Items Similar to "Figure Composition"
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 6
Vaclav Vytlacil"Figure Composition"circa 1940
circa 1940
$34,000
£25,866.18
€30,245.50
CA$47,550.51
A$53,417.60
CHF 28,428.24
MX$660,529.19
NOK 346,401.28
SEK 334,920.33
DKK 225,603.18
Shipping
Retrieving quote...The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation
About the Item
Signed Lower Right
Vaclav Vytlacil (1892-1984)
He was born to Czechoslovakian parents in 1892 in New York City. Living in Chicago as a youth, he took classes at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, returning to New York when he was 20. From 1913 to 1916, he enjoyed a scholarship from the Art Students League, and worked with John C. Johansen (a portraitist whose expressive style resembled that of John Singer Sargent), and Anders Zorn.
He accepted a teaching position at the Minneapolis School of Art in 1916, remaining there until 1921. This enabled him to travel to Europe to study Cézanne’s paintings and works of the Old Masters. He traveled to Paris, Prague, Dresden, Berlin, and Munich seeking the works of Titian, Cranach, Rembrandt, Veronese, and Holbein, which gave him new perspective. Vytlacil studied at the Royal Academy of Art in Munich, settling there in 1921. Fellow students were Ernest Thurn and Worth Ryder, who introduced him to famous abstractionist Hans Hofmann. He worked with Hofmann from about 1922 to 1926, as a student and teaching assistant.
During the summer of 1928, after returning to the United States, Vytlacil gave lectures at the University of California, Berkeley, on modern European art. Soon thereafter, he became a member of the Art Students League faculty. After one year, he returned to Europe and successfully persuaded Hofmann to teach at the League as well. He spent about six years in Europe, studying the works of Matisse, Picasso, and Dufy. In 1935, he returned to New York and became a co-founder of the American Abstract Artists group in 1936. He later had teaching posts at Queens College in New York; the College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California; Black Mountain College in North Carolina; and the Art Students League.
His paintings exhibit a clear inclination toward modernism. His still lives and interiors from the 1920s indicate an understanding of the art of Cézanne. In the 1930s, his works displayed two very different kinds of art at the same time. His cityscapes and landscapes combine Cubist-inspired spatial concerns with an expressionistic approach to line and color. Vytlacil also used old wood, metal, cork, and string in constructions, influenced by his friend and former student, Rupert Turnbull. He eventually ceased creating constructions as he considered them too limiting. The spatial challenges of painting were still his preference. During the 1940s and 1950s, his works indicated a sense of spontaneity not felt in his earlier work.
He married Elizabeth Foster in Florence, Italy, in 1927 and they lived and worked in Positano, Italy for extended periods of time. Later on, they divided their time between homes in Sparkill, New York and Chilmark, Massachusetts, where Vyt, as he was affectionately called, taught at the Martha's Vineyard Art Association beginning in 1941. He was associated with the Old Sculpin Group and often exhibited his works in its galleries on the island.
He was honored with solo shows at The Carnegie Institute, Montclair Art Museum, Phillips Memorial Gallery, Krasner Gallery, University of Notre Dame, Rochester Art Gallery, and others.
Vaclav Vytlacil died in 1984 in New York, at age 92.
- Creator:Vaclav Vytlacil (1892-1984, American)
- Creation Year:circa 1940
- Dimensions:Height: 22 in (55.88 cm)Width: 25 in (63.5 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Lambertville, NJ
- Reference Number:Seller: 067V1stDibs: LU157970063
Vaclav Vytlacil
Born in 1892, Vaclav Vytlacil was a highly educated and gifted artist, early at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and later at the Art Students League. In the 1920s, his travels to Europe and studies of the old masters helped him gain artistic perspective and knowledge. At the Royal Academy of Art in Munich, Vytlacil met and befriended Hans Hofmann, becoming his teaching assistant. After returning to the US in 1928, Vytlacil became a member of the Art Students League faculty and successfully persuaded Hofmann to teach at the League as well. In 1936, he became a co-founder of the American Abstract Artists group and taught at Queens College in New York; the College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California; Black Mountain College in North Carolina; and the Art Students League. Vytlacil was honored with solo shows at The Carnegie Institute, Montclair Art Museum, the Phillips Memorial Gallery, the Krasner Gallery, University of Notre Dame, Rochester Art Gallery and others.
