American Modern Paintings

A Vibrant, Colorful Modern Watercolor, "Garden in a City Park" by Noted Chicago Artist, Rudolph T. Pen. Painted in the 1960s, most likely depicting a city garden in Europe, Mexico o...

Ora Coltman (American, 1858-1940) House in Hudson, OH Oil on canvas Signed lower left 22 x 26 inches 27.5 x 31.5 inches, framed 21 Aurora Street is locally known as the Isham-Beebe ...

View Towards Christmas Cove, Maine, c. 1923 Watercolor on paper Signed lower right 14 x 19.5 inches Frank Nelson Wilcox (October 3, 1887 – April 17, 1...

NYC Subway Mid 20th Century Modern American Scene Social Realism Contemporary David Atkins (1910 – 2012) Subway Train Departure 24 x 30 inches Oil on can...

When I think of where McCauley fits into American art, as a contemporary painter, sculptor and naturalistic interpreter, I place him in the same philosophical tribe as Walton Ford, A...

A ca. 1935 painting of a boxing match in Mexico by artist Francis Chapin. Image size: 12" x 28". Framed size: 15 1/2" x 31 1/2". Provenance: Estate of the artist. Francis Chapin, affectionately called the “Dean of Chicago Painters” by his colleagues, was one of the city’s most popular and celebrated painters in his day. Born at the dawn of the 20th Century in Bristolville, Ohio, Chapin graduated from Washington & Jefferson College near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania before enrolling at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1922. He would set down deep roots at the Art Institute of Chicago, exhibiting there over 31 times between 1926 and 1951. In 1927 Chapin won the prestigious Bryan Lathrop Fellowship from the Art Institute – a prize that funded the artist’s yearlong study trip to Europe. Upon his return to the United States, Chapin decided to remain in Chicago, noting the freedom Chicago artists have in developing independently of the pressure to conform to pre-existing molds (as was experienced by artists in New York, for example). Chapin became a popular instructor at the Art Institute, teaching there from 1929 to 1947 and at the Art Institute’s summer art school in Saugatuck, Michigan (now called Oxbow) between 1934 – 1938 (he was the director of the school from 1941-1945). Chapin’s contemporaries among Chicago’s artists included such luminaries as Ivan Le Lorraine Albright...

Beni E. Kosh/Charles Elmer Harris (American, 1917-1993) Untitled Oil on canvas board Estate stamped #611 verso 24 x 18 inches Charles Elmer Harris was born in 1917 in Cleveland, Oh...

An Exceptional Mid-Century Modern Oil Painting of a Reclining Nude Female Model by Noted Chicago Artist, Rudolph Pen. Painted in the 1960s, the painting exemplifies the stylized, ab...

A Charming 1950s painting titled "Oak Bluffs, Mass." (Martha's Vineyard) by notable artist Francis Chapin. artwork size: 8" x 10". Framed size: 12 3/4" x 15". Provenance: Estat...

A Colorful, Vibrant, Mid-Century Modern Great Lakes Harbor Scene by Noted Chicago Artist, Rudolph T. Pen. This charming watercolor, completed in the early 1950's, depicts a wonderfu...

A Captivating, Mid-Century Modern Painting of a Standing Female Nude Model. Great colors! Painted in the 1960s, this wonderful "Mod" studio scene exemplifies the abstracted Modern ...

This painting features a yellow sky (as Gastaldi named it) and it is part of 3. The #1 one is featuring a red sky and the third one is the desert light. #1 and 2 show the strength of nature with vigorous large brush strokes and bright colors whereas the colors of #3 depicting the desert light, are more muted and reflect perfectly the desert atmosphere before a storm. See, attached the pictures of the 2 matching ones. Jerome Gastaldi, born in Oakland, California, in 1945, is a contemporary artist. His works have been compared by art critics to that of Robert Rauschenberg, Edward Kienholz...

Mid Century Oil Landscape of Santa Clara Valley Before Silicon Valley 1947 Original oil painting depicting a landscape of Santa Clara Valley orchards, prior to the Silicon Valley bo...

Basketball Player Gouache on card stock, c. 1940 Signed by the artist in ink lower center A study for the fresco mural in the Social Security Buildin...

Title: French Gouache Portrait Study of Three Navajo and Kumeyaay Figures by Emile GALLOIS (1882-1965, French) Signed: Yes Medium: Original gouache painting on thick unframed paper, ...

