1950s Figurative Paintings

ENGIMA Size: 49 x 57 cm (including frame) Oil on canvas An emotive and skillfully executed mid-century abstract figurative composition, painted in oil onto canvas. The piece featur...

Painter's family (Ed. Kalnins). Oil on cardboard, 50x79,5 cm

Bernard Meninsky was a painter of figures and landscapes in oils, watercolour and gouache. He was born in 1891 in Karotopin, the Ukraine, of Jewish parents; brought to England six we...

Early Morris Gluckman abstract painting of a black shadow figure holding a pink item. Artist Biography: Morris Gluckman was born in 1894 in Kiev, Russia. He was an active artist in...

Quick and loose expressionist portrait of stage and screen actress Paula Laurence Portrait of Paula Laurence (1916-2005). Oil and graphite on linen. Signed top right. Exhibited: "Lil...

Mr Millerson with Mrs. 1959. Paper, mixed media, 16x6.5 cm Adolfs Zardins (1890 08 II Riga, Latvia – 1967 07 II Jurmala, Latvia), painter. Only in 1990 his relatives give his artist...

Pensive with nosegay - Painted in Berkeley CA. painting size 10x8 with frame 16x14x1 Jon (Corka) Cornin 1905-1992 Born in New York City on March 24, 1905, Jon Cornin studied in Ne...

LE CLUB 55 Size: 33 x 24 cm Oil on canvas Le Club 55 is a legendary and glamorous beach club in the south of France, and we can infer that the setting of the ...

Oil on canvas Beige wooden frame 60 x 71 x 4 cm

Albert Heckman Untitled, circa 1950 Signed lower right Oil on canvas 21 1/4 x 29 inches Albert Heckman was born in Meadville, Western Pennsylvania, 1893. He went to New York City to try his hand at the art world in 1915 after graduating from high school and landing a job at the Meadville Post Office. In 1917, at the age of 24, Heckman enrolled part-time in Teachers' College, Columbia University's Fine Arts Department to begin his formal art education. He worked as a freelance ceramic and textile designer and occasionally as a lecturer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the early 1920s, at the age of almost 30, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia Teachers College. He was especially impacted by his instructor at Columbia, Arthur Wesley Dow. After graduating, he was hired by the Teachers' College as a Fine Arts instructor. He stayed with Columbia Teachers' College until 1929, when he left to attend the Leipzig Institute of Graphic Arts in Leipzig, Germany. Isami Doi (1903-1965), who was born in Hawaii, was arguably his most impressive student at Columbia. Doi is now regarded as one of the most prominent artists hailing from Hawaii. Heckman became an active member and officer of the Keramic Society and Design Guild of New York in the 1920s as part of his early commercial art career. The Society's mission was to share knowledge and showcase textile and ceramic design exhibits. In 1922, Heckman married Florence Hardman, a concert violinist. Mrs. Heckman's concert schedule during the 1920s kept Albert and Florence Heckman apart for a significant portion of the time, but they spent what little time they had together designing and building their Woodstock, New York, summer house and grounds. A small house and an acre of surrounding land on Overlook Mountain, just behind the village of Woodstock, were purchased by Albert and Florence Heckman at the time of their marriage. Their Woodstock home, with its connections, friendships, and memories, became a central part of their lives over the years, even though they had an apartment in New York City. Heckman's main artistic focus shifted to the house on Overlook Mountain and the nearby towns and villages, Kingston, Eddyville, and Glasco. After returning from the Leipzig Institute of Graphic Arts in 1930, Mr. Heckman joined Hunter College as an assistant professor of art. He worked there for almost thirty years, retiring in 1956. Throughout his tenure at Hunter, Mr. Heckman and his spouse spent the summers at their Woodstock residence and the winters in New York City. They were regular and well-known guests at the opera and art galleries in New York. Following his retirement in 1956, the Heckmans settled in Woodstock permanently, with occasional trips to Florida or Europe during the fall and winter. Mr. Heckman's close friends and artistic career were always connected to Woodstock or New York City. He joined the Woodstock art group early on and was greatly influenced by artists like Paul and Caroline Rohland, Emil Ganso, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Andre Ruellan, and her husband, Jack Taylor. Heckman operated a summer art school in Woodstock for several years in the 1930s with support from Columbia University, where these and other Woodstock artists gave guest lectures. The Potter's Shop in New York City hosted Mr. Heckman's first art show in December 1928. The exhibit received some positive reviews from critics. The American Institute of Graphic Arts chose the plate of "Wehlen, Saxony" as one of the "Fifty Prints of the Year in 1929." There were sixteen etchings displayed. The remaining plates depicted scenes in Saxony, Germany, while five of the plates were based on scenes in Rondout, New York. Heckman started switching from etching to black and white lithography by the early 1930s. A lifelong admirer of Heckman's artwork, Mr. Gustave von Groschwitz organized a significant exhibition of Heckman etchings and lithographs at the Ferargil Gallery in New York City in 1933. The exhibition traveled to the Stendahl Galleries in Los Angeles (May 1933), the Charles Lessler Gallery in Philadelphia (May 1933), J.L. Hudson in Detroit (June 1933), and Gumps in San Francisco (July 1933). Together with his early etchings, the exhibition featured brand-new black and white lithographs depicting scenes in and around Woodstock as well as "A View from Tudor City...

