Early 20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

An interesting and highly decorative chalk drawing by Edvard Andersson, 1929. Drawn on a quite large scale. Signed and dated EA, 1929. A tergo written "Hermes". The drawing is exec...

Hand signed lower left: “Depero”. Certificate of authenticity by the Archive of Fortunato Depero. In 1929, Fortunato Depero realized some proposals for internal illustrations of t...

An interesting and highly decorative chalk drawing by Edvard Andersson, 1929. Drawn on a quite large scale. Signed and dated EA, 1929. A tergo written "Kinesisk dikt" (Chinese Poem) ...

Attributed to Marc Chagall – “L’Homme à la Lampe” Ink Drawing on paper/ card Documented History - Christie’s South Kensington Ltd Auction Estimate: £4,000 in April 2001 L’Homme à...

"Abstract Cityscape" NYC Early 20th Century American Scene Social Realism Ashcan Abraham Walkowitz (American, 1878-1965) Abstract Cityscape Sight: 6 1/4' x 8 1/2 inches Mixed media...

Untitled Pastel on paper, 1922 Signed with the artist's initials in pencil Provenance: Estate of the artist Francis M. Nauman (label) Private collection, NY A very early abstract/cubist work by Kelly. Created while the artist was studying with Arthur Carles in Philadelphia. Leon Kelly (October 21, 1901 – June 28, 1982) was an American artist born in Philadelphia, PA. He is most well known for his contributions to American Surrealism, but his work also encompassed styles such as Cubism, Social Realism, and Abstraction. Reclusive by nature, a character trait that became more exaggerated in the 1940s and later, Kelly's work reflects his determination not to be limited by the trends of his time. His large output of paintings is complemented by a prolific number of drawings that span his career of 50 years. Some of the collections where his work is represented are: The Metropolitan Museum in New York, The Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Boston Public Library. Biography Kelly was born in 1901 at home at 1533 Newkirk Street, Philadelphia, PA. He was the only child of Elizabeth (née Stevenson) and Pantaleon L. Kelly. The family resided in Philadelphia where Pantaleon and two of his cousins owned Kelly Brothers, a successful tailoring business. The prosperity of the firm enabled his father to purchase a 144-acre farm in Bucks County PA in 1902, which he named "Rural Retreat" It was here that Pantaleon took Leon to spend every weekend away from the pressures of business and from the disappointments in his failing marriage. Idyllic and peaceful memories of the farm stayed with Leon and embued his work with a love of nature that emerged later in the Lunar Series, in Return and Departure, and in the insect imagery of his Surrealist work. "If anything," he once said,"I am a Pantheist and see a spirit in everything, the grass, the rocks, everything." At thirteen, Leon left school and began private painting lessons with Albert Jean Adolphe, a teacher at the School of Industrial Art (now the University of the Arts) in Philadelphia. He learned technique by copying the works of the old masters and visiting the Philadelphia Zoo, where he would draw animals. Drawings done in 1916 and 1917 of elephants, snakes and antelope, as well as copies of old master paintings by Holbein and Michelangelo, heralded an impressive emerging talent. In 1917, he studied sculpture with Alexander Portnoff but his studies came to an abrupt halt with the start of World War I. Being too young to enlist, he joined the Quartermaster Corp at the Army Depot in Philadelphia, where he served for more than a year loading ships with supplies and, along with other artists, working on drawings for camouflage. By 1920, the family's fortunes drastically changed. His father's business had failed due to the introduction of ready made clothing and his marriage, unhappy from the beginning, dissolved. Broken by circumstance Pantaleon left Philadelphia to begin a wandering existence looking for work leaving Leon to support his mother and grandmother. He found a job in 1920 at the Freihofer Baking Company where he worked nights for the next four years. Under these circumstances Leon continued to develop his skills in drawing and painting and learned of the revolutionary developments in art that were taking place in Paris. During the day he was granted permission to study anatomy at the Philadelphia School of Osteopathy where he dissected a cadaver and perfected his knowledge of the human figure. He also met and studied etching with Earl Horter, a well known illustrator, who had amassed a significant collection of modern art which included work by Brancusi, Matisse, and Cubist works by Picasso and Braque. Among the artists around Horter was Arthur Carles, a charismatic and controversial painter who taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Leon enrolled in the Academy in 1922, becoming what Carles described as, "his best student". In the next three years Leon work ranged from academic studies of plaster casts, to pointillism, to landscapes of Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, as well as a series of pastels showing influences from Matisse to Picasso. Clearly influenced by Earl Horter's collection and Arthur Carles he mastered analytical cubism in works such as The Three Pears, 1923 and 1925 experimented with Purism in Moon Behind the Italian House. In 1925 Kelly was awarded a Cresson Scholarship and on June 14 he left for Europe. Paris The first trip to Europe lasted for approximately three and a half months and introduced Kelly to a culture and place where he felt he belonged. Though he returned to the Academy in the Fall, he left for Europe again a few months later to begin a four-year stay in Paris. He moved into an apartment at 19 rue Daguerre in Paris and began an existence intellectually rich but in creature comforts, very poor. "I kept a cinderblock over the drain in the kitchen sink to keep the rats out of the apartment" he once explained. He frequented the cafes making acquaintances with Henry Miller, James Joyce and the critic Félix Fénéon as well as others. His days were split between copying old master paintings in the Louvre and pursuing modernist ideas that were swirling through the work of all the artists around him. The Lake, 1926 and Interior of the Studio, 1927, now in the Newark Museum. Patrons during this time were the police official Leon Zamaran, a collector of Courbets, Lautrecs and others, who began collecting Kelly's work. Another was Alfred Barnes of the Barnes Collection in Philadelphia. In 1929 Kelly married a young French woman, Henriette D'Erfurth. She appears frequently in paintings and drawings done between 1928 and the early 1930s. Philadelphia The stock market crash of 1929 made it impossible to continue living in Paris and Kelly and Henriette returned to Philadelphia in 1930. He rented a studio on Thompson Street and began working and participating in shows in the city's galleries. Work from 1930 to 1940 showed continuing influences and experimentation with the themes and techniques acquired in Paris as well as a brief foray into Social Realism. The Little Gallery of Contemporary Art purchased the Absinthe Drinker...

