20th Century Portrait Paintings

Oil painting of a study of "Blue Boy" standing with his hat in his left hand by Mary Welch (American, 1875-1967). Circa 1918. Signed "M. Welch" lower left and gifted circa "1955" on verso. Image: 6"L x 9"H. Mary Welch, born 10 years after the end of the Civil War, was a woman ahead of her time. She signed her paintings M. Welch, hoping that potential buyers wouldn't discover she was a woman. More often than not, when they learned her sex, art dealers lost interest. The Hutchinson artist never married, never had children. But when she died in 1967, she left an impressive body of paintings, many of them familiar Kansas landscapes...

This highly stylized portrait depicts a well dressed man in front of a mining property likely in West Virginia. It is very much in the manner of earlier American artists such as Gra...

This painting by Salvador Aulestia (Barcelona 1915 - Milano 1994) embraces the "figurative post-cubism" style. In fact Salvador Aulestia was artistically grown during the maximum su...

Self Portrait, c. 1940s, oil on canvas, 14 ¼ x 12 1/4 inches, signed lower left, presented in a newer frame This work is part of our exhibition America Coast to Coast: Artists of th...

Jean-Marcel POUSSARD (1891-1972) Portrait of a woman in hunting attire in front of a vine H. 80 cm; L. 53 cm Oil on canvas Signed and dated lower right - 1932 Painter of portraits a...

As a young person, Gordon Rayner learned to paint from his father, a commercial artist and weekend painter, and from his father`s close friend, Jack Bush. He spent 17 years working i...

Konstantin Yegorovich Makovsky (Russian 1839 – 1915) was an influential Russian painter At the World's Fair of 1889 in Paris, he received the Large Gold Medal for his paintings Deat...

Acrylic on canvas, signed and dated (lower right), 91cm x 62cm (112cm x 82cm framed). (Provenance: in the collection of the artist Michael Leonard (British 1933-2023) until his dea...

This striking British Edwardian religious oil painting is by noted artist Francis 'Frank' Owen Salisbury or Frank O'Salisbury as he is largely known. Painted in 1911 it is a figurative landscape of soldiers on the battlefield. The two central characters, the 'Christian Soldiers' from the early crusades have halos and ride through the chaos on white horses. Shafts on light with angels illuminate them and also a crucifix. A very powerful Edwardian religious oil painting and an excellent example of O'Salisbury's work. painted in oil and illuminated in gold leaf. Signed and dated with monogram lower right 1911. Provenance. From Castle of Park, Aberdeenshire. A version of this painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy London in 1911 entitled the Passing of War. Condition. Oil on canvas, 36 inches by 24 inches unframed and in good condition. Frame. Housed a complementary frame, 44 inches by 32 inches framed and in good condition. Francis ("Frank") Owen Salisbury (18 December 1874 – 31 August 1962) was an English artist who specialised in portraits, large canvases of historical and ceremonial events, stained glass and book illustration. In his heyday he made a fortune on both sides of the Atlantic and was known as "Britain’s Painter Laureate". His art was steadfastly conservative and he was a vitriolic critic of Modern Art – particularly of his contemporaries Picasso, Chagall and Mondrian. His father, Henry Salisbury, described himself as a "plumber, decorator and ironmonger" (his mother was Susan Hawes), yet his son Frank would become one of the greatest society artists of his generation. One of 11 children, Salisbury was such a delicate child that he was educated at home, in the main by his student teacher sister, Emilie. He had only a few weeks formal schooling and began work by repairing bicycles at his father’s Cycle Depot in Harpenden. Uncertain as to his ability to find and maintain a job, the family determined that he be apprenticed, at the age of 15, to Henry James Salisbury, his eldest brother, who managed a major stained glass company in Alma Road, St Albans. He rapidly acquired all the practical skills of a stained glass artist and exhibited exceptional skills in the painterly detail that was applied to glass before its final firing. This led to his brother sponsoring him to attend Heatherley’s School of Art three days a week to further a career in painting. He then won a scholarship to the Royal Academy Schools which he attended for five years and where he won two silver medals and two scholarships, including the Landseer scholarship which funded his to travel to Italy in 1896. In due course he would have seventy exhibits accepted for the annual Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions, from 1899 until 1943, though he was never offered membership, which reportedly disappointed him very much. In 1901 he married Alice Maude (d. 1951), daughter of C. Colmer Greenwood, with whom he had several children, including twin daughters Monica and Sylvia. His first Royal Academy exhibit was a portrait of Alice and he often painted pictures of their children. It is for portraiture that he is best known. His speed in producing portraits stemmed from his painting his own twin daughters every morning for an hour and his career began with child portraiture and his painting the Hertfordshire gentry and members of the Harpenden Methodist Church. He had a studio at his home, Sarum Chase. A providential meeting with Lord Wakefield, founder of Castrol Oils and a Methodist philanthropist, saw his introduction to society portraiture. Salisbury’s being selected to paint the Boy Cornwell in the Battle of Jutland then brought him to the notice of Royalty. Lord Wakefield then arranged for him to paint President Woodrow Wilson whilst he was in London, but Wilson departed for Paris and the opportunity was lost. It was to be John W. Davis, American Ambassador to London, who encouraged Salisbury to go to the USA; Davis had met Salisbury at art receptions and had admired his child portraits. Twenty-five members of the Royal House of Windsor sat for Salisbury and he was the first artist to paint HM Queen Elizabeth II. In 1919 he painted a mural for the Royal Exchange, London National Peace Thanksgiving Service on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral, 6th July 1919. He painted Winston Churchill on more occasions than any other artist; the two iconic images of Churchill – The Siren Suit and Blood, Sweat and Tears are both Salisbury images. Mayoral regalia was a ready made requisite for the Salisbury style with Councillor Sam Ryder (of Ryder Cup fame) as Mayor of St Albans being the most famous of his civic images. Other significant portraits include those of Richard Burton, Andrew Carnegie (posthumous), Sir Alan Cobham, Sir Robert Ludwig Mond, Maria Montessori...

