located in Long Island City, NY
    A large (48 x 48 inch) painting of a scene in the art studio by American artist John Winslow (1938 - ).
    Category

    1970s American Realist Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Pink Flower Blossoms, Oil Painting on Canvas by Florence Hasenflug
    By Florence Hasenflug
    Located in Long Island City, NY
    Artist: Florence Hasenflug, American (1914 - 2010) Title: Pink Flower Blossoms Year: circa 1970 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.r. and verso Size: 44 x 66 in. (111.76 x 167.64 cm) Fr...
    Category

    1970s American Realist Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Four Generations, Landscape and Figures by Female American Realist Artist
    Located in Doylestown, PA
    "Four Generations" is a 30 x 40 inches landscape with figures and animals, painted by female, American Realist painter, Molly Luce. The painting is signed M...
    Category

    1940s American Realist Landscape Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • Circus Acrobats - ( Friends with Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo )
    Located in Miami, FL
    As they take center stage, four acrobats are depicted, forming an architectural structure composed of contorted human bodies. The small gallery of onlookers displays a variety of ex...
    Category

    1930s American Realist Figurative Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • "The Next Stage of Your Journey", Oil Painting
    By Christopher Clark 1
    Located in Denver, CO
    Christopher Clark's (US based) "The Next Stage of Your Journey" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a split rail fence among a meadow of tall grasses leading to am autumn colored forest in the background. Bio/artist statement: Christopher has been an artist since early childhood, when he would watch Bob Ross on PBS and mimic the famed oil painter’s art with crayons. He considers himself a self-educated artist, with his studies ranging from personal training with contemporary masters, to classical academic art technique, with much inspiration from 19th Century art and the Impressionist Movement. Christopher lived in Italy for a time, immersing himself in Italian culture and art, which continues to influence his painting. His fan base has grown considerably since his return to the US, gaining the attention of Lucasfilm and Marvel Fine Art, which both signed him as an officially licensed artist in 2016. Other clients include George Lucas, Major League Baseball, Louisville Slugger, and Fender Guitars. Christopher’s painting skills are not his only talent in the arts. He has won several national swing dance championship competitions, and also studies tango and blues dancing. He has played guitar since the age of 12, and during his time as lead guitarist for a rock band, he opened for Blue Oyster Cult and Eddie Money, as well as headlined “the Whisky A Go Go” and “The Roxy” in Hollywood. Christopher has played trombone since high school, and for the last 20 years has played with all-trombone Christmas band in Orange County, California called the Balboa Bachelors, with whom he has played for the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade...
    Category

    2010s American Realist Landscape Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

  • "Looking for Breakfast", Oil Painting
    By Christopher Clark 1
    Located in Denver, CO
    Christopher Clark's (US based) "Looking for Breakfast" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a bird perched in a flooded grassy field. Bio/artist statement: Christopher has been an artist since early childhood, when he would watch Bob Ross on PBS and mimic the famed oil painter’s art with crayons. He considers himself a self-educated artist, with his studies ranging from personal training with contemporary masters, to classical academic art technique, with much inspiration from 19th Century art and the Impressionist Movement. Christopher lived in Italy for a time, immersing himself in Italian culture and art, which continues to influence his painting. His fan base has grown considerably since his return to the US, gaining the attention of Lucasfilm and Marvel Fine Art, which both signed him as an officially licensed artist in 2016. Other clients include George Lucas, Major League Baseball, Louisville Slugger...
    Category

    2010s American Realist Animal Paintings

    Materials

    Canvas, Oil

Recently Viewed

View All