1940s Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Pablo Ruiz Picasso (Málaga, 1881 - Mougins, 1973). Mother and child. 1943. 37 x 31 cm (70.5 x 63.5 cm). Not signed. Provenance: - Private collection, Marie-Thérèse Walter, Pari...

A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring an elegant design for a woman's dress. Inscribed "Nettie Rosenstein at Marshall Field". Most likely a design study for a print adv...

A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring elegant designs for women's active wear by Hattie Carnegie. Inscription reads: Left - White jersey slack suit Red gaberdine jacke...

A Charming, 1940s American Scene study of a Man Seated at a Table by Notable Chicago Modern Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). A delightful sketch ("Dinner at the Windermere Hot...

Still life is an artwork realized by Serge Fotinsky in 1947. Original drawing in pencil. Signature lower right. 20 x 27 cm. Good conditions escept ...

Post War Bay Area Figurative - Original Watercolor Painting "Beach Day" Vibrant watercolor of three figures on the beach by Turkish-American artist Ömer Şahingil (Turkish/American,...

A striking, vintage early 1940s fashion study featuring an elegant young woman wearing a stylish hat, suit and clutch. Image size: 11 x 8 1/4 inches. Archivally matted to 16 x 1...

A stylish, vintage, 1940s woman's fashion study featuring an elegant graphic design for a portfolio cover featuring ladies resort clothes by Hattie Carnegie. Artwork size: 11 x 8...

Dick Ruhl (American, 1926-1991) Original Gouache Painting of Goofy, one of three images created specifically for Disney Interview portfolio, Los Angeles 1943. (see reference in bio below). Image measuring 12 x 18 inches. Signed & dated 1943 lower right. Framed measurement: 19 x 25 inches. Dick Ruhl was the grandson of German immigrants who settled in Nebraska as farmers brought to the US by the federal government to raise food for a growing population after the Civil War. On his mother’s side, his family dates back to Nathan Hale. Her father was in the Union Army and given a small farm by the government near Guthrie, Oklahoma. Dick’s parents, John and Lucille, were married in Chandler in 1902, and his dad got a job with the Frisco Railroad. Since the main yard and a hub were in Sapulpa, they moved here, initially settling at Elm and Lee street, but later they bought five acres at 1300 Cleveland and built a simple home with a water well, outdoor toilet, and coal oil lamps. Dick is a Sapulpa native who left his hometown at 16 to become an animator during the “golden age” of Disney Studios. Photo courtesy of Sapulpa Historical Society. Dick finally came along in 1926 and was born in the Sapulpa City Hospital at Division and Cleveland Streets. According to Dick, his doctor, William Polk Longmire—a famous Sapulpan in his own right—named Dick after himself on his birth certificate, listing Dick’s name as “Polk Knox Ruhl.” It wasn’t until 1937 that it was discovered and changed to James Richard Ruhl. Dick was doing farm chores at 5 years old, mostly feeding the animals and milking the cow. Every evening, he delivered milk to his last customer, a cousin named “Nellie,” whom Dick says was a bootlegger. Dick recalls one evening as he put Nellie’s milk in her icebox, a handsome gentleman named Charlie took him up on his lap. “He was wearing a gun, which impressed me,” Dick said, adding that Charlie gave him a shiny half dollar as a gift. “Each evening I rushed to Nellie’s, hoping to meet Charlie again, until one evening, she told me he would never be back.” Nellie showed Dick the evening Sapulpa Herald announcing that Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd had been killed. Dick started school at 5 years old and said his teacher “loved and whipped me through first grade.” It must have done some good because he was able to skip the 2nd grade. In 3rd grade, his teacher, Miss Giles, had her students draw a house. “I don’t know why, but I drew my house in perfect perspective,” Dick said. “She bragged about my talent and it was then I decided to become a great artist.” Dick turned a small chicken house at his parents’ farm into his first studio and gallery. “My clients were ducks, chickens, and an occasional pig,” he said. As the country fell into the Great Depression, Dick said “it didn’t mean anything to me. We raised our food and Dad eked out a small wage on the railroad. Mom made our clothes from feed sacks purchased at Lee Nevin’s Feed Store, and we had credit at Bodkin’s Grocery, House’s Grocery, and Katz Department Store.” It was in High School that Dick began to really pursue his creative talents again. “The WPA sponsored an art class at the library in the basement,” he said. “My algebra teacher let me attend the art class instead of algebra.” Dick said his art teacher was Henry Simpson—a retired Western artist from Ft. Worth— and another teacher named Mrs. Casteel, whom Dick said “gave me the greatest advice I have ever learned: ‘Don’t think you’re all that good! You’ll meet artists who are better than you, but don’t get discouraged, keep doing your thing.’” Disney comes calling Dick was working at the Criterion Theatre in Sapulpa when Disney released “Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs...

