Skip to main content
Video Loading
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 12

Paul Kauver Smith
1950s Abstract Oil Painting, Mid-Century Modern Art in Blue, Black & White

circa 1955

$1,450
£1,101.31
€1,266.71
CA$2,025.93
A$2,259.15
CHF 1,178.73
MX$27,720.57
NOK 15,003.30
SEK 14,215.30
DKK 9,453.92
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

This original 1950s abstract oil painting by acclaimed Mid-Century Modern artist Paul K. Smith (1893–1977) features a dynamic and refined composition in tones of blue, gray, black, ivory, and brown, with subtle underlayers of orange, red, and green peeking through the textured surface. The artwork exemplifies Smith’s sophisticated modernist style, marked by a balance of geometric abstraction and soft color transitions, characteristic of post-war American art. Executed with confident brushwork and a muted yet expressive palette, this painting captures the timeless appeal of mid-century abstraction, making it a compelling addition to any modern or contemporary art collection. Medium: Oil on board Frame dimensions: 18 ½" H x 21 ¾" W Image size: 11" H x 15" W Frame: Custom contemporary frame that complements the modern aesthetic Provenance: Estate of Paul K. Smith About the Artist – Paul K. Smith (1893–1977) Paul K. Smith was a pivotal figure in the Mid-Century Modern art movement in Colorado. He studied commercial art at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts and Washington University, later relocating to Colorado in 1921 to study under noted modernist John E. Thompson. Smith became a central force in the Denver art scene. He taught at the Denver Academy of Fine and Applied Arts and had his work first exhibited at the Denver Art Museum in 1923. His paintings were included in the Anne Evans Collection, and one was featured in the 1959 Western Heritage Exhibition Catalogue. A member of the American Artists Professional League, Colorado Art Guild, and Denver Art Guild, Smith was also part of The Colorado Fifteen, a group of progressive artists who shaped the region’s artistic identity. This piece offers a rare opportunity to own an original work by a key contributor to American modernism and Colorado's mid-century art movement.
  • Creator:
    Paul Kauver Smith (1893 - 1977, American)
  • Creation Year:
    circa 1955
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)Width: 21.75 in (55.25 cm)Depth: 0.7 in (1.78 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Framing:
    Frame Included
    Framing Options Available
  • Condition:
    very good to excellent vintage condition.
  • Gallery Location:
    Denver, CO
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: DCG-129261stDibs: LU2735343832

More From This Seller

View All
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Abstract Painting – Blue, Gray & Black Art
By Charles Ragland Bunnell
Located in Denver, CO
This original 1963 abstract painting is a stunning piece by Charles Ragland Bunnell (1897–1968), a prominent Colorado Springs artist known for his contributions to mid-century modern...
Category

1960s Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

1970s Mid-Century Minimalist Black & White Abstract Oil by Edward Chavez
By Edward Chavez
Located in Denver, CO
This striking black and white abstract oil painting was created circa 1975 by celebrated American modernist Edward (Eduardo) Arcenio Chavez (1917–1995). Boldly rendered in shades of black, gray, and white, the composition exemplifies Chavez’s refined minimalist aesthetic, rooted in mid-century modern art. The painting’s image size is 24 x 48 inches, with custom framing bringing the overall dimensions to 25 ½ x 49 ½ inches. A Powerful Example of American Minimalist Art Executed in a confident, monochromatic palette, this work captures the balance, restraint, and visual rhythm that define Chavez’s approach to abstraction. Its elongated horizontal format and subtle tonal variation create a meditative yet dynamic presence—perfect for collectors of minimalist, modernist, or mid-century art. About the Artist: Edward (Eduardo) Chavez Born in Wagonmound, New Mexico, Chavez was a multifaceted American artist known for his work as a painter, sculptor, lithographer, illustrator, and muralist. He studied at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center under notable figures such as Boardman Robinson, Frank Mechau, Arnold Blanch, and Peppino Mangravite. After serving in WWII, Chavez became part of the influential Woodstock, New York art colony—joining contemporaries like Bruce Currie and Mitchell Siporin...
Category

1970s Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

1950s Original Geometric Abstract Oil Painting, Vertical & Horizontal Art
By Paul Kauvar Smith
Located in Denver, CO
This vibrant and dynamic original abstract oil painting by Paul Kauvar Smith (1893–1977) showcases the artist’s bold use of color and modernist technique. Executed in oil on board, t...
Category

1950s Abstract Geometric Abstract Paintings

Materials

Board, Oil

1950s Original Framed Abstract Figurative Oil Painting with Brown, White & Black
Located in Denver, CO
This striking 1950s abstract oil on canvas painting, created by Henriette "Yetti" Stolz in 1956, features a captivating blend of brown, white, black, and gray tones. Signed by the artist in the lower right corner, the piece showcases Stolz’s modernist approach to abstract figurative art. The painting is presented in a vintage frame with overall dimensions of 42 ¾ x 16 ¾ inches, while the image size measures 42 ¼ x 16 ¼ inches. Provenance: Estate of the Artist, Henriette "Yetti" Stolz. The painting is in good condition—please contact us for a detailed condition report. About the Artist: Henriette "Yetti" Stolz, born in 1935 in Serbia, emigrated to Denver, Colorado, in the early 1950s with her family after WWII. She attended East High School before pursuing her art studies at Colorado College in Colorado Springs during the mid to late 1950s. While there, Stolz was influenced by modernist artists, including Mary...
Category

1950s Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

1985 Original Abstract Watercolor Painting – Monochrome Black & White Modern Art
By Ynez Johnston
Located in Denver, CO
This captivating 1985 abstract painting by Colorado Springs artist Ynez Johnston masterfully combines watercolor and gouache on paper, creating a striking monochrome composition. Fea...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Gouache