A Vibrant, Expressive Mid-Century Floral Still Life Painting by Rudolph Pen. Artwork size: 15” x 10"; Framed size: 19 1/2” x 14 1/2”. Signed Pen, lower right. Provenance: Esta...

A beautiful Modern figure painting of two bathers in a boathouse by noted Chicago Modern artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Painted at the Ox-Bow School of Saugatuck, Michigan ...

"Coney Island" Brooklyn NYC Amusement Park Mid-century American Scene WPA Modern Ludwig Bemelmans (1898 – 1962), “Coney Island" 35 x 27 inches Oil on board Signed lower right Origi...

A highly abstracted figure emerges in fluid, elegant brush strokes, reminiscent of the works of Francis Bacon, in this striking abstract painting by Bay...

A distinctive Mid-Century Modern portrait of a man with red necktie by noted Chicago painter, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Chapin's estate records list the sitter as named Joe Mu...

Title: French Gouache Painting of Navajo Weavers in Canyon de Chelly Arizona by Emile GALLOIS (1882-1965, French) Signed: Yes Medium: Original gouache painting on thick unframed pape...

An exquisite ca. 1935 American Precisionist Painting of a Yellow Rose by Harry Lane. Image size: 13" x 9 1/2". Framed Size: 20 1/2" x 17 1/2"...

Venetian Canal, c. 1910-11 Tempera on board Signed lower right 24 x 30 inches 30 x 36 inches, framed Frank Nelson Wilcox (October 3, 1887 – April 17, ...

Mid Century Northern California Mountain Lake Landscape Serene landscape by Margot Wilson Lowe (American, 20th Century). The viewer looks out over a large mountain lake, reflecting ...

"Dandelion" Original Vintage Oil Painting Like a scientific illustration, Edith Bruning (American, 1899-1961) depicts various stages of a dandel...

Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Rockefeller Center, 1962 Acrylic and sand on scintilla Signed and dated lower left 25 x 20 inches Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a ...

Donald Vogel’s paintings reflect his interest in seeking beauty in life and in sharing pleasure with his viewers. Vogel entreats us to "rejoice and celebrate each new day, knowing it...

Landscape with Trees Watercolor on paper, 1929 Signed in pencil lower right corner Obviously influenced by the Cezanne works in the collection of ...

The vibrant French Quarter is brilliantly depicted in "Bourbon Street in New Orleans" by California-based artist Pablo Cucaro in a rich palette of chestnut, Tiffany Blue and black. S...

Charles Burdick (1924 - 2016) Untitled (Reclining Nude) Oil on paper (?) Sight: 7 x 10 1/4 in. Framed: 14 x 16 1/4 x 3/4 in. Signed lower right: Burdick Excellent midcentury style r...

(Note: This work is part of our exhibition Connected by Creativity: WPA Era Works from the Collection of Leata and Edward Beatty Rowan) Fresco, 20 x 16 inches unframed, 22 x 18 inch...

This painting is part of our exhibition Charles Goeller: A Wistful Loneliness. Oil on canvas, 29 x 24 inches, Signed lower left Price Upon Request

This original 1940s grayscale watercolor by Charles Ragland Bunnell captures a semi-abstracted view of the Golden Cycle Mill in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Rendered in subtle blacks and grays, this striking WPA-era landscape melds industrial subject matter with a modernist aesthetic. The piece exemplifies mid-20th-century American regionalism, blending expressive abstraction with historical significance. The painting measures 8 1/8 x 9 5/8 inches (sight size) and is showcased in a custom black frame measuring 18 x 19 ½ x 1 ⅜ inches, making it an elegant addition to any collection of American art or industrial landscapes. The Golden Cycle Mining and Reduction Company was a vital part of Colorado’s early 20th-century mining boom, located in what is now Old Colorado City. Bunnell’s work documents this industrial heritage through a modernist lens, offering a unique narrative of regional development. About the Artist: Charles Ragland Bunnell (1897–1968) was a key figure in Colorado’s art scene and a pioneer of American Modernism and abstraction. Trained at Broadmoor Art Academy, he combined American Scene painting with abstract forms. Bunnell contributed to New Deal art...

Bay Area Abstract Geometric Painting with Red Circle by Ellis Hopkins (American, b. 1952). This abstract composition features bold brushstrokes and highly contrasting colors. A lar...

