1930s 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...

Figurative 1930's illustration of a just married couple in a classic car by Charles Kinghan (American, 1895-1984). Signed "Kinghan" in the lower left c...

Unique etching in red chalk performed in 1930 in glass framed oak in mint condition Börje Harald Holm, born May 17, 1892 in Uppsala, died October 3, 1973, was a Swedish painter and...

Unique etching in red chalk perfomed in 19030 glass framed oak mint condition. Börje Harald Holm, born May 17, 1892 in Uppsala, died October 3, 1973, was a Swedish painter and graph...

Unique etching performed in red chalk in mint condition glass framed in oak in 1930. Börje Harald Holm, born May 17, 1892 in Uppsala, died October 3, 1973, was a Swedish painter and...

Unique etching in red chalk performed in 1930 glass framed oak in mint condition. Börje Harald Holm, born May 17, 1892 in Uppsala, died October 3, 1973, was a Swedish painter and g...

Signed Lower Left by Artist Liberty Magazine Cover, January 27th, 1934

Carl Gustaf Simon Nelson, American (1898-1988) "Nude Musicians," 30 x 35 inches, oil on canvas Signed and dated 1938 signature lower right. Provenance: Collection of Seymour Stein Bio Carl Gustaf Simon Nelson (1898 - 1988) A painter, graphic artist and teacher whose paintingfocus was color and content landscapes, Nelson at age five immigrated with his family to Sioux City, Iowa from Sweden in 1903. He studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts* from 1920 to 1921, then at the Art Students League* in New York from 1923 to 1927 with Kimon Nicolaides and Kenneth Hayes Miller. He taught at the American Peoples School of New York, an adult education project; at the Cambridge School of Design from 1948 to 1952; and finally at the Boston YMCA until 1968. His work was exhibited at the Carnegie...

Lower margin contains inked directive initialed by Rackham and numerous pencil indications as well as a rough thumbnail sketch of the end papers. A fascinating look into Rackham's ...

(Note: This work is part of our exhibition Connected by Creativity: WPA Era Works from the Collection of Leata and Edward Beatty Rowan) Oil on canvas, 18 x 14 inches unframed, 22 x 18 inches framed, signed and dated lower right, inscribed “Mother and Son by Herman Maril ‘31” and “property Edward B. Rowan Falls Church VA” verso Literature: i) Dows, Olin, Herman Maril, The American Magazine of Art, Vol. 28, No. 7 (July 1935), p. 407 (illustrated with the title “Mare and Colt...

Gouache Estate of Samuel Esses Beautifully framed Never afraid of trying new styles, curious and opinionated, constantly engaged with the world around him, Rolph Scarlett more tha...

Study for the Mural "Westward Movement" Graphite, watercolor, gouache and paint on paper, 1936 Signed in pencil lower center (see photo) A study leading up to his mural Justice of th...

This black pencil on paper is a study of a nude standing female, designed by Marie Louise Simard (1886-1963). The hand-written signature is on the bottom left corner with the officia...

Antique American modernist landscape signed painting. Watercolor and gouache on paper. Signed. Framed.

Dimensions: 21 x 24 inches Medium: Oil on canvas Signed Provenance Private Collection, Paris The Walter Brown Collection, Texas

Original Painting. Colliers Cover Published American Scene Christmas Modern Antonio Petruccelli (1907 - 1994) Man with Ribbon Colliers published,...

This work embodies a beautiful color scheme that is evident in the treatment of the sky and the huge cloud structure. that Signed and Dated lower right Original Period Frame On Vers...

'The Cabaret Dancer', crayon on art paper, by Kolomon Moore (circa 1930s). The Crazy Years (les Années Folles) of Paris in the 1920s hit an abrupt end in...

Sierra Peak California Mountain and Stream 1930s 1930s painting of the California Sierras by Southern California artist Aaron Roberts (American, 19...