Woman portrait. 1955, oil on canvas, 50.8 x 40.6 cm Elegant woman portrait with scarf

Jean Robert Ithier (1904-1977) Ars en Ré, view of the church oil on canvas signed lower left 80.5 x 60 cm No frame The church of Ars en Ré, a pittoresque village on the atlantic i...

François Zdenek Eberl (born May 25, 1887 – October 8, 1962) was a painter born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire who primarily worked in Paris. The scene shows the wife of a prison guar...

Neoclassical Head in profile Watercolor and graphite on paper, 1950 Signed and dated lower left in ink (see photo) Provenance: Washington, D.C. private collection Condition: Excellen...

Joachim Probst (American, 1913-1980), "Christ", Impasto Oil on Canvas, 1955, signed lower right "Probst" and inscribed to verso "Probst / 1955 / CHRIST", additionally inscribed "Owne...

Commercial illustration depicting happy California framers for California Prunes. The work is rendered in a charming and highly stylized manner. Unfr...

Signature: Signed Lower Left ‘Stevan Dohanos’ Medium: Mixed Media on Paperboard Laid Down on Masonite The present work was published as the cover illustration of the June 26th, 1954...

David Davidovich Burliuk (Ukrainian: Дави́д Дави́дович Бурлю́к; Russian: Дави́д Дави́дович Бурлю́к; July 21, 1882 – January 15, 1967) was a Russian Futurist, Neo-Primitivist, book illustrator, publicist, and author associated with Russian Futurism...

Medium: Oil on Canvas with an Element of Collage Signature: Signed Lower Left Original cover illustration for The Saturday Evening Post, February 27th, 1954. The Post described, “...

"Shovel Handles" is an original 1953 semi-abstract modernist oil painting on board by renowned Denver artist Paul K. Smith (1893-1977). This captivating piece showcases Smith’s signa...

Born on the 17th September 1892 in Preston, Lancashire. He specialised in painting portraits, landscapes and marines on oil, watercolour and pastel and was an accomplished etcher and...

The illustration shows a young bride and groom at their wedding table above an older couple sitting down for a nice formal dinner. Probable Family Herald Magazine Illustration, May 1957 Much like Norman Rockwell, Kurt Ard...

Story illustration for “A Date for the Baby Sitter” by Eileen Herbert Jordan for Good Housekeeping, published December 1958, illustrated pages 58-59 The full caption reads: “Thus Peggy went forth—sailed might be the better word—escorted by part of the Navy.” The snowy scene features a woman and two sailors leaving the house at Christmas time. Exhibited: The Triumph of Winter, National Arts Club, New York, December 16, 2013- January 5, 2014 Date: 1958 Medium: Oil on Board Dimensions: 23.20" x 33.50" Signature: Signed Lower Left A Native American finding a Raggedy Ann doll...

Artist's Address - Mid 20th Century Impressionist Oil by Dorothy King - London Dorothy King was born and lived in London in 1907. She studied at the Hornsey School of Art under JC M...

Stunning oil on canvas circa 1955 by American impressionist painter Johann Henrik Carl Berthelsen. The piece depicts a view of the illuminated waterfront buildings from the East Rive...

Born on the 17th September 1892 in Preston, Lancashire. He specialised in painting portraits, landscapes and marines on oil, watercolour and pastel and was an accomplished etcher and...

Marie Lucie Nessi-Valtat Bouquet of flowers, ca. 1950 Oil on canvas Paper: 15 7/10 × 12 3/5 in l 40 × 32 cm Frame: 20 3/4 17 1/2 l 53 x 45 cm Marie-Lucie Nessi Valtat was a French p...

