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Emil Bisttram
Transcendental Abstract Pastel Drawing, 1930s Framed Abstract Geometric Drawing

1939

About the Item

Original vintage 1939 transcendentalist painting by early New Mexico artist, Emil Bisttram (1895-1976) with a stylized cross motif in colors of Pink, Blue, Gold & White. Presented in a custom frame, outer dimensions are 25 ½ x 21 ½ inches. Image measures 13 x 10 ½ inches (sight). Drawing is clean and in very good vintage condition - please contact us for a complete condition report. Expedited and international shipping is available - please contact us for a quote. About the Artist: Emil Bisttram grew up in the tenements of New York City after his family emigrated from Hungary when he was a young boy. Bisttram studied at Cooper Union, the National Academy of Design, and at the New York School of Fine and Applied Art. During his training, Emil studied under Ivan Olinsky, Leon Kroll, Howard Giles, and Jay Hambidge. Bisttram later taught at the New York School of Fine and Applied Art, Parson's School of Design, and at the Master Institute of the Roerich Museum in New York. Bisttram opened the nation's first freelance advertising art agency by the age of twenty-one. However, he soon abandoned the business in pursuit of a career in Fine Art. In 1930, the artist made his first visit to Taos, New Mexico, where he reportedly found himself "blocked" by the open spaces, intense light, and color that define the region. In 1931, he traveled to Mexico where he studied mural painting with Diego Rivera on a Guggenheim Fellowship. While Emil was in Mexico, his wife lived in Taos where the couple established permanent residence upon his return. In Taos, Bisttram opened the area's first commercial art gallery, the Heptagon Gallery. He also founded the avante-garde Taos School of Art, later known as the Bisttram School of Fine Art. In 1934, Bisttram was among artists selected to paint murals for the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.). While commissioned by the W.P.A., Bisttram worked on murals in the County Courthouse in Taos and he completed a mural in the Justice Department Building in Washington, D.C. Although he continued with representational painting, much of Bisttram's work in the late 1930's became increasingly abstract. Along with Raymond Jonson and seven other artists, Bisttram founded the Transcendental Painting Group in 1938. The group's goal was to "carry painting beyond the appearance of the physical world." ©David Cook Galleries, LLC
  • Creator:
    Emil Bisttram (1895 - 1976, American, Hungarian)
  • Creation Year:
    1939
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 25.38 in (64.47 cm)Width: 21.5 in (54.61 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    very good to excellent vintage condition.
  • Gallery Location:
    Denver, CO
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: DCG-130731stDibs: LU273547452
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