WPA Landscape American Scene Social Realism Mid 20th Century Modern Farm Rural James McCracken (1875 – 1967) WPA Landscape 28 x 36 inches Oil on canvas, c. 1930s Signed lower right ...

A dreamy watercolor of two figures in repose Gertrude Klares Bedell. Artwork size: 18" x 13 1/2". Framed size: 26 1/2" x 22". Biography from Askart: An Austrian countess born i...

A Lively, Colorful 1950s Mid-Century Modern Floral Still Life Painting by Notable Chicago Artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Full of color, with wonderful brushwork, the painti...

Seymour Chwast (born August 18, 1931) is an American graphic designer, illustrator, and type designer. Chwast was born in Bronx, New York, and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cooper Union in 1951. With Milton Glaser, Edward Sorel...

Donald Stacy "Eve" c.1950s Gouache and oil pastel on paper 14x17" black wood frame 14.75"x17.75" Unsigned, Eve written in paint along right margin Came from artist's estate Donald S...

A "Thumb Box" (or diminutive) painting of sailors in fort of a store front in Hanover, NH by artist Harold Haydon. Image size: 4 1/2" x 6". Fra...

A Dynamic, 1960s Mid-Century Modern Painting of a Concert Violinist by Noted Chicago Artist, Rudolph T. Pen. Pen was recognized for his unique, Modern style of abstract figure paint...

A charming, colorful 1930s painting of a young woman knitting by famed Chicago Modern artist, Francis Chapin. A harmonious palette of cheerful yellows, reds and blues, where a young...

Julio De Diego’s Atomic Series paintings made an extraordinary statement regarding the shock and fear that accompanied the dawn of the nuclear age. In the artist’s own words, “Scientists were working secretly to develop formidable powers taken from the mysterious depths of the earth - with the power to make the earth useless! Then, the EXPLOSION! . . . we entered the Atomic Age, and from there the neo-Atomic war begins. Explosions fell everywhere and man kept on fighting, discovering he could fight without flesh.” To execute these works, De Diego developed a technique of using tempera underpainting before applying layer upon layer of pigmented oil glazes. The result is paintings with surfaces which were described as “bonelike” in quality. The forms seem to float freely, creating a three-dimensional visual effect. In the 1954 book The Modern Renaissance in American Art, author Ralph Pearson summarizes the series as “a fantastic interpretation of a weighty theme. Perhaps it is well to let fantasy and irony appear to lighten the devastating impact. By inverse action, they may in fact increase its weight.” Bibliography Art in America, April 1951, p.78 About this artists: Julio De Diego crafted a formidable persona within the artistic developments and political struggles of his time. The artist characterized his own work as “lyrical,” explaining, “through the years, the surrealists, the social-conscious painters and the others tried to adopt me, but I went my own way, good, bad or indifferent.” [1] His independence manifested early in life when de Diego left his parent’s home in Madrid, Spain, in adolescence following his father’s attempts to curtail his artistic aspirations. At the age of fifteen he held his first exhibition, set up within a gambling casino. He managed to acquire an apprenticeship in a studio producing scenery for Madrid’s operas, but moved from behind the curtains to the stage, trying his hand at acting and performing as an extra in the Ballet Russes’ Petrouchka with Nijinsky. He spent several years in the Spanish army, including a six-month stretch in the Rif War of 1920 in Northern Africa. His artistic career pushed ahead as he set off for Paris and became familiar with modernism’s forays into abstraction, surrealism, and cubism. The artist arrived in the U.S. in 1924 and settled in Chicago two years later. He established himself with a commission for the decoration of two chapels in St. Gregory’s Church. He also worked in fashion illustration, designed magazine covers and developed a popular laundry bag for the Hotel Sherman. De Diego began exhibiting through the Art Institute of Chicago in 1929, and participated in the annual Chicago Artists Exhibitions, Annual American Exhibitions, and International Water Color Exhibitions. He held a solo exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago in the summer of 1935. Though the artist’s career was advancing, his family life had deteriorated. In 1932 his first marriage dissolved, and the couple’s young daughter Kiriki was sent to live with friend Paul Hoffman. De Diego continued to develop his artistic vocabulary with a growing interest in Mexican art. He traveled throughout the country acquainting himself with the works of muralists such as Carlos Merida, and also began a collection of small native artifacts...

