1910s Art

Siccard-Redl, Josef. Fruhling, Ca 1910. Color wood engraving, Signed and titled in pencil by the artist. Little is known of this artist other than he worked in Vienna during the ...

Photogravure #12 (from "Camera Work" #XL) 11 x 7.5 inches, sheet 9.5 x 6 inches, plate This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City.

(Mary Creed, 14, Selling Bakery Goods in Store of Mrs. Breslin, 817 Harrison Avenue) Gelatin silver print Inscribed with artist's name and title in pencil, verso Also stamped, "Repr...

Bather Sketch is an original artwork realized by Michel Simonidy in the first years of the XX Century. China ink on cardboard. The mark of the artist appears both on the back and o...

A vibrant, early 20th century oil study of a young Breton girl shown regarding the viewer with a stern and penetrating gaze. Signed lower right 'Jais' for Jais Nielsen (Danish, 1885...

Loge de Theatre (Preliminary study for a painting) Graphite on paper Signed in pencil lower left Annotated with color notations by the artist (see phot...

Die Gefilde der Seligen ("The Fields of the Blessed") is an original artwork realized by Josef von Divéky in 1917. The artwork is part of a portfolio that includes five graphic works realized by different artists and published in 1917. The monogram with the name of the artist "Divéky Josef" appears on the lower right margin. Good conditions except for some foxing on the lower margin and on the upper margin. The artwork represents a natural landscape with a bridge on the lower side; there are four naked...

Medium: Oil on Canvas Used for signage and marketing purposes. Thanhardt-Burger carved gilt frame. Painting is fully conserved. Client / Usage: K...

Deux Baigneuses is an original artwork realized by Michel Simonidy in the first years of the XX Century. Pencil on paper. Passepartout included (cm 26.5 x 19). Mint conditions. V...

Jean-Emile LABOUREUR Sheltered From The Storm, 1919 Original wood engraving Printed signature in the plate Limited editions to 400 copies On vellum Ar...

ROYDS, Mabel Allington. Tightrope Dancer, ca 1911. Color woodcut. MB 1. From a small edition. Signed and titled in pencil. After working with Walter Sickert in Paris at the turn ...

Georges CONRAD (1874-1936) Secretary in the Subway Original pencil and color pencils drawing Signed with the stamp of atelier On paper 26.5 x 20 cm (c. 10,4 x 7.8 in) Good conditio...

Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944), Etching 1916 Number II, drypoint, signed in pencil lower right, titled, numbered (No. 9) and dated lower left [also with initials and date in the plate lower right]. Reference: Roethel 154, only state, edition of 10. In excellent condition (the barest handling fold at sheet edge), printed on a heavy ivory wove paper, the full sheet with full margins, 4 7/8 x 3 1/4, the sheet 17 1/2 x 13 inches, archival mount with window mat. A fine fresh impression of this great rarity, printed in a dark brown ink. Kandinsky created this drypoint (erroneously named Etching 1916) in early 1916 while staying with Gabriel Munter in Stockholm during the winter of 1915-16. This is from the second series of drypoints he made; the first was in the year 1913-14. Provenance: Kornfeld Auction, Bern, June 2007. The tiny size of this edition (10) makes this print a great rarity within the Kandinsky’s printed...

Adolphe Willette Lithograph Original Hand Signed erotic nude No 189 Well known for his version of The Seven Deadly Sins Adolphe Léon Willette (30 Jul...

Date: 1911 Medium: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: 20.00" x 30.00" Signature: Signed Lower Right

Drypoint and aquatint (brown ink) on cream paper. Signed "Rehn" in pencil on the lower right margin. Titled and numbered in pencil on the lower left margin. Edition of 25 prints. Fr...

Date: 1914 Medium: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: 27.00" x 18.00" Signature: Signed Lower Left lllustration depicting a church scene. Signed lower left. Illustrative notes on back. Canva...

Medium: Oil on Board Signature: Each Upper Panel, Signed 'Maxfield Parrish/Windsor./Vermont.' (On the Reverse); Each Lower Panel, Signed 'Maxfield Parrish' (Lower Right) Each 1 of a...

Wonderful early 20th century still life of a Japanese Shisa (lion/dog), a floral design vase and a brass coffee pot by Wilfred A. Readio (American, 1895-1961), 1920. Signed "Wilfred ...

