20th Century Portrait Paintings

Jean-Gabriel Domergue 1889-1962 French "L'Ombrelle Jaune" Oil on canvas Signed lower left Canvas : 21 5/8" high x 18 1/8" wide (55 x 46 cm) Frame: 30 3/4" high x 27 1/8" wide (...

Pensive Thoughts by Annie Faure (French 1940-2021) signed lower corner oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas size: 19.5 x 24 inches condition: overall very good, minor surface scuf...

Jim’s of Lambertville is proud to offer this artwork: Gershon Benjamin (1899 - 1985) An American Modernist of portraits, landscapes, still lives, and the urban scene, Gershon Ben...

*UK BUYERS WILL PAY AN ADDITIONAL 5% IMPORT DUTY ON TOP OF THE ABOVE PRICE Rebecca Couchée by JULES PASCIN (1885-1930) Oil over pencil on canvas 73.1 x 91.8 cm (28 ¾ x 36 ⅛ inches) Signed lower right, Pascin Executed in 1927, Boulevard de Clichy, Paris Provenance Collection Marcel Bernheim, Palais des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles, acquired from the artist, 1928 Pierre Blum, Paris, acquired from the above, 1952 Perls Galleries, New York, no. 13565 Private collection, Osaka Sotheby’s, New York, 14th May 1998 Peter Findlay Gallery Inc., New York Private collection, USA, acquired from the above, June 2011 Literature Luis Seoane...

This intriguing British Edwardian figurative interior oil painting is by noted artist Arthur Croft Mitchell. It is entitled Two Worlds verso and dated as c1910. The composition of th...

Unsigned. Provenance: Studio Sale, George Weissbort, 2 June 2024. On board.

'Portrait of the Nephew of the Artist', oil on canvas, by René Seyssaud (circa 1930s). Known for his use of vivid colours in his landscapes and depictions of workers in their fields,...

PAUL Size: 58.5 x 53 cm (including frame) Oil on canvas A striking and expressive mid-century portrait painting, executed in oil onto canvas. The composition depicts a male figure ...

'Rolling Stones - Three Heads' acrylic on canvas, by Peter Robert Keil (1985). Big, bold with brash brush strokes painted in exuberant colours is the trademark of the artist. Strange...

Signed lower right by the artist. Francesco J. Spicuzza, born in Sicily on July 23, 1883, came to America at the age of 8. He supported himself as a fruit peddler until a newspaperman gave him $4 a week to go to school. He attended classes at the Milwaukee Art Students League, where he studied under Alexander Mueller. There he learned to paint in the then-fashionable "Munich School" technique, with detailed realism in heavy browns and grayed-out hues. Spicuzza completed eight grades in four years, and then in 1911, three businessmen advanced him enough money to allow him to study in New York under artist and teacher John Carlson. It was during this time that Spicuzza changed his style of painting, developing an impressionistic use of color, form and atmospheric renditions. After a period of grinding poverty, one of Spicuzza's pictures won a major New York competition. It was the first of 60 wins, both in the U.S. and Paris. He became a fashionable painter, and many of the leading collections have his work. Spicuzza's typical works were beach scenes, still life, landscapes and portraits done in pastels, oils, ink, charcoal and watercolors. Much of his work traced the history of Milwaukee in the early 1900s. He was probably best known for his scenes of women and children splashing in the waves...

A fine study of a seated woman with her head resting in her hand. The artist chooses a unique angle, capturing the woman from above as she sits deep in thought. Unsigned. Presented...

Abram Tromka was born May 1, 1896 in Poland. At the age of seven he immigrated with his family to the United States, settling in New York City. It was on the boat coming to New York ...

Complex and detailed epic scale history painting of an African tribal celebration with an on-looking king. The work has an abundant amount o...

"Riggs openly identified as gay to his friends in the Philadelphia art community, but did not disclose his orientation to his employers." - Woodmere Art Museum Tempera mixed with gum arabic and alcohol on Renaissance Panel "Robert Riggs was awarded the Gold Medal for Excellence by the New York Art Directors Club for ten consecutive years and received many additional awards." He was elected to the Society of Illustrators' Hall of Fame. His work is in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Arts and the U.S. Library of Congress. Riggs's compositons are "monumental" Walt Reed Riggs was a Gay Artist...

'Nude at the Window Overlooking Sacré-Coeur', oil on paper mounted on canvas, by Louis Latapie (circa 1930s). Although later in Latapie's career he embraced cubism and abstraction, t...