Colorful Samurai, Large-Scale Modern Figural Geometric Abstract Colorful modern figural abstract of a samurai figure fractured into fields of color and pattern by S. Baker (Susan Baker...

A curious ca. 1950s watercolor of railroad freight car, titled "Canadian National RR at Antigonish" by artist Rita Duis. Image size: 14 3/4" x 22". Matted size: 20" x 28". Artis...

An original modernist oil painting by American female artist Esther Rollick.

A charming 1950s Mid-Century Modern painting of two children seated together in a soda shop by the noted Chicago artist, Francis Chapin. Artwork size: 15 1/2” x 21"; Framed size: 17...

NYC Subway Mid 20th Century American Modernism WPA Realism, Student of TH Benton Trew Hocker (1913-1963) New York Subway 36 x 48 inches Oil on Masonite Signed and dated ’47 upper left The white gold frame, signed Richard Tobey...

A Captivating, Mid-Century Floral Still Life of Red Roses by Rudolph T. Pen. Wonderful colors and brushwork, and executed with the unique, Modern, sloped perspective for which Pen's...

This painting is part of our exhibition America Coast to Coast: Artists of the 1930s Jefferson Market Library (Courthouse), c. 1930s, oil on canvas, 30 x 24 inches, signed lower right; presented in a newer silver painted frame About the Painting Writing about an exhibition of Charles W. Adams’ work at the Eighth Street Art Gallery in the mid-1930s, Emily Grenauer observed in The World-Telegram that the artist’s paintings were “distinguished for their solid form, well organized design and sumptuous color” and the art critic for The Herald Tribune found Adam’s work “a strong, formal realization of his subject . . . he paints with vital emphasis on structure and composition.” Although we do not know which works these critics referenced, it is likely they were writing about paintings like Jefferson Market Library (Courthouse). With its carefully designed reality, strong angles, solid forms, and well-disciplined puffs of smoke in the background, Adams presents a highly structured version of the Greenwich Village landmark, the Jefferson Market Library, which was a courthouse at the time Adams completed this work. The Jefferson Market Library was a prized subject for downtown painters, including the Ashcan School painter, John Sloan, the modernist, Stuart Davis, and the precisionist, Francis Criss...

Cowboy Hunting Pronghorn Deer ("American Antelope") in Watercolor and Gouache Detailed western scene by H. Rich (American, 20th Century). A cowboy is on a ridge, with two horses, ha...

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...

"On Guard" Vintage Abstract Expressionist Heavy Impasto Figure Abstract expressionist figurative composition of a man in a button down shirt with a brimmed hat by California artist ...

Abstract painting, ca. 1970s measures 25 x 30 inches. Oil on canvas, unsigned. Stunning modernist custom carved picture frame by Newcomb Macklin. ca. 1950 production. Long, elegant...

Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Dichotomy, 1962 Oil on paper Signed and dated upper left 20 x 25 inches Mid-century figural abstract green painting of woman swimming ...

Buffalo, NY Steel Mill American Scene Modernism WPA Era Industrial 20th Century Ruth A. Haven Gay (1911-1992) “Buffalo, NY Steel Mill”, c. 1935 23 x 28 inches Oil on canvas Signed G...

Mountain Landscape, Near Colorado Springs, Colorado is an original oil on board painting by acclaimed American modernist Mary Cane Robinson. Executed ...

Make it yours! A fabulous painting titled "47th & Woodlawn Ave in Chicago, ILL" by EC Nieman and dated 1950. It depicts a Walgreen's Drug Store, a horse pulling a milk truck, a new...

Catherine Powell Sticks & Lilie, 1977 Batik Framed: 36 1/8 x 29 1/4 x 3/4 in. Signed lower right: C Powell Inscribed verso: Stick & Lilie, C Powell, Batik, '77 This piece is by Catherine Powell, a famous batik artist from Vermont. She was featured in the New York Times in the 1970s for her batik work that was shown at the Yellow Door Gallery. Batik art involves brushing or drawing hot wax...

Peck Slip, 1950, oil on cardboard, 15 x 20 inches, exhibition label verso reads: “Oil on cardboard, 20 x 15, 1950 / Title: Peck Slip / Price: $100 / Artist and Owner: Fiske Boyd / 30...