Modern Figurative Paintings

Simka Simkhovitch (Russian/American 1893 - 1949) This came with a small grouping from the artist's family, some were hand signed some were not. These were studies for larger paintings. This is a miniature watercolor and gouache vibrant, colorful bouquet of flowers in a vase. Simka Simkhovitch (Симха Файбусович Симхович) (aka Simka Faibusovich Simkhovich) (Novozybkov, Russia May 21, 1885 O.S./June 2, 1885 N.S.—Greenwich, Connecticut February 25, 1949) was a Ukrainian-Russian Jewish artist and immigrant to the United States. He painted theater scenery in his early career and then had several showings in galleries in New York City. Winning Works Progress Administration (WPA) commissions in the 1930s, he completed murals for the post offices in Jackson, Mississippi and Beaufort, North Carolina. His works are in the permanent collections of the Dallas Museum of Art, the National Museum of American Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Born outside Kyiv (Petrograd Ukraine) into a Jewish family who owned a small department store. During a severe case of measles when he was seven, Simcha Simchovitch sketched the views outside his window and decided to become an artist, over his father's objections. Beginning in 1905, he studied at the Grekov Odessa Art School and upon completion of his studies in 1911 received a recommendation to be admitted to the Imperial Academy of Arts. Though he enrolled to begin classes in architecture, painting, and sculpture at the Imperial Academy, he was dropped from the school roster in December because of the quota on the number of Jewish students and drafted into the army. Simchovitch served as a private in the 175th Infantry Regiment Baturyn [ru] until his demobilization in 1912. Re-enrolling in the Imperial Academy, he audited classes. Simka Simkhovitch exhibited paintings and sculptures in 1918 as part of an exhibition of Jewish artists and in 1919 placed 1st in the competition "The Great Russian Revolution" with a painting called "Russian Revolution" which was hung in the State Museum of Revolution. In 1922, Simkha Simkhovitch exhibited at the International Book Fair in Florence (Italian: Fiera Internazionale del Libro di Firenze). In 1924, Simkhovitch came to the United States to make illustrations for Soviet textbooks and decided to immigrate instead. Initially he supported himself by doing commercial art and a few portrait commissions. In 1927, he was hired to paint a screen for a scene in the play "The Command to Love" by Fritz Gottwald and Rudolph Lothar which was playing at the Longacre Theatre on Broadway. Art dealers began clamoring for the screen and Simkhovitch began a career as a screen painter for the theater. Catching the attention of the screenwriter, Ernest Pascal, he worked as an illustrator for Pascal, who then introduced him to gallery owner, Marie Sterner. Simkhovitch's works appeared at the Marie Sterner Gallery beginning with a 1927 exhibit and were repeated the following year. Simkhovitch had an exhibit in 1929 at Sterner's on circus paintings. In 1931, he held a showing of works at the Helen Hackett Gallery, in New York City and later that same year he was one of the featured artists of a special exhibit in San Francisco at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park. The exhibit was coordinated by Marie Sterner and included four watercolors, including one titled "Nudes". He is of the generation of Russian Soviet artists such as Isaac Pailes, Serge Charchoune, Marc Chagall, Chana Orloff, Isaac Ilyich Levitan, and Ossip Zadkine. In 1936, Simkhovitch was selected to complete the mural for the WPA Post office project in Jackson, Mississippi. The mural was hung in the post office and courthouse in 1938 depicted a plantation theme. Painted on the wall behind the judge’s bench, “Pursuits of Life in Mississippi”, a depiction of black workers engaged in manual labor amid scenes of white professionals and socialites, was eventually covered over in later years during renovations due to its stereotypical African American imagery. Simka painted what he thought was typical of Jackson. His impression of pre-civil rights Mississippi was evidently Greek Revival column houses, weeping willow trees, working class families, and the oppression of African Americans. He painted African American men picking cotton, while a white man took account of the harvest and a white judge advised a white family, calling it Pursuits of Life in Mississippi. Though clearly endorsed by the government and initially generally well-received, the mural soon raised concerns with locals as the climate toward racial segregation began to change. The main concern was whether depictions that show African Americans in subjugated societal roles should be featured in a courtroom. The following year, his painting "Holiday" won praise at an exhibition in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1940, Simkhovitch's second WPA post office project was completed when four murals, "The Cape Lookout Lighthouse and the Orville W. Mail Boat", "The Wreck of the Crissie Wright", "Sand Ponies" and "Canada Geese" were installed in Beaufort, North Carolina. The works were commissioned in 1938 and did not generate the controversy that the Jackson mural had. The main mural is "The Wreck of the Crissie Wright" and depicts a shipwreck which had occurred in Beaufort in 1866. "The Cape Lookout Lighthouse and the Orville W. Mail Boat" depicted the lighthouse built in 1859 and the mail boat that was running mail during the time which Simkhovitch was there. The boat ran mail for the area until 1957. "Sand Ponies" shows the wild horses common to the North Carolina barrier islands and "Canada Geese" showed the importance of hunting and fishing in the area. All four murals were restored in the 1990s by Elisabeth Speight, daughter of two other WPA muralists, Francis Speight...