"Der Hafen von Plit" is a drawing by Paul Klee. The drawing is signed lower left, "Klee". The framed piece measures 25 1/4 x 30 1/2 x 1 3/8 in. Paul Klee was one of the most import...

Composition No. 12 Gouache on paper, c. 1926 Signed lower right: “Urban Weis” (see photo) Condition: Excellent Image: 16 5/8 x 10 5/8" Frame: 21 1/2 x 15 5/8" Provenance: Dudensing G...

Untitled (Brown and Blue Shapes) Gouache and watercolor 18.25 x 11.62 inches Framed: 32.5 x 26 inches

Unsigned. Presented in a contemporary white frame. On paper.

The Eiffel in Colors is an Original drawing in watercolor realized by Yves Alix (1899-1971). Hand- signed on the lower left. Good conditions.

Unsigned. Presented in a white contemporary frame. On paper.

Unsigned. Presented in a contemporary white frame. On paper.

Charles Burchfield Drawing Study Graphite on paper 5 1/2 x 8 inches Charles Ephraim Burchfield (1893–1967) was an American painter, best known for his watercolor landscapes. Burchfi...

Donald Stacy "Abstract #4" c.1950s Ink & Gouache on paper 10.5x19.5" brown, ripple, wood frame 11.5”x1”x20.75” Signed in pencil lower right with label on reverse Came from artist's e...

Futurist Composition is an original pastel drawing realized in the beginning of XX century by Anonymous futurist artist Mixed colored pastels on plywood. Includes a very beautiful...

Genevive Moreau (French, fl. early Twentieth Century) Design for Fabric - Triangles in Green, Blue and Terracotta (c. 1925) Gouache 22 x 16 cm Signed in pencil; from a small portfol...

