1930s Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Street Costumes by Ruth Kreps. Signed lower right. Most likely for a book published in the 1930's about turn of the century women's fashion. "Costume Design of the Gay Nineties" T...

Railroad Worker Industrial WPA American Scene Mid Century Modern Social Realism Jo Cain (1904 - 2003) Railroad worker 36 ¼ x 27 inches Oil on paper c. 1930s S...

"Painter" 20th Century American Scene Social Realism Working Man Modern WPA Era Jo Cain (1904 - 2003) Painter 41 ½ x 36 3/4 inches (sight) Gouache on paper c. 1930s Signed lower rig...

"Good Health Week" American Scene Modern Social Realism Double Sided WPA Era Jo Cain (1904 - 2003) Good Health Week – double sided 13 3/4 x 20 1/2 in...

Chemists American Scene Mid 20th Century Modern Social Realism WPA Science Mural Jo Cain (1904 - 2003) Chemists 40 ½ x 31 ¾ inches Oil on paper, c. 1930s Signed lower right 49 x 40 ...

"Good Health Week" American Scene Modern Social Realism Mid- 20th Century WPA Era Jo Cain (1904 – 2003) Good Health Week – b/w 10 ½ x 15 1/2 inches I...

Industrial Man Working Mid 20th Century American Scene Social Realism Modern WPA Jo Cain (1904 - 2003) Hammering Nails 39 x 50 ½ inches Gouache on paper c. 19...

E. Simms Campbell was the first African-American illustrator/ cartoonist published in nationally distributed, slick magazines, he created Esky, the familiar pop-eyed mascot of Esquire. This early work of 1930 was done on assignment for an interior page of Life Magazine. It features two Rowing teams engaged in spirited competition with cheering onlookers. This is a highly stylized black-and-white illustration and is masterfully executed. The work is composed of two illustrations, 6 x 9 inches and 2-3/4 x 2 inches respectively. It is initialed center bottow ESC. unframed Campbell left the University of Chicago and transferred to and received his degree from the Chicago Art Institute.[3] Professional career During a job as a railroad dining-car waiter, Campbell sometimes drew caricatures of the train passengers, and one of those, impressed by Campbell's talent, gave him a job in a St. Louis art studio, Triad Studios. He spent two years at Triad Studios before moving to New York City in 1929. A month afterward, he found work with the small advertising firm, Munig Studios, and began taking classes at the National Academy of Design.During this time, he contributed to various magazines, notably Life, & Judge Following the suggestion of cartoonist Russell Patterson to focus on good girl art, Campbell created his "Harem Girls", a series of watercolor cartoons that attracted attention in the first issue of Esquire, debuting in 1933. Campbell's artwork was in almost every issue of Esquire from 1933 to 1958 and he was the creator of its continuing mascot, the cartoon character in a silk top hat. He also contributed to The Chicagoan, Cosmopolitan, Ebony, The New Yorker, Playboy, Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life, Pictorial Review, and Redbook. His commercial artwork for advertising included illustrations for Barbasol, Springmaid, and Hart Schaffner...

SIR CECIL BEATON, CBE (1904-1980) Ballet Costume Design for Le Pavillon - 1936 Signed and bears wardrobe mark l.r.: Beaton Watercolour and ink 49 by 39 cm., 19 ¼ by 15 ½ in. (fram...

SIR CECIL BEATON, CBE (1904-1980) Ballet Costume Design for Le Pavillon - 1936 Signed l.r.: Beaton Watercolour, bodycolour and ink 49 by 39 cm., 19 ¼ by 15 ½ in. (frame size 70.5 ...

To The Bathroom is a Colored lithograph realized on japan paper by Jean Cocteau (1889 -1963) in 1930 ca. French draftsman, poet, essayist, playwright, librettist, film director. ...

Erotic Scene is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1930s Ink on paper Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes masterly. Alberto Zi...

Greenwich Village NYC WPA Mid 20th Century American Scene Ashcan Modern Realism Alfred Mira (1900-1981) Greenwich Village NYC 14 x 17 inches Oil on board,...