Neon Lighting WPA Mid 20th Century Social Realism American Scene Modern Figures MAURICE BECKER (1889-1975) 'Neon Lighting 17 1/4 x 13 3/4 inches Oil on masonite Signed, dated 1936 and titled on verso BIO Maurice Becker, painter, political cartoonist and social reformer, was born in 1889 either in Gorky or Niznij Novgorod, in Russia. His family came to the United States in 1892, to New York City. After high school, Becker worked in a clothing factory. He studied with Ash Can School artist Robert Henri in 1908, and exhibited in the famous 1913 Armory Show in New York City when he was only twenty-four years of age. At the Armory show, Becker showed a drawing of a dog's head...

This intimate portrait was composed by the Bulgarian-born French Expressionist painter Jules Pascin. Known as the "Prince of Montparnasse," Pascin made a name for himself throughout ...

Kelley Carman Backlog (Still Life, Books, Reading, Hobby, Warm) Oil on Canvas Year: 2024 Size: 11.5 x 15.5 inches Framed Size: 24 x 20 inches Signed and titled COA provided *Frame...

"Looking Out" is a contemporary seascape with a young woman in white admiring the view. Kelly Carmody’s work has been widely exhibited and collected. One of her major figurative wor...

The universal farmers market is bustling with action. Geometric stalls with intense color coupled with contrasting blue arches creates the dynamism in this work of art. The Market #...

Signed and Dated Modern Line Drawing Oil Painting of Nude Man. Louis Stettner (November 7, 1922 – October 13, 2016) was an American photographer of the 20th century whose work inclu...

Dramatic, monumental oil painting laid to Masonite by George Matthews Harding (1882-1959). Painter, illustrator and muralist, Harding was born in Philadelphia. He studied at the Pyle...

Abram Abraham Krol was born January 22, 1919, in Pabianice (Lodz), Poland. Abram Krol went to France in 1938 to study civil engineering at the University of Caen. In 1939 at the be...

Here is a small (10"x10" ) oil painting by Francis Pavy. Entitled " master accordionist from Crowley. There are many accordion masters from South Loui...

Stella Jae Rejuvenation 2023 Archival Pigment Print on Hahnemuehle Baryta Rag 315gsm Size: 24.01 x 24.01 inches (61 x 61cm) Edition: 15 Signed, titled and dated on label COA provided...

Nicely painted mid century abstracted figurative painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. No signature found. Great color and composition. Nicely framed in a period modernist molding.

NYC Subway Mid 20th Century Modern American Scene Social Realism Contemporary David Atkins (1910 – 2012) Subway Train Departure 24 x 30 inches Oil on canvas, c. 1960s Signed lower r...

Joseph Solman (1909-2008), Chair with Chinese Rug, oil paint on masonite, initialed JS on recto, titled and signed "J.S." verso, Dimensions 14" x 10" Framed to 21 X 17 Provenance...

Kelley Carman First Car (Figurative, Cozy, Coupe, Yellow, Orange, Green, Car) Acrylic and Oil Stick Year: 2022 Size: 12x12x1.5in Signed COA provided Ref.: 924802-2037 Tags: Figurat...