Martin Lewis, N.A. (Dock Workers under the Brooklyn Bridge). c. 1916-18. Aquatint and etching. McCarron 15. 17 3/4 x 23 3/4 (sheet 26 x 31). 5 recorde...

Berkes, Antal ( 1874-1938) Antal Berkes was a Hungarian painter, born in Budapest, Hungary. He lived in Paris for some time and produced cityscapes there as well as similar str...

Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right Illustration for 'Fighting for the Flock' written by Edwin L Sabin.

Sloan, John. SWINGING IN THE SQUARE. M. 156 Etching, 1912. Edition of 100, of which only 75 were printed, of which this is likely one of 25 ear...

A lithograph from the "Vincent Van Gogh" portfolio with text by Oskar Hagen published by Marees-Gesellschaft in Munich 1919. The portfolio consisted of 15 lithographic reproductions of drawings and watercolors. The artwork is accompanied by a copy of the colophon. Artist: Vincent van Gogh (After) Title: The Rhone River...

Medium: Pastel on Paper Signature: Signed and Dated Lower Left

Original antique film poster for a movie - Der Geheimnisvolle Club / The Mysterious Club - based on the 1896 book "The Suicide Club" written by Ro...

2018 marks the centenary anniversary of Ferdinand Hodler’s death. In that 100 years time, the art world’s esteem of this important artist has proved fickle. It has shifted from extol...