"Men in Barracks" WPA Mid 20th Century American Scene Realism Gay Modernism WWII. 18 x 24 inches Watercolor on paper. c. 1940s. Signed lower right. BIO ...

A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring an elegant design for a woman's evening gown. Artwork size: 11 x 8 1/2 inches. Colored pencil and pencil on paper. Archivally ma...

Wonderful and evocative watercolour on paper by the great Austrian-born artist who lived in the United States John Haymson (Vienna 1902 - New York 1980). This beautiful still life de...

Mathieu (Matei) ROSIANU (1897-1969) Untitled, circa 1945 Gouache on card stock Stamped on the reverse side 4 x 3 inch frame : 11,8 × 11,8 inch Born in Bucharest in 1897 to a father...

About this work: A superb example from Crite’s celebrated Neighborhood Series, this work is both a vibrant portrait of everyday life and an irreplaceable record of a vanished Boston ...

A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring an elegant design for a woman's coat, hat and muff, inscribed "Marshall Field & Co". Likely an advertisement illustration study...

A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring an elegant design for a woman's red gown, evening wear. Artwork size: 11 x 8 1/2 inches. Archivally matted to 16 x 12 inches. P...

Everett Shinn Washington Square Arch, 1948 Signed and dated lower right Watercolor and graphite on board 5 1/4 x 7 1/4 inches Provenance Private collection, New York Everett Shinn...

Que font ces gens is a beautiful modern artwork realized by Salvador Dalì in 1945. China Ink Drawing on paper. Original outstanding drawing realized to illustrate the book "The Labyrinth" by Maurice Sandoz, published in 1945. Signed and dated on the lower right recto. Executed on thick cream wove paper, not laid down and taped to the mount along the upper edge. The upper, right and lower edges are slightly unevenly cut. There are two pinholes towards the upper right and upper left corners. The sheet is time stained and there is a spot of foxing beneath the lower edge of the drawing. There are some remnants from previous mounting at the upper two corners not visible when framed. There are handling marks to the perimeter of the sheet. The ink is strong and well preserved. The artwork is accompanied by authentication of Robert P. Descharnes, Paris 2003, reference archive: D-3461. Prov. Sotheby's Impressionist & Modern Art Sale...

A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring an elegant design for a woman's autumn suit. Inscription reads: "Brown and grey suit and cape affair from Town and Country, Blum's ...

Watercolour and brush with ink on paper. A rare and lyrical drawing by Mino Maccari, executed in diluted watercolour with brush and light ink accents, depicting two simplified human...

Beautifully executed oil pastel on archival paper by the renowned American artist Louis Kronberg. Signed lower left with the artist’s trademark Star of David symbol after his signat...

A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring an elegant design for women's dresses (day & evening wear). Most likely a design study for a print advertisement for the famed Chicago department store, Marshall Field & Co. Inscription reads: "Above- Irene Castle inspired this dinner gown...

From The British mandate Pre State of Israel Palestine Period. Eliahu Sigad (Eliyahu Sigard), painter, born 1901, Lithuania. Founder of Israeli Painters' Association. Educated in Eur...

A Timely and Prescient, 1940s WWII Era Political Cartoon / Illustration Ink Drawing by Notable Chicago Modern Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). Titled "USA No Admittance". A p...

Herbert Rolf Schlegel (1889 Breslau - 1972 Landsberg am Lech), Self-Portrait, 1946, pencil on heavy paper, 94 cm (height) x 73 cm (width), monogrammed “HRS” in the upper right corner...

Jules Schyl (Sweden, 1893-1977) Title: Ballet Dancers A Ballet Dancer painting is a rare find for an artist mostly known for his oeuvre with Cubism and Expressionist paintings. The current painting has many similarities with Degas sketches...

This collection of drawings is part of our exhibition Charles Goeller: A Wistful Loneliness. 1. Paradise Lost (But His Doom) Crayon on paper, 17 ½ x 12 ½ inches (image), 22 x 15 inc...