Canvas measures 61x50 cm. Frameless He was born in 1951. Under the direction of the master Pedro Bermejo, he began his artistic career, quickly highlighting and observing in his works an unusual mastery of drawing. A very mature painter who has known how to stop time in all his works. His themes are preferably costumbristas although in his work the usual thing is to see eight century themes, with horse carriages, hats, umbrellas and still lifes. Observing his work reminds us, by the subject, of Maestro...

Oil on canvas, signed lower left Image size: 16 x 15 3/4 inches (40.5 x 40 cm) Original gilt frame Provenance From the estate of the prominent art collector Leon Zielinski This is ...

Oliver Messel 1904 - 1978 Portrait of a Young Man Oil on canvas, signed and dated 'Oliver Messel 1930' (on the stretcher) Image size: 30 x 25 inches (76.2 x 63.4 cm) Original frame Oliver Messel was born to Leonard and Maud Messel, née Sambourne, on the 13 January 1904 and was the youngest of three children. The family moved to Nymans, the Messel family home in Sussex, from nearby Balcombe in 1915. The house remained in the family until 1953 when it was bequeathed to the National Trust, following a fire in 1947 which destroyed a large portion of the house. The Messels originated from a line of German Jewish bankers on Leonard’s side, however, both family lines boast a number of artistic influences, including Maud’s father. Maud was brought up at 18 Stafford Terrace, Kensington (now known as the Linley Sambourne House Museum), amongst collections of antique porcelain and eighteenth-century furniture, and with a host of artistic visitors such as Henry Irving and Oscar Wilde. Oliver’s own upbringing appears to be influenced by his mother's, as the Messel family were also affiliated with artists and writers and were keen collectors of art, filling their home with textiles, paintings and collections of European and Asian fans from travels abroad. It was amongst such treasures that Oliver, Anne and Linley spent their childhood, in addition to the beauty of Nyman’s extensive gardens. Oliver was schooled at Eton but rather than going up to university was encouraged by family friends, gallery owner Archie Propert and painter and sculptor Glyn Philpot, to attend art school. In 1922 he enrolled at the Slade School of Fine Art in London, where he studied under Henry Tonks. Here, he met the artist Rex Whistler with whom he remained firm friends until Whistler’s death in WW2. Upon leaving the Slade in 1924 Oliver was apprenticed to the studio of portrait artist John Wells, where he learnt various Old Master painting techniques, and met artists such as Jacob Epstein, Augustus John and William Orpen. Whilst at the Slade Oliver developed his interest in Papier Mâché masks, a pastime popular amongst many art students at the time. Whilst apprenticed to artist John Wells several of Oliver’s masks were exhibited at the Claridge Gallery, London, alongside pieces by Whistler and other young artists. These were seen by Serge Diaghilev, director of the Ballet Russes, and Charles B. Cochran, a theatrical producer, both of whom made Oliver offers of work. His first job in the theatre was creating masks for the Ballets Russes’ Zéphyr et Flore, 1925, designed by the French artist Georges Braque, followed by numerous musical revues for Cochran, including Wake Up and Dream!, 1929, with music by Cole Porter. It was during these revues, working with Porter and Noel Coward, that Oliver also began to design headdresses and costumes. In 1932 he was rewarded with his first full commission to design both costume and sets for Helen!, directed by Max Reinhardt. The production design is still celebrated today for its innovative approach and ground-breaking ‘white on white’ aesthetic, which referenced ‘Greek temples, Rococo drapes, Baroque colonnades and Louis XIV carousels’. The success of Helen! led to further offers within the theatre including Reinhardt’s version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Old Vic in 1937, starring Vivien Leigh as Titania and Robert Helpmann as Oberon, the Jean Cocteau play The Infernal Machine in 1940, and Christopher Fry’s translation of Jean Anouilh’s Ring Round the Moon, 1950. One of Oliver’s best-known productions during this period was the Russian ballet The Sleeping Beauty, performed by Sadler’s Wells Ballet in 1946 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Encompassing over 200 costumes and four set changes, Oliver’s romantic designs were