2018 marks the centenary anniversary of Ferdinand Hodler’s death. In that 100 years time, the art world’s esteem of this important artist has proved fickle. It has shifted from extolling his artistic merits during his lifetime to showing something of a feigned disdain- more reflective of the world political order than a true change of heart for Hodler’s work. After years of Hodler being all but a footnote in the annals of art history and generally ignored, finally, the pendulum has righted itself once again. Recent retrospective exhibitions in Europe and the United States have indicated not only a joyful rediscovery of Hodler’s art but a firm conviction that his work and world view hold particular relevance today. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS is not only a collection of printed work reflecting the best of all of his painted work created up to 1914 just before the outbreak of World War I, the portfolio itself is an encapsulation of Hodler’s ethos, Parallelisme. Hodler developed his philosophy of Parallelisme as a unifying approach to art which strips away detail in search of harmony. By means of abstraction, symmetry and repetition, Hodler sought ways to depict Nature’s essence and her fundamental, universal order. He believed these universal laws governing the natural, observable world extend to the spiritual realm. Symbolist in nature with Romantic undertones, his works are equally portraits of these universal concepts and feelings governing all life as they are a visual portrait in the formal sense. Whether his subject is a solitary tree, a moment in battle, mortal fear, despair, the awe inspired by a vast mountain range, a tender moment or even the collective conviction in a belief, Hodler unveils this guiding principle of Parallelisme. Several aspects of Hodler’s portfolio reinforce his tenets of Parallelisme. The Table of Contents clearly preferences a harmonious design over detail. The two columns, consisting of twenty lines each, list the images by order of appearance using their German titles. The abbreviated titles are somewhat cryptic in that they obscure the identities of the sitters. Like the image Hodler presents, they are distillations of the sitter without any extraneous details. This shortening was also done in an effort to maintain a harmonious symmetry of the Table of Contents, themselves, and keep titles to a one-line limit. The twenty-fourth title: “Bildnis des Schweizerischen Gesandten C.” was so long, even with abbreviation, that it required two lines; so, for the sake of maintaining symmetry, the fortieth title: “Bauernmadchen” was omitted from the list. This explains why the images are not numbered. Hodler’s reasoning is not purely esoteric. Symmetry and pattern reach beyond mere formal design principles. Finding sameness and imposing it over disorder goes to the root of Hodler’s identity and his art. A Swiss native, Hodler was bi-lingual and spoke German and French. Each printed image, even number forty, have titles in both of Hodler’s languages. Certainly, there was a market for Hodler’s work among francophones and this inclusion may have been a polite gesture to that end; however, this is the only place in the portfolio which includes French. With German titles at the lower left of each image, Hodler’s name at bottom center and corresponding French titles at the lower right of each image, there is a harmony and symmetry woven into all aspects of the portfolio. This holds true for the page design, as it applies to each printed image and as it describes the Swiss artist himself. Seen in this light, Hodler’s portfolio of printed work is the epitome of Hodler’s Parallelisme. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS is also one of the most significant documents to best tell the story of how Hodler, from Switzerland, became caught between political cross-hairs and how the changing tides of nations directly impacted the artist during his lifetime as well as the accessibility of his art for generations to come. The Munich-based publisher of the portfolio, R. Piper & Co., Verlag, plays a crucial role in this story. Publishing on a wide range of subjects from philosophy and world religion to music, literature and the visual arts; the publisher’s breadth of inquiry within any one genre was equal in scope. Their marketing strategy to publish multiple works on Hodler offers great insight as to what a hot commodity Hodler was at that time. R.Piper & Co.’s Almanach, which they published in 1914 in commemoration of their first ten years in business, clearly illustrates the rapid succession- strategically calculated for achieving the deepest and broadest impact - in which they released three works on Hodler to hit the market by the close of 1914. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS was their premier publication. It preceded C.A. Loosli’s Die Zeichnungen Ferdinand Hodlers, a print portfolio after 50 drawings by Hodler which was released in Autumn of 1914 at the mid-level price-point of 75-150 Marks; and a third less expensive collection of prints after original works by Hodler, which had not been included in either of the first two portfolios, was released at the end of that year entitled Ferdinand Hodler by Dr. Ewald Bender. The title and timing of DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS' debut leaves little doubt as to the connection it has with another avant-garde portfolio of art prints, Das Werk Gustav Klimts, released in 5 installments from 1908 -1914 by Galerie Miethke in Vienna. Hodler, himself, was involved in Klimt’s ground-breaking project. As the owner of Klimt’s 1901 painting, “Judith with the Head of Holifernes” which appears as the ninth collotype print in the second installment of Das Werk Gustav Klimts, Hodler was obliged to grant access of the painting to the art printers in Vienna for them to create the collotype sometime before 1908. Hodler had been previously invited in 1904 to take part in what would be the last exhibition of the Vienna Secession before Klimt and others associated with Galerie Miethke broke away. In an interview that same year, Hodler indicated that he respected and was impressed by Klimt. Hodler’s esteem for Klimt went beyond the art itself; he emulated Klimt’s method aimed at increasing his market reach and appeal to a wider audience by creating a print portfolio of his painted work. By 1914, Hodler and his publisher had the benefit of hindsight to learn from Klimt’s Das Werk publication. Responding to the sluggish sales of Klimt’s expensive endeavor, Hodler’s publisher devised the same diversified 1-2-3 strategy for selling Hodler’s Das Werk portfolio as they did with regards to all three works on Hodler they published that year. For their premium tier of DAS WERKS FERDINAND HODLERS, R. Piper & Co. issued an exclusive Museum quality edition of 15 examples on which Hodler signed each page. At a cost of 600 Marks, this was generally on par with Klimt’s asking price of 600 Kronen for his Das Werk portfolio. A middle-tiered Preferred edition of 30, costing somewhat less and with Hodler’s signature only on the Title Page, was also available. The General edition, targeting the largest audience with its much more affordable price of 150 Marks, is distinguishable by its smaller size. Rather than use the