Day at the Beach - Realistic Figurative Illustration in Gouache Original figurative illustration of people at the beach by Charles Ross Kinghan (American, 1895-1984). Several women are looking at someone's foot, as if there is a splinter being removed. Three of the women are closer, with their heads in the frame. Two of them have are standing with their backs to the viewer. Between the women, the viewer can catch glimpses of other activities on the beach. Possibly a sketch for Good Housekeeping Magazine. Signed "Charles Ross" in the lower right corner. (Charles Ross Kinghan) Acquired with other signed estate works by the artist. Presented in a new cream mat. Mat size: 16"H x 13"W Board size: 14"H x 11.75"W Charles Ross Kinghan (American, 1895-1984) was born in Anthony, KS on January 18, 1895. A teacher, he moved to Wichita as a teenager and did sign painting for the Western Sign Works. He studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Art in 1916, the American Academy of Art in Chicago, the Audubon School of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. He was a pupil of Carl Scheffler, J. Wellington Reynolds, and H.A. Oberteuffer. He taught at the Art Institute of Chicago and at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. He was an illustrator for McCalls, Good Housekeeping, Saturday Evening Post, Colliers, and many others, including American Artist magazine. He was author and illustrator of Rendering Techniques for Commercial Art and Advertising (1956) and of Ted Kautzky...

Antique American signed modernist artist studio oil painting. Oil on board. Signed. Framed. Image size, 18L x 24H.

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 watercolor and gouache beach scene three young men bathing...

"Untitled Abstract" is a 30 x 22 inches, oil on canvas painting by American modernist and surrealist, female artist Peter Miller. The work is painted in a vibrant color palette and estate stamped #202163 on verso. The painting has been conserved and inspected by conservation specialist, Gratz Gallery & Conservation Studio, Inc. Exhibition history: Forgotten Woman of American Modernism, Gratz Gallery & Conservation Studio, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, 2022. Provenance: Estate of the Artist; Private Collection, Saugerties, New York; Gratz Gallery & Conservation Studio, Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Image: Peter Miller in Her Studio Julien Levy Gallery...

Original oil paint on heavy card stock of a lovely spring bouquet of pink flowers by the American impressionist artist, Bird Lefever. Signed lower left...

Medium: Oil on Canvasboard Signature: Signed 'Jacob Rosenberg' This piece was commissioned for the movie "Roberta" (1935), directed by William A. Seiter. Painting is by Jacob Rosenb...

Antique American impressionist signed still life oil painting. Oil on board. Signed. Framed. Image size, 25L x 19H.

Antique American modernist abstract pastel and watercolor painting. Signed illegibly. Framed. Image size, 14L x 18H.

Date: 1934 Medium: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: 24.75" x 16" Signature: Initialed Lower Left Cover Illustration for American Boy Magazine, May 1934 Includes copy of magazine

Work on canvas Golden wooden frame 47.7 x 34.5 x 5 cm

'Nude Viewed from the Back', oil on canvas, by Charles Kvapil (1937). The world of art has for centuries depicted nudes in one form or another. Kvapil's wonderfully alluring versions may likely be inspired by Courbet and Cézanne. This nude appears on a chair with her back to the artist and viewer. There are plush reds, sensuous pinks and darker, patterned curtains...

Silver Plume, Colorado - near Georgetown, mountain landscape with fall colors, Aspen and Pine trees, river, houses and mountains by early 20th century Co...

Jean Dufy- Stockholm Aquarel and pencil on paper Paper Size; 43.0 x 25.0 Signed in pen Good condition with bright colors. Provenance: Lilla Bukowskis- August-2003 Framed with museum...

Original vintage painting by early Colorado woman artist, Louise Ronnebeck (1901-1980) of a mine in the mountains of Colorado, WPA Era, circ...

Ships is an original painting realized by Bruno Croatto in 1938. Signed and datet by the Artist at bottom left. Includes a wooden frame.

"The Vendor of Masques", 1930s modernist painting by Boardman Robinson (1876-1952) of a Mask vendors display with male and female figures (lik...

Nude with Drape, c. 1937, oil on board, 24 x 17 (oval), signed lower right, provenance: Frances Lee Kent Falcone Family Trust About the Painting Fletcher Martin’s Nude with Drape ...