Joseph Delaney Nude with Hand on Hip Leaning Against Chair, circa 1935 Signed lower right Watercolor on paper Sight 12 x 8 inches Provenance: Sacks Fine Art, New York Private Collection, New York African-American artist Joseph Delaney was a folk-expressionist painter who loved New York City, both as a subject for painting and the spectacle and experience of ever-changing life and vitality. Of the city, he said: "The curtain goes up on the stage of life every time we walk into the street. In spite of New York's being the most congested city I have been in, and know about, by and large, it's just people on the move. I have enjoyed more than I can say seeing people and hearing them speak about things they love and enjoy." Delaney, the son of a Methodist minister, was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1904, the ninth of ten children. It was in church that Delaney and his older brother, Beauford, began to express their art talent by drawing on Sunday School cards. He attended school there, leaving the Knoxville Colored High School at the end of the ninth grade. The next few years were spent doing odd jobs around town (caddy at the Cherokee Country Club, bell hop at the Farragut Hotel) until leaving for Chicago around 1924, where he served three years with the National Guard. He returned to Knoxville in 1929, selling insurance and helping found the city's first black Boy Scout unit. In 1930, Delaney went to New York City, studying at the Art Students League with Thomas Hart Benton, George Bridgman and Alexander Brooke. Other students there at the time included Jackson Pollock, Henry Stair, and Bruce Mitchell. In 1932, he exhibited in the first Washington Square Outdoor Art Show. He would continue to do so for the next forty years, working as a sketch artist there, drawing such celebrities as Eartha Kitt, Arlene Francis, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Tallulah Bankhead. Delaney would spend fifty-six years living and painting in the area of lower Manhattan, SoHo and Union Square. From 1934-1940, Delaney worked for the WPA (Works' Progress Administration) on projects in New York City including the Index of Design for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Pier 72 mural, and the Story of the Recorded Word mural at the Public Library. He also taught at Harlem and Brooklyn settlement houses and the Art Students League while exhibiting his paintings in his studio, art galleries and other exhibitions. In 1942, Delaney received a Julius Rosenwald grant of $1200.00 to travel, sketch and later paint the Eastern seaboard. In 1964, he was a sketch artist for the New Orleans exhibit and later the Ghana exhibit at the New York City World's Fair. From 1978-1980, he worked for CETA, the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act, as an artist in residence at the Henry Street Settlement. In 1979, Delaney's brother, Beauford, died in Paris at St. Anne's Hospital, an insane asylum. Delaney paid over $6,000 to the French government for taxes, storage, and shipping, to have Beauford's art and personal effects shipped to the U.S. The University of Tennessee would figure strongly in Delaney's life. In 1970, the artist had an exhibition there, and his painting, "V-J Day, Times Square", was added to their collection. In 1986, the Ewing Gallery exhibited, "Joseph Delaney: A Retrospective," as part of the Homecoming '86 Festival. In that year, author Alex Haley...

The Couple is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1930s Ink and Watercolor on paper. Hand-signed. In good condition with slight foxing. The artwork is represented through def...

The Nude is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in the 1930s. Charcoal and watercolor on paper. Hand-signed. In good condition. The artwork is represented through deft strokes m...

The Nude is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1930s. Charcoal on paper Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes masterly. Alberto ...

Jean Launois (1898-1942) A North African landscape, A Port (Essaouira ?) signed lower right Watercolor on paper 14 x 41.5 cm Framed : 30 x 57 cm It is most likely a view of the por...

Walt Kuhn Reclining Figure, 1935 Signed and dated lower left Pen on paper Sight 11 x 15 inches Provenance: Kennedy Galleries, New York Spanierman Gallery, New York Private Collection, New York Exhibited: New York, Kennedy Galleries, Walt Kuhn, December 3 - 31, 1968, no. 71. Walter Kuhn...

The Nude is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1938. Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes masterly. Alberto Ziveri (Rome,1908 – 1...

A French Art Deco illustrative drawing, hand painted in ink and gouache on blue laid paper. The design includes a collection of fashion accessories, handbags, gloves, hats, and perfu...