celebrated for bringing colour back to post-war London, and variations on his designs are still used today. Additional designs for the ballet included Comus in 1940, for which he was released from war duties, and Homage to the Queen, choreographed by Frederick Ashton and performed in 1953 for the Queen’s coronation. His first opera was in 1940 for Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at the Royal Opera House, followed by a series of productions at the newly founded Glyndebourne Opera House in Sussex, for which Oliver also designed the proscenium arch. He triumphed in 1956 designing a season of four different productions for their Mozart bicentennial, also providing illustrations for the programme covers. His popularity also spread beyond theatre to film, were he worked on over eight different feature films including Romeo and Juliet, 1936, directed by George Cukor. During a three-month research trip to Italy Oliver collected over 3,000 reference images including postcards of artwork by Piero della Francesca, Giovanni Bellini and Leonardo da Vinci, along with prints and photographs of textiles and architectural features. A production of Gabriel Pascal’s Caesar and Cleopatra, 1946, starring Vivien Leigh and Claude Rains, was celebrated for Oliver’s ability to recreate the opulence and luxury of ancient Egypt under the constraints of wartime rationing. Such was his skill that Vivien Leigh in a letter to Oliver declared that “I have of course told Pascal that nobody in the world must do the costumes except you.” He was later nominated for an Academy Award for his work on his final film Suddenly, Last Summer, 1959; an adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ American Southern Gothic mystery. Having started his artistic career as a portrait apprentice, capturing the faces of family and friends, Oliver continued to develop this practice until the end of his life.  His style is said to have been influenced by Glyn Philpot, the Messel’s family friend who encouraged Oliver from an early age in his pursuit of art and design. His most prolific period came in the 1950s during which he produced over 50 portraits, which were shown in exhibitions in New York, London and Barbados. The exhibitions included both well-known faces and anonymous sitters captured on Oliver’s travels, and a number of these works have entered private collections. He continued to paint after moving to the Caribbean in 1966, capturing society figures and the rich and famous including fashion designer Carolina Herrera and Bianca Jagger. His style remained unchanged throughout his career, using the same soft painterly strokes and subtle palette as in his theatre designs. By far his greatest contribution in addition to theatre and film was Oliver’s interior and architectural designs. Another, much celebrated commission included Rayne shoe shop in Old Bond Street, where he created jewel-like interiors using the same practice of scaled models as his set designs. Other notable interior designs include those for Norwich and Bath Assembly Rooms, Flaxley Abbey in Gloucestershire, Rosehill Theatre in Cumbria and the Reader’s Digest offices in Paris. However, upon moving to Barbados in 1966, Oliver embraced a new career envisioning architectural concepts for private houses, hotels and public buildings, utilising his experience with interior design to furnish them with bespoke items of furniture and textiles. His first project was Maddox, the deserted eighteenth-century plantation house bought by himself and his partner Vagn Riis-Hansen in 1964. The existing building and gardens were remodelled to Oliver’s designs embracing an inherent theatricality with views out to sea. These were framed by terraces and verandas which extended out from the living rooms creating what is often referred to as a Caribbean style of ‘indoor-outdoor’ living. For the woodwork he used a shade of green that is now known as ‘Messel green’ and often associated with the island of Barbados. Oliver was born into a wealthy family; he travelled extensively and was exposed to art and culture from a young age. A privileged youth, his name is often mentioned amongst the ‘Bright Young Things’, for whom costume parties at country houses and jaunts to Europe on a whim became a thing of fable. This informal group included people such as Cecil Beaton (a life-long friend whom Oliver first met at Eton), Lord Berners, Noel Coward, John Betjeman, Harold Acton, Nancy Mitford, Edith Sitwell, Stephen Tennant...