Modern orange, brown, yellow, and black geometric abstract composition by textile designer John Little. The work was created as a proposed design for a wallpaper and features the original color codes in the front lower left corner. Currently hung in a solid black frame with a large white margin. Dimensions Without Frame: H 35.5 in. x W 33.5 in. Artist Biography: A painter and textile designer, John Little is best known for gestural works filled with boldly explosive color that reflect the influences of his teacher Hans Hofmann and for his involvement in the Abstract Expressionist movement in East Hampton, where he moved in the late 1940s. In East Hampton Little congregated with Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, and the other artists who were the leading innovators in the New York School. John Little was born in Sanford, Alabama. He left home at the age of fourteen to become an artist, and moved to Buffalo, New York, in 1923. After spending a year working as a stevedore on the docks to save money, he enrolled at the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy and developed an interest in singing. In 1927 he moved to New York City where he continued his vocal work and studied operatic literature. He also became involved in textile design, opening his own store in 1920, called John Little Studios: Fabric and Wallpaper Design. He ran the store until 1950. In 1933 John Little resumed his painting studies at the Art Students League in New York under the guidance of George Grosz (1893-1959). The following year he made his first visit to East Hampton, Long Island, which he would eventually call home. Later in the decade, he traveled to Paris where he became familiar with European modernism. On his return to America, he taught textile design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He hired Josephine Watkins to work for him; she later became his wife. Little's textile store and teaching job gave him a financial security that was rare during the Depression, and he never found it necessary to find employment with the Works Progress Administration. At the end of the decade, John Little studied with Hans Hofmann (1880-1966) in New York and Provincetown. Little was greatly influenced by Hofmann, particularly by his views on color theory. In 1942 John Little joined the Navy as an aerial photographer. In the late 1940s he purchased a rundown house on Three Mile Harbor...

Plastic dynamism, Blac,white Futurism, Speed ALFREDO GAURO AMBROSI (Rome 1901 – Verona 1945) Painter of the second Futurism, he is mainly dedicated to aeropainting. His most famous work is the Air-Portrait of Mussolini the aviator...

Modern light blue, brown, and black geometric abstract circle pattern painting by textile designer John Little. The work was created as a proposed design for a wallpaper and features the original color codes in the front lower left corner. Currently hung in a solid black frame with a large white margin. Dimensions Without Frame: H 32.75 in. x W 35.63 in. Artist Biography: A painter and textile designer, John Little is best known for gestural works filled with boldly explosive color that reflect the influences of his teacher Hans Hofmann and for his involvement in the Abstract Expressionist movement in East Hampton, where he moved in the late 1940s. In East Hampton Little congregated with Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, and the other artists who were the leading innovators in the New York School. John Little was born in Sanford, Alabama. He left home at the age of fourteen to become an artist, and moved to Buffalo, New York, in 1923. After spending a year working as a stevedore on the docks to save money, he enrolled at the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy and developed an interest in singing. In 1927 he moved to New York City where he continued his vocal work and studied operatic literature. He also became involved in textile design, opening his own store in 1920, called John Little Studios: Fabric and Wallpaper Design. He ran the store until 1950. In 1933 John Little resumed his painting studies at the Art Students League in New York under the guidance of George Grosz (1893-1959). The following year he made his first visit to East Hampton, Long Island, which he would eventually call home. Later in the decade, he traveled to Paris where he became familiar with European modernism. On his return to America, he taught textile design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He hired Josephine Watkins to work for him; she later became his wife. Little's textile store and teaching job gave him a financial security that was rare during the Depression, and he never found it necessary to find employment with the Works Progress Administration. At the end of the decade, John Little studied with Hans Hofmann (1880-1966) in New York and Provincetown. Little was greatly influenced by Hofmann, particularly by his views on color theory. In 1942 John Little joined the Navy as an aerial photographer. In the late 1940s he purchased a rundown house on Three Mile Harbor...

Paul Colin (1892–1986), a painter, illustrator, set designer, and major poster artist of the 20th century, is renowned for his influence on Art Deco. He grew up in Nancy, a hub of av...

September Morning: The First Ferry. 1929. Watercolor. 10 1/8 x 13 (image and sheet). Provenance: The Fine Art Society, London. A misty, impressionist watercolor on French papier ved...

A drawing by Alexander Calder. "Tornado in Space" is a Post-War abstract drawing, ink on paper in black and white by artist Alexander Calder. The artwork is s...

Nikolai Suetin (Russian: Николай Суетин; 25 October 1897 – 22 January 1954) was a Russian Suprematist artist. He worked as a graphic artist, a designer, and a ceramics painter. Suet...

Abraham Walkowitz, Untitled (Figurative Abstraction of Isadora Duncan #7), pencil, 1918. Signed and dated in pencil, bottom center. A fine, spon...

Untitled Graphite on paper, 1930 Signed and dated upper right (see photo) Exhibited: Francis Nauman, Leon Kelly: Draftsman Extraordinaire, New York, April 4 - May 23, 2014. (label) C...