The Nude Man is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1930s Ink on paper. The artwork is represented through deft strokes masterly. Alberto Ziveri (Rome,1908 – 1990), the Italia...

The Carriage is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1930s Ink and Watercolor on paper. Hand-signed. In good condition with slight foxing. The artwork is represented through d...

The Portrait is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1938 Ink and Watercolor on paper. Hand-signed. In good condition with slight foxing. The artwork is represented through de...

*UK BUYERS WILL PAY AN ADDITIONAL 20% VAT ON TOP OF THE ABOVE PRICE La Seine à Paris by Georges Manzana Pissarro (1871-1961) Pencil on paper 22.5 x 28.3 cm (8 ⁷/₈ x 11 ¹/₈ inches) S...

The Reading Man is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1930s Watercolor on paper. Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes masterly. ...

The Reading Girl is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1939 Charcoal and watercolor on paper. Hand-signed. In good condition with slight foxing. The artwork is represented ...

The Atelier is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1930s watercolor on paper. Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes masterly. Alb...

Pen and ink on paper, 27cm x 20cm, (54cm x 48cm framed). Provenance: Alexander Iolas Gallery, New York. Bérard, an artist, fashion illustrator and de...

Resting Man is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1930s Ink and Watercolor on paper. Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes master...

Prayer is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1947 Ink and Watercolor on paper. Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes masterly. A...

The Lover is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1930s Ink and Watercolor on paper. Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes masterly...

The Nude is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1930s Ink and watercolor on paper. Hand-signed. In good condition with slight foxing. The artwork is represented through deft ...

Students is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1930s Ink and watercolor on paper. Hand-signed. In good condition with slight foxing. The artwork is represented through deft ...

The Night is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1930s Watercolor on paper. Hand-signed. In good condition with slight foxing. The artwork is represented through deft stroke...

Students is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1930s Pencil on paper. Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes masterly. Alberto Zi...

Oral Story Telling is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1937 Ink on paper. Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes masterly. Albe...

The Wrestling is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1930s Pastel and Watercolor on paper. Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes m...

The Reading Man is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1930s Watercolor on paper. Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes masterly. ...

The Nude is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1930s Ink on paper Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes masterly. Alberto Ziveri...

The Nude is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1930s. Charcoal on paper Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes masterly. Alberto ...

The Nude is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1930s. Charcoal on paper Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes masterly. Alberto ...

Maurycy Trębacz (1861 – 1941) was one of the most popular Jewish painters in Poland in the late 19th and early 20th century. Many of his paintings were lost in the Holocaust, but a r...

Male Nude is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1938. Charcoal on paper. Hand-signed on the lower and dated. In good conditions The artwork is represented through deft strok...

"At Home Abroad" 1935 Broadway Play NY Times Published Illustration 20th Century Al Hirschfeld (1903 - 2003) At Home Abroad 9 1/2 x 17 inches (sight) Ink on board Signed upper right...