subscription format Miethke had chosen for Klimt’s portfolios which proved to have had its challenges, R. Piper & Co. employed a different strategy. In addition to instantly gratifying the buyer with all 40 of the prints comprising DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS and the choice among three price points, they advertised in German journals a fourth possibility of ordering single prints from them directly. These printed images are easily discernible from the three complete folio editions. The paper size of the single purchased images is of the larger format like the Museum and Preferred editions, measuring 65 h x 50 w cm; however, the paper itself is the same copper print paper used in the General edition and then mounted on poster board. The publishing house positioned itself to be a direct retailer of Hodler’s art. They astutely recognized the potential for profitability and the importance, therefore, of having proprietary control over his graphic works. R. Piper & Co. owned the exclusive printing rights to Hodler’s best work found in their three publications dating from 1914. That same year, a competing publication out of Weimar entitled Ferdinand Hodler: Ein Deutungsversuch von Hans Muhlestein appeared. Its author, a young scholar, expressed his frustration with the limited availability of printable work by Hodler. In his Author’s Note on page 19, dated Easter, 1914, Muhlestein confirms that the publisher of Hodler’s three works from that same year owned the exclusive reproductive rights to Hodler’s printed original work. He goes further to explain that even after offering to pay to use certain of those images in his book, the publisher refused. Clearly, a lot of jockeying for position in what was perceived as a hot market was occurring in 1914. Instead, their timing couldn’t have been more ill-fated, and what began with such high hopes suddenly found a much different market amid a hostile climate. The onset of WWI directly impacted sales. Many, including Ferdinand Hodler, publicly protested the September invasion by Germany of France in which the Reims Cathedral, re-built in the 13th century, was shelled, destroying priceless stained glass and statuary and burning off the iron roof and badly damaging its wooden interior. Thomas Gaehtgens, Director of the Getty Research Institute describes how the bombing of Reims Cathedral triggered blindingly powerful and deeply-felt ultra-nationalistic responses: “The event profoundly shocked French intellectuals, who for the most part had an intense admiration for German literature, music and art. By relying on press accounts and abstracting from the visual propagandistic content, they were unable to interpret the siege of Reims without turning away from German culture in disgust. Similarly, the German intelligentsia and bourgeoisie were also shocked to find themselves described as vandals and barbarians. Ninety-three writers, scientists, university professors, and artists signed a protest, directed against the French insults, that defended the actions of the German army.” In similar fashion, a flurry of open letters published in German newspapers and journals as well as telegrams and postcards sent directly to Hodler following his outcry in support of Reims reflected the collectively critical reaction to Hodler’s position. Loosli documents that among the list of telegrams Hodler received was one from none other than his publisher in Germany, R.Piper & Co. Allegiances were questioned. The market for Hodler in Germany immediately softened. Matters worsened for the publisher beyond the German backlash to Hodler and his loss of appeal in the home market; with the war in full swing until 1918, there was little chance a German publisher would have much interest coming from outside of Germany and Austria. Following the war and Hodler’s death in 1918, the economy in Germany continued to spiral out and just 5 years later, hyper-inflation had rendered its currency worthless vis-a-vis its value in the pre-war years. Like the economy, Hodler’s reputation was slow to find currency in these difficult times. Even many French art fans had turned sour on Hodler as they considered his long-standing relationship in German and Austrian art circles. Thus, the portfolio’s rarity in Hodler’s lifetime and, consequently, the availability of these printed images from DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS since his death has been scarce. In many ways, Hodler and his portfolios were casualties of war. Thwarted from their intended purpose of reaching a wide audience and show-casing Parallelisme, Hodler’s unique approach to art, this important, undated work has been both elusive and shrouded in mystery. Perhaps DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS was left undated as a means of affirming the timelessness of Hodler’s art. Digging back into the past, Hodler’s contemporaries, like R. Piper, C.A. Loosli and Hans Muhlestein, indeed provide the keys to unequivocally clarify what has largely been mired in obscurity. Just after Hodler’s death, the May, 1918 issue of the Burlington Review ran a small column which opined hope for better access to R.Piper & Co.’s DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS; 100 years later, it is finally possible. Hodler’s voice rings out through these printed works. Once more, his modern approach to depicting portraits, landscapes and grand scale scenes of Swiss history speak to us of what is universal. Engaging with any one of these images is the chance to connect to Hodler’s vision and his world view- weltanschauung in German, vision du monde in French- however one expresses these concepts through language, its message embedded in his work is the same: “We differ from one another, but we are like each other even more. What unifies us is greater and more powerful than what divides us.” Today, Hodler’s art couldn’t be more timely. FERDINAND HODLER (SWISS, 1853-1918) explored Parallelisme through figurative poses evocative of music, dance and ritual. His images of sex, night, desertion and death as well as his many landscapes exploring the universal longing for harmony with Nature are unique and important works embodying a Symbolist paradigm. Truly a Modern Master, Hodler’s influence can be felt in the work of Gustav Klimt and Kolomon Moser and subsequent Expressionist artists such as Egon Schiele. He was born into an impoverished family in Bern, Switzerland in 1853. His entire family succumbed to tuberculosis, and he was orphaned by the age of 13, the only surviving child among his 13 siblings. In the absence of family, the influence and guidance which his art instructors provided Hodler was foundational and profound. Hodler began formal studies in 1872 at the Geneva School of Design. Under Barthelemy Menn, Hodler was drawn to the ordered beauty of Euclidian geometry and Durer’s fundamentals of human proportion that proved to be guiding principles informing his art throughout his life. By the 1880s, Hodler began to enjoy some recognition for his work which put him on a new path towards stability. Remaining in Geneva, he became assistant to the well-known muralist, Edouard Castres. Following his first solo show in 1885, Hodler’s work took on a Symbolist quality. He frequently associated with a group of Swiss Symbolist...