Alice BASTIDE (Saint Mandé 1868 – Paris 1959) Portrait of a little girl reading Oil on canvas H. 100 cm; L. 72.5 cm Signed lower right and dated 1912 Daughter of a pastor from Gard and an English woman, Alice Bastide grew up in Paris. A pupil of the Jullian Academy, she began her apprenticeship under the guidance of Henri Royer and François Schommer. The development of his art is mainly oriented towards still lifes, without completely abandoning portraits and landscapes. Her other specialty for which she received numerous awards is miniatures. At the Salon of 1914 she received the Maxime David prize crowning the best piece while her finesse was already noticed by press critics from 1907. Coronation, in 1926 she received a gold medal at the Salon for her miniature Coquetterie. In 1896, the young woman married a man from Gard, Auguste Massebiaux, whose name she would occasionally bear. The latter, a lawyer at the Paris Court of Appeal, died in 1910. The couple had no children. At that time she was domiciled at 48 avenue d'Orléans (later named avenue du general Leclerc) in Paris where she lived until her death in 1959. Until the mid-1930s she continued to exhibit at the Salon des Artistes French with a manner very close to Impressionism, luminous and vigorous. In 1912, two years after the death of her husband, Alice Bastide was certainly still marked by the sadness of her mourning. The tones of our portrait of a little girl and the frame she puts together are dark and heavy. This child, wearing an embroidered bonnet, is bent over her book, her loose hair flowing over a red velvet indoor dress. This intimate portrait on a dark tapestry...

'Untitled Cubist Figure', oil on board, by STM (circa 1970s). A vibrant modern painting inspired by Picasso and Braque, the artist uses angles, lines and...

This impressive late 19th century portrait oil painting is by British artist James Edward Barclay. The sitter is a Major in the Royal Marines, William Wynch George Back Willis who wa...

This superb vibrant Oriental Post Impressionist oil painting is by noted British artist Gerald Spencer Pryse. It was painted circa 1925 when Pryse first visited Morocco. He was so en...

This stunning British American Impressionist portrait oil on canvas painting is by Sir James Jebusa Shannon circa 1905. The painting is of the artist and his wife Florence and daught...

This lovely British portrait oil painting is by noted artist Lionel Ellis. Painted in 1929 it is a half length standing portrait of a young woman in a blue dress with a white lace sh...

Artist: David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896-1974) Mexican Title: Emiliano Zapata Medium: Pyroxylin on Wood Panel, Signed Lower Right Size: Unframed 35” x 49”,...

Large scale colourful figurative portrait of a fashionable lady in a blue hat by French artist Jean-Louis Dubuc. The painting is signed bottom right and titled to the rear cross stre...

Jules Cheret (May 31, 1836 - September 23, 1932) was a French painter and lithographer who became a master of poster art. Often called the father of the modern poster. This piece is ...

Expressionist Realistic portrait of a Jewish refugee family World War II era by Lithuanian French Jewish artist. Here the artist conveys a sense of quiet grandeur through the eyes of...