Preliminary study for Cretan Dancer bronze sculpture Unsigned Graphite on tracing paper, 1930-1934 Sheet size: 6 7/8 x 7 1/8 inches Created while the artist was woring in Paris, c. 1930 “The stylizing of the Cretan allegories, used in figures of animals such as horses and bulls, symbolizes the ancient power of the South. These figures reveal a spiritual sensuality as he strives to attain a symbol of the earth and universe endowed with musical values. If man is the center of his idea of life and nature, it is because of the laws that govern the movement of stars and history. The link binding his figures together has, in a sense, a Pythagorean harmony.” Salvatore Quasimodo, Milan, 1967, quoted from Bush, Boris Lover-Lorski: The Language of Time, page 12. Regarding the artist: Boris Lovet-Lorski Lithuanian/Russian/American 1894-1973 Sculptor, painter, and printmaker, Boris Lovet-Lorski was born in Lithuania in 1894. His mother died when he was age three. His father was affluent and owned real estate. Boris grew up in a privileged environment. He studied architecture and then fine arts at the Imperial Academy of Art in Petrograd, Russia (now Saint Petersburg). Following the revolution in 1917 and its aftermath, Boris immigrated to Boston to live with his brother. In the 1920’s, his stylized, Art Deco inspired sculptures, lithographs, and paintings proved to be popular among the American elite. He exhibited frequently, holding his first solo exhibition in Boston, 1920. In the following years, Boris exhibited in New York at Marie Sterner Gallery, Jacques Seligmann Galleries and Wildenstein and Company. He lived in Paris from 1926 to 1932 where he befriended Joseph Hecht, and was exposed to the works of Pablo Picasso, Ossip Zadkine, Contantin Brancusi and Aristide Maillol. In 1932 he returned to America where he became a citizen later in the decade. Lovet-Lorski exhibited in the United States, South America, Europe and Asia. He was a member of the Society of Independent Artists (New York), the National Academy of Design (New York), and the Lotos Club (New York), as well as several Parisian salons. His work is in the permanent collections of numerous museums including the Musée Luxembourg, Bibliotèque Nationale, and the Petit Palais in France, the British Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the National Gallery in Washington, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. (A more extensive list of his works in museums follows) He is considered one of the most successful and recognized sculptors of his generation. His creative influence can be seen in many of his contemporary artists. He died in Los Angeles in 1973. Regarding his iconic Art Deco sculptures of Cretan Dancers: “The stylizing of the Cretan allegories, used in figures of animals such as horses and bulls, symbolizes the ancient power of the South. These figures reveal a spiritual sensuality as he strives to attain a symbol of the earth and universe endowed with musical values. If man is the center of his idea of life and nature, it is because of the laws that govern the movement of stars and history. The link binding his figures together has, in a sense, a Pythagorean harmony.” Salvatore Quasimodo, Milan, 1967, quoted from Bush, Boris Lover-Lorski: The Language of Time, page 12. Lovet-Lorski created sculptures of the following major figures I.J. Paderewski, Prime Minister of Poland Arturo Toscanini, Italian Conductor Lilian Gish, Actress President Franklin D. Roosevelt Mrs. M. C. Niarchos, wife of Stavros Niarchos President Abraham Lincoln James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, First Secretary of Defense Pope Pius XII Dr. Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist President Dwight D. Eisenhower Albert Schweitzer, theologian, organist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician General Charles De Gaulle, President of the Fourth and Fifth Republic, France John Foster Dulles, Secretary of State, 1953-1959 President John F. Kennedy Works by Lover Lorski are in the following public collections: Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo Art Institute of Chicago Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris Brandeis University, Waltham, MA British Museum, London Boston University Brooklyn Museum California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Sam Francisco...

Mabel E. Johnston Untitled, c. 1930s Watercolor and pencil on paper Sight: 12 1/2 x 10 1/2 in. Framed: 21 1/8 x 17 1/4 x 1/2 in. Signed lower right: Mabel E. Johnston The first tidb...

Portrait is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in the 1930s. Ink and Watercolor on paper. Hand-signed. In good conditions with foxing. The artwork is represented through deft s...

Portrait is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in the 1930s. Ink on paper. Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes masterly. Alberto Z...

Portrait is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in the 1930s. Charcoal and Pastel on paper. Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes mast...

The Nude is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in the 1930s. Ink on paper. Hand-signed. In good condition with foxing and stain on the right margin. The artwork is represented ...

Portrait is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in the 1930s. Watercolor on paper. Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes masterly. Al...

Nude is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in the 1930s. Charcoal on paper. Hand-signed and dated. In good conditions with slight foxing. The artwork is represented through def...

Portrait is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in the 1930s. Watercolor on paper. Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes masterly. Al...

Portrait is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in the 1930s. Watercolor on paper. Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes masterly. Al...

Portrait is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in the 1930s. Watercolor on paper. Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes masterly. Al...

Erotic Scene is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in 1938. Ink on paper. Hand-signed and dated. In good conditions with slight foxing. The artwork is represented through deft ...

Portrait is a drawing realized by Alberto Ziveri in the 1930s. Charcoal on paper. Hand-signed. In good conditions. The artwork is represented through deft strokes masterly. Albe...