Devils depicted. Artist Wilson Bigaud paints a graphic narrative of mid-century life in Haiti without modern medicine. A man is dying yet there is no doctor present. In the struggle...

"Les Competiteurs" by American modernist painter Leonard Nelson is a 36" x 26" oil on canvas abstract figurative painting, created in 1952. The work is framed in classic black and si...

Experience the vibrant coastal charm of California with "Capitola, California", an original oil on board seascape painting by acclaimed American artist Jon Blanchette (1908–1987), cr...

The Portrait is a China ink drawing artwork, realized by Sergio Barletta in 1951. Hand-signed on the lower margin. Good conditions. Included passport, 70 x 50 cm. Sergio Barlett...

Mid-century New York City is represented as a moment in time. The artist populates his scene with isolated figures that are more shapes of people as opposed to specific individuals....

One of the hallmarks of great art is recognizing the artist's style instantly. This is the case with Richard Erdoes. His highly stylized comic figures are expressive and communicate the story delightfully and joyfully. Even though this work is rendered in flat, minimalistic two colors, the inventive shape relationships and positive and negative areas convey a very high level of artistic skill. The present work was done on assignment for the prestigious Standard Oil ( Exxon's predecessor ) corporation's company magazine, The Lamp. Although not a newstand magazine, The Lamp had the highest editional and artistic content. Work is unsigned and unframed. Richard Erdoes (Hungarian Erdős, German Erdös; July 7, 1912 – July 16, 2008) was an American artist, photographer, illustrator and author. Early life Erdoes was born in Frankfurt,to Maria Josefa Schrom on July 7, 1912. His father, Richárd Erdős Sr., was a Jewish Hungarian...

"The Family", a mid century figurative watercolor by Cock Van Gent (American/Dutch, b. 1925). Presented in a rustic wooden frame. Signed "Cock Van Gent" and dated "1952" lower right. Framed size: 18"H x 24"W. Image: 12"H x 18"W. Mrs. Van Gent was born in Holland in 1925 and began to paint at the age of 10. From 1940 to 1945 she studied at the Art Academy in the Hague, and concurrently learned stained glass making in Maastricht. In 1946 she came to the United States and with encouragement from Alfred Stieglitz, made her way around the country painting impressions. She did as many as three water-colors a day, supplementing this work with continuous drawing...

Born in Terrenoire in the Loire, France, self-taught painter Charles Marcon was encouraged by Madeleine Castaing and Paulette Jourdain. Marcon exhibited throughout Paris and in Arles...

Lovely oil painting by Byron Browne. Measures 18" x 14" and framed 24" x 20" x 1 3/4". Signed "Byron Browne" lower left. Inscribed on canvas verso: Byron Browne / 1958 / – Folk Singer– / 18 x 14 / N.Y.C. About this artists: Through an oeuvre displaying the re-envisioning of figural subjects and the formation of an abstract expressionist style, Byron Browne stands out among the American abstractionists of his generation. Born in Yonkers, New York, in 1907, the artist was a bright talent at the National Academy of Design in his teens. From 1924 to 1928 Browne studied at the Academy under notable artists Robert Aitkin, Charles Courtney Curran, Charles Hawthorne, Alice Murphy...

Saturday Evening Post Illustrator Thornton Utz captures the peak moment of action in this Noir Crime Drama, Shooting illustration on an interior page in the famed magazine in 1958 —...

Refined Italian painting of the 20th century. Oil on board painting depicting a splendid coastal landscape with maritime pines overlooking a cliff that plunges into the sea. Painting...

Medium: Oil on Board Signature: Signed Lower Left Cover illustration for the book Many Rivers to Cross by Steve Frazee (Fawcett Gold Medal #935, October 1959) - (#S1371, December 1963)

"On Wisconsin" is an original oil painting on panel by Sylvia Spicuzza. The artist signed the piece in the lower left. This painting depicts two figures and other symbols to represen...

Image dimensions: 20 x 28 cm. The Christmas is an original artwork realized by Esy Beluzzi in 1958. Original tempera on paper. Hand-signed and dated in pencil on the lower right margin: Esy 58. On the lower right corner "Julie Laure" is written in capital letters in pencil. Mint conditions. Beautiful work representing an angel dressed with a pink long dress and two long wings in the center of a scene theatre. On the left side, a tree without leaves but full of stars. All the composition is enriched with golden stars and the frame is characterized by dark blue curtains...

A bustling street scene of everyday life in front of the famed Marché in Cap-Haïtien is rendered in Sénèque This is a relatively early work by Obin's signature brightly colored and flat naive style. Signed lower right. Provenance: Galerie Issa - Port-Au-Prince, Haiti - Owned by Issa El Saieh of later named El Saieh Gallery Sénèque Obin...