Rolla Taylor (1872-1970) San Antonio Artist Image Size: 16 x 20 Frame Size: 20 x 24 Medium: oil Circa 1918 "Still Life" Biography Rolla Taylor (1872-1970) Taylor, originally...

China Town San Francisco 1896 - Watercolor on Paper A vintage watercolor by Theodore Ernest Langguth (German-American, 1861-1952). Presented in a rustic giltwood frame. Signed "T. Langguth" lower right. Watercolor circa 1920-30. Image: 12.5"H x 8.5"W. Painted from the photograph by Arnold Genthe...

Jean-Emile Laboureur (1877-1943), Le Souper des Dockers, engraving, 1919-1920, signed in pencil lower left, titled lower left, and numbered (27/35) lower right. Reference: Laboureur ...

Medium: Pencil, Charcoal and Orange Wash on Paper Signature: Signed "O'Neill" Upper Left Sight Size 24.00" x 19.50", Framed 35.00" x 29.00" Illustration for the poem "Baby's First Christmas" by Margaret G. Hayes, published in Harper's Bazar, December 1910. ​​​​​​​The artwork is also reproduced within Walt Reed's The Illustrator in America, 1860-2000 (Society of Illustrators, 2001) on page 154. Exhibited: Brandywine River...

Medium: Oil on Board Signature: Signed on Reverse 1 of a 4 part Illustration, Used as Promotional Poster Exhibited: Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, Brandywine River Museum, Maxfield Pa...

Jean-Emile Laboureur (1877-1943), Le Policeman, Londres, 1913, etching on zinc. Signed lower left in pencil [also with the signature and date in the plate]. Reference: Godefroy, Sylv...

Rainy NIght in Rome.. 1913. Drypoint. Dodgson 299.x. 12 x 9 (sheet 16 x 11 1/4). Edition 125 in 10 states. A rich impression with burr and tonal wiping. Pr...

"Emprunt 4% 1918 - Appel" is an original lithograph poster by A. Malassinet. This poster advertised a fund for the national defense during World War I. The following are two statemen...

To find more of these unusual woodblock prints by Royds scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this Seller." Mabel A. Royds (1874-1941) Colour woodblock print Signed in pencil Exhibited 1919 27.5 x 20cm (approx.) In Ladakh, in northern India, a view of Chortens - monuments to famous Buddhists Born in Bedfordshire, Mabel Royds was a painter, printmaker and illustrator. She studied under Henry Tonks at the Slade, after which she travelled to Paris - where she worked in the studio of Walter Sickert - and to Canada, before starting to teach at the Edinburgh College of Art in 1911. In 1914 she married the printmaker Ernest Lumsden...

Arthur B. Davies (1862-1928), Round of Summer (aka Four Figures), soft ground etching, 1919, signed in pencil lower right. Reference: Czestochowski 91, first state (of 3), trial proo...

Initialed lower right 'A.H.'; signed verso, "Alfred Helberger", inscribed "Gertrúd" and dated 1914. Bearing the original 1962 exhibition label from the Senator fur Folksbildung, Ber...

GEORGE LUKS (1867-1933) Otis Skinner as Col. Philippe Bridau in "The Honor of the Family", c. 1919 Charcoal on paper 12 x 7 ¾ inches (sight) Signed at lo...

Medium: Oil on Board Signature: Signed Lower Left Framed 37.00" x 29.00" Saturday Evening Post Cover, August 21, 1915

Otto Dill, "Deer", 1918, oil painting, two grazing fawns. Beautiful and rare motif of the world famous artist Otto Dill. Outstanding painting and colors. Signed and dated. Dimensi...

Medium: Watercolor on Paper Signature: Signed and Dated Lower Left

Galizischer Bletter is a fine black and white etching on cream-colored paper, realized by Erich Wolfsfeld ( Krojanke, 1884 - London, 1956). From the portfolio Freunde Graphischer Kunst, Leipzig, 1915. In excellent condition, with the original cream-colored cardboard passepartout included with the drystamp of the publishing house logo "III. s" at the center on lower margin. A little rip on the lower right corner of the passepartout. This modern original print representing a street homeless begging demonstrates a great human and pictorial sensibility and surely is an artwork conceived in his Roman period when this kind of subjects was frequent. Erich Wolfsfeld (Krojanke, 1884 - London, 1956). Erich Wolfsfeld learned to etch in the studio of Hans Meyer, From 1907 worked in Rome, where he met Otto Greiner...