Inspired the history of Pulque and Tequila.The Aztecs would say , “ Drunk as 400 rabbits”. They created an alcoholic drink called Pulque that was made from the Blue Agave...

"The Mate" (Cornish fisherman) by David W. Haddon (British, early 20th century) signed and dated 1914 oil on board, framed framed: 18 x 14 inches board: 16 x 12 inches provenance: pr...

An early self portrait of the artist signed lower right---Provenance: purchased directly from the artist in 1989

A wonderful self portrait of the artist holding his paintbrush--beautifully painted and signed lower left---Provenance: purchased directly from the artist in 1994

"Patterns and Shapes" is a portrait painting by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon. The 40" x 36" oil on board portrait is painted in a vibrant color palette. "St...

Jesus C. Vilallonga (Canadian, 1927-2018) Femme au Chapeau Oil on canvas Signed lower left 24 x 16 inches 30 x 21.75 inches, framed Jesús Carles de Vilallonga was a Spanish/Canadian...

A large Glasgow School oil on canvas portrait by Scottish artist Stuart Mackenzie. The painting is presented in a plain baton wood frame. Though not ...

Rafael Llimona Benet (1896-1957) - Girl reading - Oil on canvas Oil measures 116x89 cm. Frameless. Rafael Llimona i Benet (1896-1957) was a Spanish pai...

Painting by Peter Plonkin (b. 1879) 32 x 46 inches Oil on Canvas

Alfred Neville Lewis 1895-1972 was a South African born artist who painted in England and South Africa. This portrait was probably painted in South Africa in the 1950's, it is a youn...

Bernard Pothast (1882-1966) Although born in Belgium in 1882, Bernard Pothast was the...

Work on canvas Plaster and gilded wood frame 114 x 95.4 x 10 cm

American artist Samuel Brecher (active NY, 1897-1982) Oil on Canvas, Signed lower right ‘S. Brecher’ titled "and all our yesterdays" it depicts a Horseback rider (carousel horse?) amidst architecure ruins. Brecher was a very accomplished painter who won over forty prestigious prizes and awards during his career, and had numerous one-man exhibitions. Brecher’s works are included in many important private collections as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Walker Art Museum, the Smithsonian and the Newark Museum of Art. He is listed in Who’s Who in American Art and is a member of the Salmugundi Club* and the National Academy of Art Samuel Brecher was born in Boryslaw, Austria, a town near the Carpathian Mountains, now a part of Poland. His family came to New York in 1910, where Samuel graduated from Cooper Union* in 1921. He studied Art at the National Academy of Design* from 1921-1924, and continued studies under Charles W. Hawthorne in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Brecher was represented by several well known New York City galleries in the 1940’s and 1950’s including the Kraushaar Gallery, the ACA Gallery, the Hudson Walker Gallery and the Merrill Gallery. During his career he won over forty prestigious prizes and awards and had numerous one-man shows. Some of Brechers’s contemporary artist friends were Walt Kuhn, Reginald Marsh, Richard Haley...

Work on cardboard Golden wooden frame 52 x 43.5 x 3 cm

Lafuente - Grape harvester - Oil on canvas Spanish school signed "Lafuente". Oil measures 61x50 cm. Frameless.

Frank Nelson Wilcox (American, 1887-1964) The Wood Chopper, Brecksville, Ohio, c. 1917 Oil on masonite 33 x 24 inches "We were fortunate in that the two farms in Brecksville were still open to our visits. The urbanization of the township was then only beginning and we spent several summers there where I tried to capture something of the rural peace so soon to be erased from the countryside." - Wilcox Exhibited: “Water Colors and Oils by Frank N. Wilcox,” Cleveland Museum of Art, January 1937. Frank Nelson Wilcox (October 3, 1887 – April 17, 1964) was a modernist American artist and a master of watercolor. Wilcox is described as the "Dean of Cleveland School...

Frank Nelson Wilcox (American, 1887-1964) On the Back Porch, Brecksville, Ohio, c. 1922 Watercolor on paper Monogram lower right 21.5 x 27. 5 inc...

Scandinavian School, early twentieth century. Inscribed, verso, on stretcher bar, 'Anna Ancher' with indistinct inscription and painted circa 1910. A psychologically-penetrating portrait of a young woman shown in profile, wearing a gold earring and a polychrome silk headscarf...

Roser Vinardell (1941) - A young woman - Oil on canvas Oil measures 55x46 cm. Frame measures 75x66 cm. ROSER VINARDELL Roser Vinardell Tolrà was born in Cabrera de Mataró in 1941. ...