About the Seller
5.0
Vetted Professional Seller
Every seller passes strict standards for authenticity and reliability
1stDibs seller since 2013
13 sales on 1stDibs
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Lambertville, NJ
- Return Policy
Authenticity Guarantee
In the unlikely event there’s an issue with an item’s authenticity, contact us within 1 year for a full refund. DetailsMoney-Back Guarantee
If your item is not as described, is damaged in transit, or does not arrive, contact us within 7 days for a full refund. Details24-Hour Cancellation
You have a 24-hour grace period in which to reconsider your purchase, with no questions asked.Vetted Professional Sellers
Our world-class sellers must adhere to strict standards for service and quality, maintaining the integrity of our listings.Price-Match Guarantee
If you find that a seller listed the same item for a lower price elsewhere, we’ll match it.Trusted Global Delivery
Our best-in-class carrier network provides specialized shipping options worldwide, including custom delivery.More From This Seller
View All"Fish Cleaners"
By Vaclav Vytlacil
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Signed & Dated LR (Highly exhibited)
The New York Times, Sunday October 30, 1949 by Howard Devree. "Both as teacher and as painter Vaclav Vytlacil has been a decided force in contem...
Category
20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Board, Oil
"Circus Act"
By Vaclav Vytlacil
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Vaclav Vytlacil (1892-1984)
He was born to Czechoslovakian parents in 1892 in New York City. Living in Chicago as a youth, he took classes at the School of the Art Institute of ...
Category
20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Board, Oil
$16,000
"Vineyard Fishing Boat"
By Vaclav Vytlacil
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Signed and Dated Lower Right
Vaclav Vytlacil (1892-1984)
He was born to Czechoslovakian parents in 1892 in New York City. Living in Chicago as a youth, he took classes at the ...
Category
1950s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Board, Oil
"Begonias"
By Gershon Benjamin
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Ashley John is proud to offer this artwork by:
Gershon Benjamin (1899 - 1985)
Gershon Benjamin is a painter of portraits, landscapes, still lives, and the urban scene. He had a pro...
Category
20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
"Positano Coast"
By Vaclav Vytlacil
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Vaclav Vytlacil (Vas-lav Vit-la-chil) was born in New York City in 1892 to Czech parents, but was raised in Chicago. He was an artist since boyhood, becoming the youngest student to ...
Category
20th Century Abstract Landscape Paintings
Materials
Board, Oil
Untitled
By Burgoyne Diller
Located in Lambertville, NJ
BURGOYNE DILLER (1906-1965)
Recognized as the first American painter to embrace the tenets of Neo-Plasticism, Burgoyne Diller made an important contribution to the development of no...
Category
20th Century Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
You May Also Like
Untitled Jacques Rouby (1953-2019) Contemporary art painted sculpted cardboard
Located in Paris, FR
Tondo
Painted sculpted cardboard
Unique work
Coming from the artist's studio
Jacques ROUBY, the aesthetics of mystery
« Experimental dreamer, passionate about graphic adventures, d...
Category
1990s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Cardboard
Untitled Jacques Rouby (1953-2019) Contemporary art painted sculpted cardboard
Located in Paris, FR
Painted and sculpted cardboard
Unique work
Coming from the artist's studio
Jacques ROUBY, the aesthetics of mystery
« Experimental dreamer, passionate about graphic adventures, del...
Category
1990s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Cardboard
Untitled Jacques Rouby (1953-2019) Contemporary art painted sculpted cardboard
Located in Paris, FR
Painted and sculpted cardboard
Unique work
Coming from the artist's studio
Jacques ROUBY, the aesthetics of mystery
« Experimental dreamer, passionate about graphic adventures, del...
Category
1990s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Cardboard
Untitled Jacques Rouby (1953-2019) Contemporary art painted sculpted cardboard
Located in Paris, FR
Painted and sculpted cardboard
Unique work
Coming from the artist's studio
Jacques ROUBY, the aesthetics of mystery
« Experimental dreamer, passionate about graphic adventures, del...
Category
1990s Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Cardboard
Vintage American Modernist Framed Abstract Expressionist Beach Scene Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage abstract beach scene oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed. In excellent original condition. Handsomely framed in a wood molding. Excellent condition, ready to han...
Category
1950s Abstract Landscape Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
"Symbiotic" (2025) by Dan McCaw, Abstracted, Figural Oil Painting
Located in Denver, CO
Dan McCaw's (US based) "Symbiotic" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts three abstracted figures in an interior setting.
Artist Statement:
Born: 1942
A solid founda...
Category
2010s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