Outstanding male portrait by 20th-century American artist, Vito Tomasello. Portrait of a young man, c.1950. Pencil on paper, sheet measures 14 x 17 inches. Excellent condition. S...

Les Croates is an original drawing in ink and watercolor realized by Herbert Knotel in 1930/40s. Good condition except for being aged. The artwork is depicted through strong lines ...

Lioness is a beautiful pencil original drawing on ivory-colored paper, realized in 1940s by the German artist Wilhelm Lorenz, best know as Willi Lorenz. Signed in pencil on lower rig...

The Pin-Up of ravishing young beauties in mid-century America was a widely popular art form. The assumption that Pin-Up art was the exclusive domain of men is a misnomer. Female illu...

Signed lower right, 'A. Sottosanti' for Angelo Anthony Sottosanti (American, 1917-2004); additionally signed, verso, titled, 'Pedro of Tehuan Tepee, Mexico' and painted circa 1940. ...

A stylish, vintage, 1940s woman's fashion study featuring an elegant, colorful design titled "Personal Choice of Gertrude Lawrence, Star of Lady in the Dark". Gertrude Lawrence, fam...

A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring a colorful design for women's lounge wear & pajamas. Artwork size: 11 x 8 1/4 inches. Archivally matted to 16 x 12 inches. ...

A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring an elegant design for a woman's white ermine wrap. Likely an illustration study for a print advertisement for the famed Chicago dep...

Signed lower right, 'Sottosanti' for Angelo Anthony Sottosanti (American, 1917-2004) and dated 1941. A dramatic Modernist study of a Tehuantepec woman from Oaxaca shown wearing the ...

Magazine story illustration for part four of “Black Jack” by Robert E. Pinkerton, published in The Saturday Evening Post, December 11, 1943, page 32. This compelling illustration, ...

A Finely Drawn, Modern 1940s Figure Study Drawing (Seated Young Female Model) by Notable Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). An exceptionally well executed, Mid-Century M...

A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring an elegant design for a woman's formal dress, evening wear. Inscription reads: "Gold rayon and wool Bengaline dress suit for movie ...

A stylish, vintage early 1940s woman's fashion design featuring an advertisement study for Elizabeth Arden cosmetics. Artwork size: 11 3/4 x 8 3/4 inches. Pencil on paper. Arc...

A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring an elegant design for women's suit. Most likely a design study for a print advertisement for the famed Chicago department store, Ma...

A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring an elegant design for women's scarf & hat. Inscribed "First Night", which in the 1940s may refer to either New Year's Eve celeb...

Lionel S. Reiss (1894 - 1988) Lobstermen in Gloucester, Massachusetts, circa 1943 Watercolor on paper Sight 17 1/2 x 23 inches Signed lower left Provenance: Private Collection, Las Vegas, Nevada In describing his own style, Lionel Reiss wrote, “By nature, inclination, and training, I have long since recognized the fact that...I belong to the category of those who can only gladly affirm the reality of the world I live in.” Reiss’s subject matter was wide-ranging, including gritty New York scenes, landscapes of bucolic Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and seascapes around Gloucester, Massachusetts. However, it was as a painter of Jewish life—both in Israel and in Europe before World War II—that Reiss excelled. I.B. Singer, the Nobel Prize winner for Literature, noted that Reiss was “essentially an artist of the nineteenth century, and because of this he had the power and the courage to tell visually the story of a people.” Although Reiss was born in Jaroslaw, Poland, his family immigrated to the United States in 1898 when he was four years old. Reiss's family settled on New York City’s Lower East Side and he lived in the city for most of his life. Reiss attended the Art Students League and then worked as a commercial artist for newspapers and publishers. As art director for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he supposedly created the studio’s famous lion logo. After World War I, Reiss became fascinated with Jewish life in the ‘Old World.’ In 1921 he left his advertising work and spent the next ten years traveling in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Like noted Jewish photographers Alter Kacyzne and Roman Vishniac, Reiss depicted Jewish life in Poland prior to World War II. He later wrote, “My trip encompassed three main objectives: to make ethnic studies of Jewish types wherever I traveled; to paint and draw Jewish life, as I saw it and felt it, in all aspects; and to round out my work in Israel.” In Europe, Reiss recorded quotidian scenes in a variety of media and different settings such as Paris, Amsterdam, the Venice ghetto, the Jewish cemetery in Prague, and an array of shops, synagogues, streets, and marketplaces in the Jewish quarters of Warsaw, Lodz, Krakow, Lublin, Vilna, Ternopil, and Kovno. He paid great attention to details of dress, hair, and facial features, and his work became noted for its descriptive quality. A selection of Reiss’s portraits appeared in 1938 in his book My Models Were Jews. In this book, published on the eve of the Holocaust, Reiss argued that there was “no such thing as a ‘Jewish race’.” Instead, he claimed that the Jewish people were a cultural group with a great deal of diversity within and between Jewish communities around the world. Franz Boas...