Krieg ("War") is an original artwork realized by Hans Trudel in 1915. The monogram of the artist appears on the lower right margin. The xilograph is part of a portfolio including fiv...

Georges CONRAD (1874-1936) Libertine Carnaval in Venice Original India ink and color pencil drawing Signed with the stamp of atelier On paper 26.5 x 20 cm (c. 10,4 x 7.8 in) Very ...

Walter Schnackenberg’s style changed several times during his long and successful career. Having studied in Munich, the artist traveled often to Paris where he fell under the spell of the Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s colorful and sensuous posters depicting theatrical and decadent subjects. Schnackenberg became a regular contributor of similar compositions to the German magazines Jugend and Simplicissimus before devoting himself to the design of stage scenery and costumes. In the artist’s theatrical work, his mastery of form, ornamentation, and Orientalism became increasingly evident. He excelled at combining fluid Art Nouveau outlines, with spiky Expressionist passages, and the postures and patterns of the mysterious East. In his later years, Schnackenberg explored the unconscious, using surreal subject matter and paler colors that plainly portrayed dreams and visions, some imbued with political connotations. His drawings, illustrations, folio prints, and posters are highly sought today for their exceedingly imaginative qualities, enchanting subject matter, and arresting use of color. SCHNACKENBERG: KOSTUME, PLAKATE UND DEKORATIONEN, a cardboard bound art book consisting of 43 prints of work by Walter Schnackenberg, 30 of which are color lithographs that are signed and some are titled and dated in the plate, as well as black and white prints and photographs with accompanying text by Oskar Bie; lithographs printed at Kunstanstalt Oskar Consee in Munich, other images printed by Gesellschaft Pick & Co. in Munich, the text and cover with color images by Schnackenberg front and verso printed by R. Oldenbourg in Munich; published by Musarion Verlag, Munich, 1920. The majority of Walter Schnackenberg’s artistic output was destroyed by bomb attacks in Munich in 1944. The highly publicized 2013 auction in New York of the recovered pre-war poster collection once belonging to German poster aficionado, Hans Sachs has reintroduced the world to Walter Schnackenberg’s graphic genius and priceless ephemeral art from a lost era. Besides the museum world, designer Karl Lagerfeld is one of the most prodigious collectors of Schnackenberg. Flipping through the pages of Kostume, Plakate und Dekorationen, it becomes quite clear that Schnackenberg’s collection is ground zero at the crossroads of early modern fashion where the cult of celebrity meets up with dance, music, theater and cabaret, film and the graphic medium. Berlin and Munich under Germany’s Weimar Republic in the first quarter of the 20th century produced just the atmosphere to feed this burgeoning industry. Rising inflation sparked a recklessness to live large for the moment and heightened a desire for escapism. An influx of Indian and East Asian dancers and musicians added to the artsy bohemian cultural mix. A new decadence and tolerance resulted. Film boldly featured provocative subject matter. Cabarets became popular venues giving rise to the demi-monde in which people from all social stations mixed more freely in a thriving underground economy and culture where there was a blurring of boundaries and of social codes. Noted art historian and cultural doyen, Oskar Bie astutely observes in his introduction to Schnackenberg’s publication that what unites the images is fantasy and advertisement. Schnackenberg uses the eye as an instrument to brilliantly construct and convey this double message. His personages never directly confront the viewer. Their eyes gaze off in the distance like those of the screenplayer and film star Hedamaria Scholz in Schnackenberg’s “Die Rodelhexe” movie poster. Their eyes follow the path of a dance composition or become a transfixed and ogling male gaze such as the iconic 1911 Odeon Casino...

Signature: Initialed Lower Center "How Shall Europe Be Set On Her Feet," by Frederick S. Bigelow and illustrated by Guernsey Moore for the Saturday Evening Post, August 9th, 1919.

Original antique World War One recruitment poster featuring a dynamic design by Lionel Edwards (1878-1966) of soldiers riding horses and carriages past explosions on a battlefield wi...

2018 marks the centenary anniversary of Ferdinand Hodler’s death. In that 100 years time, the art world’s esteem of this important artist has proved fickle. It has shifted from extol...