Arthur Smith (American, 1897-1972) Untitled, 20th century Oil on wood panel 23 3/4 x 19 1/2 in. Framed: 29 x 25 x 1 1/4 in. Signed lower left: A Smith Arthur Smith is a listed Ameri...

Kelley Carman Mine Was (Figurative, Pattern, Mid-Century, Orange, Banana Bike, 70’s, Schwinn) Acrylic and Oil Stick Year: 2022 Size: 36x36x1.5in Signed COA provided Ref.: 924802-203...

Kelley Carman Lawn Chair Brigade (Figurative, Pattern, Mid-Century, Modern, Pink, Green, White) Acrylic and Oil Stick Year: 2022 Size: 36x36x1.5in Signed COA provided Ref.: 924802-2...

Kelley Carman Dreamsicle (Figurative, Pattern, Mid-Century, Modern, Blue, Beige, White) Acrylic and Oil Stick Year: 2022 Size: 36x36x1.5in Signed COA provided Ref.: 924802-2035 Tag...

Riders of Pigeon Hill, c. 1940s, oil on canvas, signed lower right, 24 x 36 inches, label verso with title, artist’s name and address; same information inscribed verso; ex-collection...

Mid Century Modern Impasto Oil Painting -- Venice at Sunset with St. Mark's Basilica Wonderful and evocative modern painting of Venice with gondolas and St. Marks Basilica by postw...

Portraits #13, 2, 1, and 3, 2023 by Luigi Christopher Veggetti From the Portraits series Oil and acrylic on paper Overall size: 30 H x 84 W cm Individual size: 30 H x 21 W cm Unframe...

Sharon Paster is a distinguished San Francisco Bay-area artist Sharon Paster creates her paintings using oil sticks and brushes, a technique that allows her to both draw and paint at...

William Fisher (American, 1891-1985) Untitled, 20th Century Oil on canvas/illustration 23 3/4 x 29 3/4 in. Framed: 31 x 37 1/4 x 1 in. Signed lower right: William Fisher William Fis...

Marta Becket (1925 - 2017) Untitled, c. 1960s Oil on board Sight: 23 x 26 in. Framed: 27 3/4 x 30 3/4 x 7/8 in. Signed lower left Talented as a painter, dancer and pianist, Marta B...

Syril Frank (American, 1929-2021) Untitled, c. 1960s Oil on canvas 35 7/8 x 23 3/4 x 3/4 in. Provenance: Estate of the Artist Syril Harriet Frank was born in Brooklyn to Israel and...

This painting is part of our current exhibition - America Coast to Coast: Artists of the 1940s Untitled (Elevated Platform), 1950, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, 30 x...

Titled Torah Service, hand signed on Arches archival paper. In this painting, Nussbaum portrays a joyful holiday celebration of the Torah reading in the synagogue in a sketch-like m...

"At the Opera" WPA Social Realism Mid 20th Century Modern Theatre American Scene John Winters (1904 - 1983) "At the Opera" 17 x 14 inches oil on canvas Signed and dated 1943 lower r...

Original oil on canvas provocative figurative painting by the American artist Martin Rosenthal. Mid century modern. Signed lower right. Circa 1955. Condition is very good. Present...

Original oil on canvas provocative figurative painting by the American artist Martin Rosenthal. Mid century modern. Signed lower right. Circa 1955. Condition is very good. Present...

Shooting Gallery Mid 20th Century American Scene Social Abstract Realism Modern *William Kienbusch (1914 – 1980) Shooting Gallery, Sixth Avenue Post...

Sharon Paster is a distinguished San Francisco Bay-area artist Sharon Paster creates her paintings using oil sticks and brushes, a technique that allows her to both draw and paint at...

An elegant and psychologically penetrating, American School portrait of a woman, shown in three-quarter profile wearing a blue headscarf and contrasted against a terracotta backgroun...

Sharon Paster is a distinguished San Francisco Bay-area artist Sharon Paster creates her paintings using oil sticks and brushes, a technique that allows her to both draw and paint at...

Old World, by 1943, oil on canvas, signed lower right, 43 ½ x 30 ½ inches, artist’s name and title inscribed verso; exhibited 1) Romantic Painting in America, Museum of Modern Art, N...