A Sandstorm on the Little Colorado River, Arizona. 1920. Watercolor on watercolor board. Study for Seeber 189. 10 3/8 x 14 1/4. Signed lower left; titled verso. An exquisitely subtl...

Survage,Cubism,1915,france Leopold Survage ( 1879-1968) Work signed lower right Provenance : Gallerie Zlotowski Paris Galerie Guillermo de Osma ,Madrid Private collection In Madrid...

ENZO BENEDETTO 1905-1993 Reggio Calabria 1905-1993 Rome (Italian) Title: Untitled [Biplane] Senza titolo [Biplano], 1925/26 Technique: Signed Waterco...

Hand signed lower right: “F. Depero”. Certificate of authenticity by the Archive of Fortunato Depero. There are different versions of drafts that the Italian artist Fortunato Depero realized before the final Collage poster...

Exceptional rare sketch by American modernist Oscar Bluemner. Very, very good condition. Framed beautifully.

Untitled Pastel on paper, 1922 Initialed lower right (see photo) Exhibited: Francis Nauman, Leon Kelly: Draftsman Extraordinaire, New York, April 4 - May 23, 2014. Condition: excellent Image size: 11 8 7/8 inches Frame size: 18 1/4 x 16 1/4 inches Provenance: Estate of the artist The Orange Chicken...

This soft and inviting work is the first in a series of abstractions. Walkowitz utilises innovative drawing techniques, the side of the pencil becomes a valuable tool in creating a b...

Bellissimo studio costruttivista per costume teatrale Kostantin Vialov Pittore, grafico, scenografo, artista di arti decorative e applicate. Uno dei principali artisti sovietici deg...

This soft and inviting work is the second in a series of abstractions by Walkowitz. Containing a central sequence of wavey lines and a singular circle, it evokes a feelings of joy in...

Charles Burchfield, 1893-1967 Wallpaper Design No.2, 1922-28 Watercolor and gouache on paper

Abstract composition is an artwork realized by Pascal, in 1960.  Watercolour, 13 x 10 cm. Handsigned in the lower right margin. Good conditions

In ‘Untitled’ 1932, Walkowitz crafts a memorable image. Tessellating lines are centred on the page and form geometric shapes. Faint pencil marking reveal the artists forward planning...

A gritty New York City street scene with period Roaring Twenties Cars and stuffed metal garbage cans is depicted by female artist Ruth Light Braun. ...

Abstract Composition is an original drawing in mixed media on ivory-colored paper, realized by Jean Delpech (1916-1988). The state of preservation of the artwork is good. Not signe...

Dimensions: 25.5 X 20.5 Frame. Artwork measures 23.25 X 18.25 Tempera painting Signed by the artist, lower right corner Ksenia Vladimirovna Ender ( Russian Ксения Владимировна Эндер , also Xenia Ender and Kseniia Ender. born 1895 in Sluzk , died 1955...

Composition 23 is an original drawing in tempera realized by Clément Kons (1879-1956). Very good conditions and mounted on a cardboard (46x49). Image Di...

Jacques Villon, born Gaston Émile Duchamp on July 31, 1875, in Damville, France, was a pivotal figure in the development of modern art. As the elder brother of Marcel Duchamp, Raymond Duchamp-Villon, and Suzanne Duchamp-Crotti, Villon was part of a family that profoundly influenced 20th-century art. He adopted the pseudonym Jacques Villon to distinguish himself from his siblings, and began his career as a cartoonist and illustrator. Villon's contributions to modern art were acknowledged internationally, with exhibitions at prestigious venues such as the Salon d'Automne, the Salon des Indépendants, and the Armory Show in New York in 1913. His work influenced the trajectory of abstract art, and his legacy is celebrated in numerous museums and collections worldwide. While this drawing isnt common of his bolder cubist style, it shows his skill in sketching and shapes which add a dimension to the abstract nature of this automobile drawing...

Jean Carlu (French, 1900-1997) "Breaking the Chains" Original Charcoal on Paper c.1920s Rare original work by noted French poster artist Jean Carlu. A fine example of his interest ...

Untitled Fabric Design Gouache on paper, 1920-1930 Signed with the Atelier Stamp verso (see photo) Numbered with the Atelier Litt Archive number verso (see photo) Condition: E...