Signature: Initialed Lower Right Originally published in Saturday Evening Post December 20th, 1919 issue. Repeated in April 17th, 1920 issue of Saturday Evening Post as an insert de...

Signature: Initialed Center "Birth and Death of Industry," by Albert W. Atwood and illustrated by Guernsey Moore for the Saturday Evening Post, September 15, 1919.

Walter Schnackenberg’s style changed several times during his long and successful career. Having studied in Munich, the artist traveled often to Paris where he fell under the spell of the Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s colorful and sensuous posters depicting theatrical and decadent subjects. Schnackenberg became a regular contributor of similar compositions to the German magazines Jugend and Simplicissimus before devoting himself to the design of stage scenery and costumes. In the artist’s theatrical work, his mastery of form, ornamentation, and Orientalism became increasingly evident. He excelled at combining fluid Art Nouveau outlines, with spiky Expressionist passages, and the postures and patterns of the mysterious East. In his later years, Schnackenberg explored the unconscious, using surreal subject matter and paler colors that plainly portrayed dreams and visions, some imbued with political connotations. His drawings, illustrations, folio prints, and posters are highly sought today for their exceedingly imaginative qualities, enchanting subject matter, and arresting use of color. SCHNACKENBERG: KOSTUME, PLAKATE UND DEKORATIONEN, a cardboard bound art book consisting of 43 prints of work by Walter Schnackenberg, 30 of which are color lithographs that are signed and some are titled and dated in the plate, as well as black and white prints and photographs with accompanying text by Oskar Bie; lithographs printed at Kunstanstalt Oskar Consee in Munich, other images printed by Gesellschaft Pick & Co. in Munich, the text and cover with color images by Schnackenberg front and verso printed by R. Oldenbourg in Munich; published by Musarion Verlag, Munich, 1920. The majority of Walter Schnackenberg’s artistic output was destroyed by bomb attacks in Munich in 1944. The highly publicized 2013 auction in New York of the recovered pre-war poster collection once belonging to German poster aficionado, Hans Sachs has reintroduced the world to Walter Schnackenberg’s graphic genius and priceless ephemeral art from a lost era. Besides the museum world, designer Karl Lagerfeld is one of the most prodigious collectors of Schnackenberg. Flipping through the pages of Kostume, Plakate und Dekorationen, it becomes quite clear that Schnackenberg’s collection is ground zero at the crossroads of early modern fashion where the cult of celebrity meets up with dance, music, theater and cabaret, film and the graphic medium. Berlin and Munich under Germany’s Weimar Republic in the first quarter of the 20th century produced just the atmosphere to feed this burgeoning industry. Rising inflation sparked a recklessness to live large for the moment and heightened a desire for escapism. An influx of Indian and East Asian dancers and musicians added to the artsy bohemian cultural mix. A new decadence and tolerance resulted. Film boldly featured provocative subject matter. Cabarets became popular venues giving rise to the demi-monde in which people from all social stations mixed more freely in a thriving underground economy and culture where there was a blurring of boundaries and of social codes. Noted art historian and cultural doyen, Oskar Bie astutely observes in his introduction to Schnackenberg’s publication that what unites the images is fantasy and advertisement. Schnackenberg uses the eye as an instrument to brilliantly construct and convey this double message. His personages never directly confront the viewer. Their eyes gaze off in the distance like those of the screenplayer and film star Hedamaria Scholz in Schnackenberg’s “Die Rodelhexe” movie poster. Their eyes follow the path of a dance composition or become a transfixed and ogling male gaze such as the iconic 1911 Odeon Casino poster...

Drypoint and aquatint (brown ink) on cream paper. Signed "Rehn" in pencil on the lower right margin. Titled and numbered in pencil on the lower left margin. Edition of 25 prints. Fr...

Signature: Initialed Lower Center "Writing for Print" by E. W. Howe and illustrated by Guernsey Moore for the Saturday Evening Post, December 6th, 1919.

Louis Buisseret (1888-1956, Belgian) Le petit André à la pomme. Oil on canvas laid down on paper. Signed. Louis Buisseret was Belgian painter, draftsman and engraver. At the age of 16, Buisseret enrolled at the Art Academy of Bergen where he studied engraving and met Anto Carte...

Color Lithograph on handmade paper from Ecce Homo, by George Grosz, 1918. Printed by Kunstanstalt Dr. Selle & Co. AG, Berlin Published by Malik Verlag, 1923. Numbered in Roman numera...