Born in London, Peter studied at Hammersmith School of Art 1935-1938 & 1947-1950 and at the London Institute of Education 1951 & 1971. He was awarded the Art ...

A complex story is portrayed in one picture. American Glamour Illustrator Jon Whitcomb interprets a Mid-Century Cosmopolitan story about a beautiful blond actress who, on set, appea...

The innocence of youth is personified in this charming painting, which depicts an older sister and younger brother running on the beach amidst crashing waves. The boy looks at the vi...

Fritz Aigner, The Holy Family, 1951 Signed, dated, and inscribed lower right. Inscription: "Sing, oh sing, you sorrow to God, the Almighty in death... Josef Maria f. Aigner 1951." Oi...

The illustration features an older woman shooting a water gun into a little boy's face as two other little boys lay in the grass beside them. Story illustration for "Adios, Miss Em" by J.H. Giles, published in McCalls, February 1958 The full caption reads: "As the summer wore on, she became accustomed to all their whimsical pretend games and learned to take part in them." Much like Norman Rockwell, Kurt Ard...

Hans SEILER (Neuchâtel 1907 – 1986) The cliffs of Marqueyssac and Castelnaud, seen from La Roque Gageac Oil on canvas H. 40 cm; L. 83 cm Signed lower right, dated 1973 Provenance : ...

Alexander Sharpe Ross gives us a voyeur view of an attractive couple kissing and embracing on a couch. Sharpe's radical use of composition is on ...

The sacrificial ceremony, Freemans The Collection of Philip Desind Signed Three times Riggs l.r. A powerful account of moments a tribe member is cut open and the heart is handed over to a young brave, There is a reason why there are few contemporary painters who can paint a portrait this good. It's hard to do. It's easy to throw some paint or spray a mess of graffiti on canvas. That's easy. To execute a portrait with a great depth of anatomy and structure takes years of academic training. In Riggs's time there were teachers who knew how to pass on this knowledge. He studied at the Art Students League and the Académie Julian . Today, they are very few and far between. - Robert Riggs was a Gay Artist...

Spirituality and Christianity played an important role for Hamstra in, as he put it himself, 'the making' of his artworks. combined, he wanted to create a powerful, almost ghostly sa...

Broad areas of bold, flat red, magenta, and pink characterize this mid-century painting by Barbara Warren Ebersole ( Barbara Tate Ebersole ). It depicts a block party festooned with balloons and a street organ grinder with a smartly dressed performing monkey. The overall look of a lot mid-century art inspires many of today's most celebrated contemporary artists. Signed and dated upper left. Oil on Masonite. Barbara Warren Ebersole was a painter and an author. She may have been of Native American...

Paul Rand is remembered as one of history's greatest and most famous graphic designers. He was also a painter. The fact that Paul Rand used Naïve Art in much of his corporate identit...

Unique, one of a kind original gouache on paper from Harper's Bazar series. Hand signed lower front by Erte; titled top front with studio catalog number on verso. Sheet size 10.7...

"Civil Rights." Evergood's early commentary on racial issues in the 1950s depicts four black men gagged, roped and hanging from a tree. In the background, imprisoned blacks look on through a barbed-wire fence. Whites watch in horror but do nothing to help. Meanwhile, a two-legged and three-headed serpent wraps himself around the tree that physically and symbolically separates the races. This is an important work in the history of American art. It may be one of the very earliest examples of a major American painter doing a major work that challenges racial segregation and injustice at a time when no one else would. The title of the work is inspired by a Historic Supreme Court decision on racial segregation. The Little Rock...

Toits Rouges à Menton by Georges Manzana Pissarro (1871-1961) Oil on board 40 x 56.5 cm (15 ¾ x 21 ⅞ inches) Signed and dated lower left, Manzana Pissarro 1953 The last years of his...

Saturday Evening Post interior illustration Signed lower right

Signed lower right, Archivally Matted to 17.75 x 16.75 inches. A noble portrait of Ike as President is depicted against a ringing Liberty Bell. In the...

Medium: Oil on Masonite Signature: Signed 'Hughes-' Lower Left This work was published as the cover of the June 17, 1950 edition of The Saturday Evening Post. Literature: J. Cohn, ...

Mid-century Artist Victory Kalin was too good an artist for his paperback assignments. He was as much a virtuoso graphic designer as an illustrator. The present work exemplifies his ...