Raimond Lecourt (1882–1946) Study of a Horse's Head Oil on canvas mounted on panel, 28 x 24 cm Signed and dated 1909 lower left Provenance: Private Collection Raimond Lecourt, a p...

This is a masterwork by Salvador Aulestia (Barcelona 1915 - Milano 1994). There are very few paintings such this one as for rarity than for quality. Two women on the beach who, as...

Chantal Kakal Colson was a 20th-century artist renowned for her contributions to the art world. According to Artprice, at least five of her works have been recorded at public auction...

Certainly a family of artists, such as, of course, Amadeu (1912-2004), known for a long artistic career, as a teacher of several generations of painters and as an artistic popularize...

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...

Unsigned. Provenance: Studio Sale, George Weissbort, 2 June 2024. On board.

British School, oil on canvas. Signed and dated (1961) to the upper right. Well presented in an elaborate gilt effect frame with piecework, scrolling acanthus and floral ornamentation.

Gordon B. Coutts (Scottish/American, 1868-1937) A very fine and large orientalist oil on canvas titled "Ashura Rituals, Tangier" (Arabic: عاشوراء‎ ʻĀshūrā’ - Urdu: عاشورا‎ - Persian:...

Stark reds and tender green hues are combined to fantastic effect in this glowing depiction of a seated woman. The painting has been finished with raw and obvious brush strokes, givi...

A substantial and psychologically penetrating study of the American musician. Signed lower right with monogram; titled and dated, verso, 1977. Born in England, Pearl Took first studied at the Skipton Art School (1943-7) and, subsequently, at Sir John Cass College (1947-9). After immigrating to California in 1957, Took commenced her active career as a fine artist, also becoming an art teacher at Pasadena City College and a freelance illustrator with the Pasadena City News. As her painting style matured and evolved, she continued to further her studies, including at such prestigious institutions as the California State College, the Art Center of Design, the Otis Art Institute and the Parsons School...

Signed lower right by the artist. Francesco J. Spicuzza, born in Sicily on July 23, 1883, came to America at the age of 8. He supported himself as a fruit peddler until a newspaperman gave him $4 a week to go to school...

This painting depicts a whimsical portrait of a young girl with hair tied up against a light blue background and she wears a red dress. The bright colors used and quick brush strokes...

Beautifully rendered in Krolls signature academic style. Unframed - Signed lower right, unframed

Bob Stanley (b. 1932 - d. 1997 New York, United States), an American painter renowned for his gritty depictions on canvas, which ingeniously incorporated photographs. His artistic jo...

Italian painting dated 1921. Framework oil on canvas, on the first canvas, depicting a portrait of a child on an armchair of good pictorial quality. Chiseled and gilded wooden frame ...

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...

A striking portrait study depicting a close up of the face of a young man. The portrait wears a nose ring and tasseled hat as he looks from the corners of hi...

"The Dance of Salome" is a striking 1960s Triptych painting by Edward Marecak, capturing the iconic Dance of the Seven Veils in a semi-abstract, cubist style. The three oil-on-board ...

American modernist abstracted portrait oil painting in the style of Chuck Close. Framed. Oil on paper. Image size, 23H by 20L.

Original painting on canvas. Initialed "TR" and dated "1993" on front by Tomasz Rut. Canvas size 52 x 65 inches. Canvas is stetched. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificat...

Saturated, intimate depiction of sharing a bed with a partner by Narcissus Robert Quagliata (Italian-American, b. 1942). While four fingers dominate the composition, the focus of the...

This is a parody portrait of the famed Duke of Urbino, Federico da Montefeltro, by Piero della Francesca, in the Uffizi Galleries in Florence. Hispanic Illustrator Ignacio Gomez pain...

Signed 'ORPEN' (upper left) Sitter is bathed in warm window light that creates subtle patter of light and shadow in the background. Artists depicts Mr. Glass in a beige and brown ...

Portrait of a young lady. Oil on canvas. Signed and dated lower right. Dimensions with frame: 74 cm x 88 cm Without frame: 57.5 cm x 70.5 cm The painting has several paint chips an...

English School, circa 1930's period Portrait of a Lady oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 27.5 x 22 inches provenance: private collection, England condition: very good and soun...

Title: Profile of a Woman in White Blouse Artist: Josep Puigdengolas Barella (Barcelona, 1906 – 1987) Technique: Oil on panel Dimensions: 13 x 10.6 in Framed dimensions: 16.5 x 1...

Only Ballantine Ale Brews "Brewer's Gold," ad illustration appeared in the major magazines of the day. A magic moment is caught at a peak point of drama. It's the instant of friends having fun. A cold beer from the fridge is offered and it's is acknowledged with a head nod. The woman in the foreground covers her giggling face reacting to a funny comment. The decisive moment is preserved. Sounds like a critique of an art photograph? No, it's an illustrator. This ingenious Infiniti "S" composition simultaneously represents the best of photography and painting. Cartier-Bresson could have captured the precise moment. While Nicolas Poussin could have rendered the complex figural composition. Add to it , a painting technique and color scheme with the quick drama of a post-impressionist. We have a great work of art by an overlooked American illustrator/artist/painter, Mike Ludlow...

GILLET Numa François (1868- 1940) Oil on wood panel signed low left Dedicated and dated 1933 Old Antique frame gilded with gold leaves Dim panel : 37 X 55 cm Dim frame : 61 X 78 cm GILLET Numa François (1868- 1940) French 19th-20th century Painter, ceramist, architect designer Symbolist movement Numa François Gillet...