Here we have a painting by Swiss Artist Ernst Suter, most of his creations are sculptures so this is a rare find. Ernst Suter grew up in a bourgeois family in the city of Basel. Even before he had received his high school diploma, he had to leave the canton school because of his participation in a student revolt. He then did an apprenticeship as a sculptor with Jakob Probst, with whom he had a lifelong friendship. In 1923 he went to Paris to continue his studies. There his first teacher was Henri Bouchard...

Portrait of woman is an orignal modern artwork realized by Antonio Feltrinelli in 1930s. Mixed colored oil painting. Not signed. Good conditions Antonio Feltrinelli (Milan, 1887...

A portrait of two cats is deftly assembled by trailblazing modernist Hilla Rebay. The work is signed and titled lower left. 'Muschi et Antonio v. Rebay - Rome'. Titled to verso ‘Musc...

BAMBINO CON BROCCA
 1930 Sanguine technique Signed down on the left PUBLICATIONS “A Roma obras de la colecciòn Farnesina” edited by Palombi Editori, pp. 80-81

Work on paper

Mural Study 1933 Depression Era Mid-Century WPA Modern American Scene Drawing. Study to Scale Mural Sketch for “Evolution of Textile Production” East. All,...

Gorgeous still life lithograph of a a vibrant purple Iris made in the 1930's by artist unknown in the style of Georgia O'Keeffe.

Work on paper

Study for the Mural "Westward Movement" Graphite, watercolor, gouache and paint on paper, 1936 Signed in pencil lower center (see photo) A study leading up to his mural Justice of th...

Panel work

American artist Walter Quirt painted this modernist non objective geometric abstract oil color field during the WPA era in the 1930s. Abstraction, 12 x 16 inches. Oil on canvas. Sig...

A fantastic modern portrait of a young boy. This work is signed what appears to be Paul Sellers and dated 1937, but we have not found information on the artist. The work dated 1936...

Oil on artist board painting by the American artist, Paul Wesley. Signed lower right. Titled and signed verso. Circa 1930. Condition: excellent. Provenance: A private estate, East ...

A cute baby playing with toys is captured as he/she responds to someone outside the picture plane. Haddon Sundblom is a masterful artist in the school of An...

Artist: Reginald Marsh, American (1898 - 1954) Title: The "Cannonball" Year: 1936 Medium: Watercolor on Paper, signed, titled, and dated l.r. Size: 16.5 in. x 22.5 in. (41.91 cm x 57...

Family scene. Oil sketch on cardboard. This work will be recorded in the catalogue raisonné of the work of the artist currently in preparation. Jules Van Biesbroeck was the son of Jules Evariste van Biesbroeck, a painter of Ghent, but was born in Italy, in Portici, near Naples, while his parents were staying there. (In the 19th century many artists made educational trips to Italy). It was a long visit: the child was two years old by the time the family returned to Ghent.[1] After a short period of practice with his father, van Biesbroeck was enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent. His first painting, "The Shepherd" (French: Le pâtre), was sold at the Triennale in Ghent. In 1888, when he was only 15 years old, he made his debut at the "Salon des Champs-Elysées" in Paris with his monumental work "The Launch of the Argo" (French: Le lancement...

Watercolor on paper painting of Cameron's Cove outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado by Charles Ragland Bunnell from the 1930s. Scenic mountain landsc...

A girl and her dog This was possibly used as an advertisement. It is in a great illustrator style. 22 x 18. framed. 19.5 x 15.5 canvas. Lawrence Wilbur (1897 - 1960) was active/l...

Initialed lower right 'A.B.' for Axel Bentzen (Danish, 1893-1952) painted circa 1935. A large and lyrical oil still-life showing a view from the artist's window onto a sun-drenched ...

Oil on panel by French impressionist painter Henri Duhem depicting a man in a small boat on the river, with trees and reeds on the bank in the foreground. Signed lower left and dated...

Woman in pink is an original artwork realized by the Italian artist Antonio Feltrinelli in the 1930s. Original oil on plywood. Beautiful and representative work of a female figure...

This early work by American artist Sylvia Spicuzza is an excellent example of Regionalism: in the foreground, a farmer in blue stands before a herd of cattle. Beyond the fence of the...