1970s Abstract Mixed Media Painting, Acrylic & Crayon, Moody Dark Purple, Black
By Edward Marecak
Located in Denver, CO
This abstract mixed media painting, created by renowned Denver artist Edward Marecak (1919-1993), combines crayon and acrylic paint in a striking geometric composition. The artwork f...
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Crayon, Acrylic

You May Also Like

Mid century Modern 1960s Abstract Expressionist painting, renowned artist Signed
Located in New York, NY
Jack Wolfe Untitled, 1965 Acrylic and collage on board Hand signed on the front Frame included: held in original vintage frame with original gallery label Unique Provenance: Parker Street 470 Gallery, Boston, Mass (with label verso) Excellent abstract expressionist mixed media work. Measurements: Image: 17" x 24" Framed: 24" x 28" x 1" From Wiki: Jack Wolfe (14 January 1924 – 18 November 2007) was a 20th-century American painter most known for his abstract art, portraiture, and political paintings. Jack Wolfe was born in Omaha, Nebraska on January 14, 1924, to Blanche and Everett L. Wolfe. Soon after his birth, his family moved to Brockton, MA. At 18, Wolfe had an interest in commercial illustration, which he pursued at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). However, upon matriculating at RISD in 1942, he developed an interest in fine art and painting inspired by an exhibition of modern French art. He described this change of direction, explaining that, "One day, for the first time, I saw an exhibition of modern French art. It was like being struck by lightning." He became particularly interested in the work of a number of European modernists, including Rouault, Cézanne, Braque, Modigliani, and Picasso.[1] Following his time at RISD, he pursued a Master’s in Fine Arts degree at the Museum of Fine Arts School in Boston, MA. At the Museum School, Wolfe studied under the renowned Expressionist Karl Zerbe, a German-born artist who was the Museum School's most influential and vital teacher until 1953.[2] After graduating from the Museum School, Wolfe was represented by the Margaret Brown Gallery in Boston, which also represented many other cutting edge Moderns that defied the more conservative tastes of New England collectors at the time, including György Kepes, Congur Metcalf, and Alexander Calder.[3] Career and Museum Representation Jack Wolfe's painting "Robin's Rock" 1962, 72" x 72" Jack Wolfe's artwork received early recognition from a number of organizations and was consistently featured in influential exhibitions, including the 1955 Carnegie International at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh, PA, the American Federation of Art's traveling exhibition New Talent in the USA in 1956-57, the Whitney Museum’s Young America exhibition in 1957,[4] the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art's Selection exhibition in 1957,[5] and both the Whitney Museum’s 1958 Annual exhibition and its Forty Artists Under Forty show in 1962-63.[6] In 1959, his widely acclaimed Portrait of Abraham Lincoln toured Europe in a show circulated by the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston. In addition, his painting Crucifixion was chosen by the United States Information Agency to be exhibited across Europe, including being shown at the Salzburg Biennial in Austria in 1958.[7] Crucifixion was also exhibited at the Whitney Museum and subsequently displayed in the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, in 1958.[8] In 1966-67, his work was selected for Art for Embassies by the U.S. State Department.[9] He received the first annual Margaret Brown Memorial Award for high achievement by a New England Artist from the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, in 1958.[10] With his future as one of the great artists of his time laid out neatly before him, Wolfe moved to New York in the early 1950s, which was then the postwar epicenter of the art world and in the midst of experiencing the first real revolution in American Art, now known as Abstract Expressionism.[11] However, almost immediately upon his arrival, he became disenfranchised with the overtly commercial nature of the art scene there, spurning fame and security in an unwillingness to bend his creative vision to the expectations of others.[12] After four short months, he left New York, returned to Massachusetts where he bought property in Stoughton, cleared the land, and built both his home and studio with his own two hands. He would go on to live and paint there, extensively exhibiting and garnering constant critical acclaim.[13] Wolfe became one of the earliest artists championed by the deCordova Museum in Lincoln, MA and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. He was awarded a traveling scholarship in 1958,[6] which allowed him to set up studio in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and then in San Francisco, California.[14] Upon his return in 1959, the deCordova museum hosted Wolfe’s third solo exhibition, featuring work made during his time in California...
Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Acrylic, Gouache, Permanent Marker

Abstract Expressionist Painting American Late 1960's Mid Century Black White
Located in Buffalo, NY
Mid Century Modern, American Abstract Expressionist Painting on artist board. This lively action painting has wonderful interjections of color within the predominantly black and whi...
Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Acrylic

Lonistum 1961 - Canadian British Abstract art oil painting
By William John Bertram Newcombe
Located in London, GB
An original large abstract oil on canvas by British Canadian artist William John Bertram Newcombe. This stunning abstract expressionist oil in blues and greys is a bold, adventurous ...
Category

1960s Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Oil

John Hatch American Cubist Abstract Oil Painting 1950's Mid C Black and White
By John W. Hatch
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original oil on board painting by American modernist John W. Hatch. This incredible cubist painting was created in the 1950's. Estate stamped on the reverse. The painting com...
Category

1950s Cubist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Large Scale Abstract Expressionist Painting
Located in Atlanta, GA
Large scale abstract expressionist painting, American, circa 1980s. Artist unknown, in the manner of Franz Kline, et al. I...
Category

Vintage 1980s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

Abstract Expressionist Painting American Late 1960's Mid Century New York Blue
Located in Buffalo, NY
Mid Century Modern, American Abstract Expressionist Painting on Masonite. This wonderful work in hues of blue comes house in a contemporary natural wood frame presentation.. The ar...
Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Masonite