Work on canvas Golden wooden frame 81 x 68 x 3 cm

'The Chess Match', oil on cardstock paper, by Raymond Debiève (1973). Rich colours, bold, painterly brush strokes and an unusual subject for a work of art, Debiève has created this s...

EDMUND VAN SOMEREN (British 1875-1963) Le Ruban Noir Signed l.r.: E L van Someren; signed, inscribed and dated on the reverse: “Le Ruban Noir”/ E L van Someren 1903 Oil on canvas F...

'Portrait of Future Man', oil on board, Berlin School, (circa 1960s). A thoroughly modern portrait clearly in the style of Italian Futurist, Fortunato Depero (1892-1960). Futurism co...

Illegible signature Work on canvas Black wooden frame 67 x 57.5 x 3.5 cm

Dick Beer (b. London 1893 - d. Stockholm 1938) Portrait of Dr Mens III, 1918-1919 oil on board 70 x 50 cm stamp signed painted c. 1918-1919 Provenance: Within the family Beer until today Dick Beer (1893-1938) Dick Beer was born in London in 1893. His father, John Beer (1853-1906), was a Swedish painter from Stockholm who had a career mainly as a watercolour painter with motifs of horses from racetracks and fox hunts from the countryside. Barely fifteen years old, Dick Beer became an orphan and came to Sweden in 1907. Already in 1908-1909, he started at Althin's painting school in Stockholm. And later, at the Royal Academy of Arts from 1910-1912. His teachers were, among others, Gustaf Cederström, Oscar Björk and Alfred Bergström...

'Seated Woman', oil on board, by François Diana (circa 1970s). This work of sumptuous colour and sensuous subject matter elicits an immediate response. ...

This is a possible self portrait by the famed female surrealist artist. It is also strikingly similar in style with it's exaggerated eyes to her portrait of Jean Genet, ( Leonor F...

Swing Jazz Quartet. Satchmo, Louis Armstrong! Oil Painting on board. Hand signed and dated 1974 Malcah Zeldis (born Mildred Brightman; 1931) is an American folk art painter. She is ...

We are proud to present outstanding original oil on canvas by American artist William Gropper (1897-1977.) William Gropper was an artist and illustrator, known for his exceptional a...

Work on paper Golden wooden frame with glass pane 91 x 77 x 4 cm

Medium: Oil Painting Signature: Unsigned Contact for dimensions.

Genre: Classic Subject: Portrait Medium: Oil Surface: Canvas Dimensions: 20.25" x 17.25" Dimensions w/Frame: 25.75" x 22.75"

Judaica oil painting Rabbi portrait.

Antique painting a of a dog "Red Terrier" Possibly Dutch School Oil on wood panel, circa 1910 Initialed lower left 7 1/2 x 7 (12 x 11 1/2 frame) inches  A charming and thoughtfully...

Konstanty Swewczenko (1910-1991), signed oil Judaica Oil Painting, Polish, c.1960 Konstantin Shevchenko studied at the Institute of Fine Arts in Warsaw in the years 1927 - 1928. Then, in 1932 he studied painting under the guidance of Kowarski and Pruszkowski at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. Practiced easel painting, mostly portraits, genre scenes. Among others, a portrait Moscicki, Rydz - Rydz, and after the war Rokossowski. He worked as a set designer. In the years 1934 - 1935 was production designer Variety Theatre. He collaborated with publishing houses with illustrations. He exhibited in Warsaw, Vienna, New York. In 1947 he took part in Exhibition Independent Artists Group) and abroad (solo exhibition at the Gallery G. Tomalsky in New York, 1964) . His works are in the collection of the Museum of the Polish Army.

"Jennifer", portrait of a woman with long brown hair and a blue dress with bouquet of flowers in a green vase, vintage 1970s original painting by Marcel Ronay...

Oil self-portrait by Rick Prol

José Puyet Padilla (1922-2004) - Girls - Oil on canvas Oil measures 81x65 cm. Frameless. Puyet was born in Malaga, Spain. He was the grandson of Professor José Padilla, a Spanish artist who began painting in the nineteenth century. As a child, Puyet learned to paint by watching his grandfather, whose company he preferred to that of children his age. At the age of eight he had started working on paencils and oils. At the age of 20, Puyet entered the Spanish army...

Acrylic on Masonite board, signed and dated (lower middle), 70cm x 70cm (91cm x 91cm framed). Price on request This work depicts Alan and his dog, Bella, on Michael Leonard’s balcon...