Charcoal drawing realized by Mino Maccari in 1946 ca. Hand signed lower right. Very good condition.

Graceful pastel and charcoal drawing of a female ballet dancer in motion by artist Guy Chabrol, circa 1950. Signed lower right. Original one-o...

Latvia-born William Sanderson became a contributor to the New Yorker and New Masses magazines during the 1930s. He was drafted into the Army during World Wa...

Wheeler Williams (American, 1897-1972) Untitled Study, 1944 (Polo Players) Pencil on paper 15 1/2 x 19 1/4 in. Signed lower right: Wheeler Williams, 1944 A native of Chicago, Wheeler Williams is known for his allegorical, narrative work including "Tablets to Pioneers" on the Michigan Avenue bridge in Chicago, and "Settlers of the Seaboard" in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. He graduated with...

Landscape With Armenians is a Watercolor realized by Henry Ottmann in 1946. Good condition on a yellowed paper. Hand signed and dated by the artist on the lower right corner. Incl...

Watercolor on paper of a Radio City Music Hall Rockette done in the late 1940's or early 1950's. Ruth Adele Mysel grew up in Boston and attended the New Eng...

Wheeler Williams (American, 1897-1972) Untitled Study, 1944 (Polo Players) Pencil on paper 15 1/2 x 19 1/4 in. Signed lower right: Wheeler Williams, 1944 Artist studio label verso Inscribed on mat: Drawings for Proposed Murals: Polo Room, Hotel Plaza.... A native of Chicago, Wheeler Williams is known for his allegorical, narrative work including "Tablets to Pioneers" on the Michigan Avenue bridge in Chicago, and "Settlers of the Seaboard" in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. He graduated with honors from Yale University in 1919 and earned a Master of Architecture degree from Harvard in 1922. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago with sculptor Albin Polasek...

Profile of a Tiger is beautiful original charcoal drawing on ivory-colored paper, realized by the German artist Wilhelm Lorenz in 1940s, best know as Willi Lorenz (German, 1901–1981)...

The Market, (fauvist painting of NYC scene) 1940's. image is 10X 11.5 inches. Hand signed lower right Lower East Side Tenements Pushcart Market Watercolor on paper board. Samuel G...

Bungalow (fauvist painting of New York scene) 1940's. image is 10X 11.5 inches. Hand signed lower right Watercolor painting on paper board Country Scene Samuel Grunvald was a Hunga...

Ischia is a beautiful watercolor on paper with soft eathly color tones of a glimpse into the town of Ischia. The piece was realized by Léopold Survage in 1947. This unique piece is h...

A Unique Offering of Two 1940s Chicago City Street Scenes, "Studies for Fulton Street Market" by Notable Chicago Modern Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). Two related, boldly ex...

Four 1945 Female Nude Ink Drawings Catalan School École de Paris Style Artist: Pere Pruna Ocerans Date: 1945 Medium: Ink with colored washes on paper Quantity: Set of four drawings ...

Artist Unknown "Tie and Glasses" c. 1940s Charcoal and pencil on paper 13.5"x17" site 19"x23" rustic wood frame Unsigned

Watercolor drawing realized by Mino Maccari in 1940s. Hand signed lower right. With another watercolor drawing on rear. Very good condition except for a central fold.

The Carousel is an original Modern Artwork realized in 1949 by the Italian artist Renzo Vespignani (Rome, 1924 - Rome, 2001). Original black ink and pen on ivory paper. Hand-sign...

Soldiers is an original drawing in ink and watercolor realized by Herbert Knotel in 1930/40s. Good condition except for being aged. The artwork is depicted through strong lines in well-balanced conditions. Herbert Knotel was a german artist, son and pupil of the famous uniformologist and military historian Richard Knotel...