Bruce Adams was a painter, art educator, and writer. Born in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1952, he received a B.S. in 1976 and an M.A. in 1983 from Buffalo State College. Adams’s work is includ...

A good antique Italian genre scene oil painting on canvas, Ezio Ricci (1885-1968), "The Shoe Shiner", circa 1910. The painting depicts a very happy older gentleman, who seems to be a cobbler and is polishing a boot. Ezio Ricci used this figure in many of his works, evidently it was someone he knew, maybe a family member? The painting is signed upper right and is housed in the original fine quality gilded & carved Florentine frame. Condition is very good, both the frame & painting are in very good condition. This finely rendered painting is ready to hang on your wall. 17" x 13" at sight without frame Born in Lucca, a pupil at the local Istituto di Belle Arti, Ezio Ricci showed an early talent for real life painting...

This Mid-Century illustration/painting is rendered in a Neo-Classical style and showcases young lovers in a morning embrace. The man is holding a small bouquet as the woman leans int...

"Pan" is a fauvist-expressionist-figurative oil on canvas painting by American artist Matthew Schaefer. Primary colors of red, yellow, and blue fill the figure with brown hair and is...

Pierre DE MARIA (1896-1984) Homme d'armes, 1968 Oil on painting Signed upper left Dated and titled on the back 25 x 20 cm tiny cracks, tiny paint jumps visible on photos ; frame in e...

This is a vintage oil painting on canvas depicting two Jewish boys holding a book, a palm branch, and a lemon. Signed in the lower right by Famous Hungarian Artist Hungarian-Jewish...

Albert Ludwig Operti 1852-1927 Italian-American Portrait of Dr. Frederick Albert Cook Oil on canvas This highly rare portrait of the important Polar explorer, Dr. Frederick Albert Cook, is the work of American artist Albert Ludwig Operti. Renowned in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for his paintings of exploration, namely Arctic scenes, Operti was the only artist to accompany Robert Peary...

"Girl Thinking" is a painting by Philadelphia born Expressionist painter Bernard Harmon. The 40" x 30" oil on board portrait of a young woman is painted in a vibrant color palette. The painting is framed in a new, black wood frame and signed "B Harmon" on verso. Figurative expressionism in the style of Alice Neel. Bernard Harmon was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1935. Harmon was primarily a portrait painter and a well loved teacher in the Philadelphia area. A graduate of the Philadelphia Museum School and Temples Tyler School of Art, Harmon traveled extensively in Europe and South America. Beloved by many, Harmon taught in the Philadelphia School District for 32 of his 54 years of life. Beginning his career as an art teacher at West Philadelphia High School, in the early 1960s he became one of the district's artists in residence, traveling from school to school to demonstrate for students how an artist works. Returning to the classroom, Harmon joined the art department at Central High School where he taught for 14 years and became an innovator in art curriculum, developing a program offering advanced placement art classes to gifted students. In his final years Harmon became a supervisor, mentoring teachers and overseeing programs in the Philadelphia school systems District #1. During his short life Harmon taught collage preparatory art classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, summer classes at the University of the Arts, and a Saturday program for gifted children at Drexel University. Among Harmon's portraits were commissioned by Philadelphia Jazz organist Jimmy Smith and Mayor Richardson Dilworth. Bernard Harmon was active in promoting African American Artist throughout his life time. He organized many early shows such as the "Afro American Artists 1800 - 1969" at the Museum of the Philadelphia Civic Center in 1969. He was considered a Renaissance man by friends and colleagues for his interests not only in art but music and theater as well. He was familiar and friends with many other African American artists such as Doc Thrash, Selma Burke...

This colourful and warm-toned oil on canvas painting entitled ‘Femme à la lampe’ (Woman under candlelight) is an abstract figurative genre work that is circa the 20th Century and is ...

This is an original oil painting on canvas by R.Young, depicting a ballerina sitting on the floor and wearing pointe shoes. Signed in a lower right corner R.Young. The painting has ...

Most likely for Redbook, Cosmopolitan, Collier's Weekly, Good Housekeeping or Macall's

The Puritan Preacher by Gladys Marguerite Baker (British, 1889-1959 oil painting on canvas, framed framed: 30 x 27 inches canvas: 24 x 20 inches condition: some minor old varnish dis...