William Heath Robinson (British, 1872-1944) 'The Friendly Dog' Signed 'W. Heath Robinson.' (lower right) Pen and ink on paper 11 X 8.1/2in. (28 X 21.7cm.) (excluding frame) 46 x 38cm. (18.1/4 x 15in. (including frame) Literature: 'Old Time Stories', Constable and Co. 1921, P. 143 William Heath Robinson was an artist and illustrator mainly associated with his gloriously complicated inventions for simple objectives. The name Heath Robinson has become commonplace in the English language as a result to describe anything mechanical that is eccentric, ridiculously complex and ingenious at the same time . Interestingly one of the automatic analysis machines built for Bletchley Park...

Group of two drawings. "Femme assise sur une Chaise," circa 1910. Brush and ink on wove paper, 8 1/2x8 inches. With the artist's initials ink stamp, lower right recto. "Femme avec ...

Face à Face is an original Vintage Phototype Reproduction of Rouault's tempera painting in 1933. Good conditions. The artwork is depicted through strong strokes in a well-balanced composition. Georges Rouault is a french painter (Paris 1871-1958), born into a family of humble origins, his maternal grandfather gave him a love of art. At the École des Beaux-Arts, Rouault met Henri Matisse, Albert Marquet, Henri Manguin...

Composition 2 is an original drawing realized by Clément Kons (1879-1956). The artwork is in tempera and in very good conditions. Image Dimensions: 34 x 29 cm No signature. The bri...

L'Ange is an original Drawing in Charcoal realized by an anonymous artist in the 20th Century. Good Conditions. The artwork is depicted through strong strokes with perfect Hatchings.

Composition 1920 is an original painting realized by Clément Kons (1879-1956). The artwork is on tempera, in very good conditions and mounted on a cardb...

Composition 24 is an original drawing realized by Clément Kons (1879-1956). The artwork is in tempera, in very good conditions and mounted on a cardboard...

Composition 1920/30 is a painting realized by Clément Kons (1879-1956). The artwork is on tempera, in very good conditions and mounted on a cardboard (6...

Composition 6 is an original drawing in tempera realized by Clément Kons (1879-1956). Very good conditions. No signature. The bright colors make up the design for French fabrics ma...

Unknown Artist, France, late 19th century Anonymous c. 1900 Rondelle on antique laid paper Ink, Watercolor and or Gouache Unsigned An Art Nouveau preliminary design for a decorative ...

Modern grey and white geometric abstract leaf pattern composition with orange accents by textile designer John Little. The work was created as a proposed design for a wallpaper and features the original color codes in the front lower left corner. Currently hung in a solid black frame with a large white margin. Dimensions Without Frame: H 27.13 in. x W 31.5 in. Artist Biography: A painter and textile designer, John Little is best known for gestural works filled with boldly explosive color that reflect the influences of his teacher Hans Hofmann and for his involvement in the Abstract Expressionist movement in East Hampton, where he moved in the late 1940s. In East Hampton Little congregated with Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, and the other artists who were the leading innovators in the New York School. John Little was born in Sanford, Alabama. He left home at the age of fourteen to become an artist, and moved to Buffalo, New York, in 1923. After spending a year working as a stevedore on the docks to save money, he enrolled at the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy and developed an interest in singing. In 1927 he moved to New York City where he continued his vocal work and studied operatic literature. He also became involved in textile design, opening his own store in 1920, called John Little Studios: Fabric and Wallpaper Design. He ran the store until 1950. In 1933 John Little resumed his painting studies at the Art Students League in New York under the guidance of George Grosz (1893-1959). The following year he made his first visit to East Hampton, Long Island, which he would eventually call home. Later in the decade, he traveled to Paris where he became familiar with European modernism. On his return to America, he taught textile design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He hired Josephine Watkins to work for him; she later became his wife. Little's textile store and teaching job gave him a financial security that was rare during the Depression, and he never found it necessary to find employment with the Works Progress Administration. At the end of the decade, John Little studied with Hans Hofmann (1880-1966) in New York and Provincetown. Little was greatly influenced by Hofmann, particularly by his views on color theory. In 1942 John Little joined the Navy as an aerial photographer. In the late 1940s he purchased a rundown house on Three Mile Harbor...

A striking early 20th century harbour scene showing boats moored near Leyland in the Netherlands. The artist has signed to the lower left and inscribed "Liguze" (Leyland) to the lowe...

To view our other Modern British Art and our views of London scroll down to 'view all from this seller' and search. Horace Mann Livens (1862-1936) Hanover Square London (1920) Gouac...