This work is part of our exhibition - America Coast to Coast: Artists of the 1940s Untitled (Transcendental Composition), oil on board, 1947, oil on board, signed and dated lower r...

Sharon Paster is a distinguished San Francisco Bay-area artist Sharon Paster creates her paintings using oil sticks and brushes, a technique that allows her to both draw and paint at...

Mystery Artist (Possibly William A. Kittredge, illustrator) Untitled (Diner), c. Mid-20th century Oil on board Sight: 8 x 10 in. Framed: 9 3/8 x 11 3/8 x 7/8 in.

Mystery Artist Untitled (Catholics), c. 20th century Oil on canvas 20 x 20 in. Framed: 25 x 25 x 1 1/4 in. Signed lower right

This artwork titled "Three Priests" 1964 is an oil painting on hardboard by Italian artist Leonardo (Leo) De Magistris, 1933-2010. It is signed and dated at the lower right corner by...

"History of US Postal Service" American Scene Social Realism WPA Modern Chicago Harold Haydon "History of the U.S. Postal Service" 21 x 25 1/2 inches Oil on canvas, c. 1938 Estate s...

Areg Elibekian is known for his vibrant and unique style, often capturing scenes with vivid colors and expressive brushstrokes. Les Deux Magots in Paris is a famous café known for it...

Aaron Berkman (New York, 1900 - 1929) "Beach" Oil on canvas 20 x 24 inches Signed lower right: Aaron Berkman Unframed Provenance: Private collection, USA An abstract oil painting o...

Painting measures 28 X 36 inches. There is a sulpture quality to the suitcase, it has texture to the piece. It subtly recalls the european Holocaust, travel and displacement. Provena...

Compelling figurative study in gouache and pencil by Joesph Capozio (American, 1928-2016). Estate stamp lower right corner with bio on verso. Presented in mahogany wood frame. Framed size: 19"H x 17"W. Capozio was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1927. After serving in World War II, he attended art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He lived and worked in San Francisco, California; New Orleans, Louisiana; Siesta Key...

Sharon Paster is a distinguished San Francisco Bay-area artist Sharon Paster creates her paintings using oil sticks and brushes, a technique that allows her to both draw and paint at...

Sharon Paster is a distinguished San Francisco Bay-area artist Sharon Paster creates her paintings using oil sticks and brushes, a technique that allows her to both draw and paint at...

Sharon Paster is a distinguished San Francisco Bay-area artist Sharon Paster creates her paintings using oil sticks and brushes, a technique that allows her to both draw and paint at...

This artwork titled "Three Nuns" 1964 is an oil painting on hardboard by Italian artist Leonardo (Leo) De Magistris, 1933-2010. It is signed and dated at the lower right corner by th...

Bill Shields "Nude with Ball" 1990's Acrylic paint on board Site measures 10.5"x8.5 wood frame float mount on linen 15.5"x13" Unsigned came from artist's estate William Stephens Shi...

Two graces by Volodymyr Makarenko represent his authentic style, a beautiful composition, great variety of colors and very delicate artistic techni...

Portrait #1, 2023 by Luigi Christopher Veggetti From the Portraits series Oil and acrylic on paper Size: 30 H x 21 W cm Unframed The portraits of Christopher Veggetti are not just...

"Joni" - Portrait of a Girl in a Yellow Dress in Oil on Canvas Skillful portrait of a young girl by Morris Zirlin (American, 1913-1990). A young girl with wide brown eyes poses for ...

Portrait #2, 2023 by Luigi Christopher Veggetti From the Portraits series Oil and acrylic on paper Size: 30 H x 21 W cm Unframed The portraits of Christopher Veggetti are not just...

Portrait #13, 2023 by Luigi Christopher Veggetti From the Portraits series Oil and acrylic on paper Size: 30 H x 21 W cm Unframed The portraits of Christopher Veggetti are not just...

Portrait #3, 2023 by Luigi Christopher Veggetti From the Portraits series Oil and acrylic on paper Size: 30 H x 21 W cm Unframed The portraits of Christopher Veggetti are not just ...

Spreading palms and ferns, trees and leaves all arranged in a woodcut style in this tropical jungle setting. Tonal Jungle - Landscape Paintings - Modern Art By Marc Zimmerman This...