1940s Art

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.” Exhibited 1964 Marion Koogler McNay Art Institute, San Antonio, Texas This work retains its original frame which measures 54" x 42" x 2" About this artist: 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...

Signed lower right in pencil, 'Paul Jacoulet' (French-Japanese, 1902-1960) and stamped with peach seal; titled, lower right margin, 'Jeune Fille de Polowat. Est Carolines' (Young gir...

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 o...

Boys Swimming Industrial Landscape WPA Mid 20th Century Social Realism Modernism Henry Schnakenberg (1982 - 1970) Boys Swimming Industrial Landscape 11 1/2 x 15 1/2 sight Oil on Canvas Signed lower left 14 1/2 x 18 1/2 inches, Framed Bio In many cases, American artists visited the Armory Show in New York in 1913, and returned to their studios to react to or against what they saw. However, for Henry Ernest Schnakenberg it was much more life altering. Prior to visiting this important exhibition of American and European modernist art...

Ex-Libris - Winterink is an Artwork realized in 1940s, by the Artist Nico Bulder. Woodcut print on ivory paper. Signed on plate on the lower margin. The work is glued on colored ca...

Rudolf Nehmer (1912 Bobersberg - 1983 Dresden), The Fieldman and Death, around 1948. Woodcut on yellowish wove paper, 16.8 cm x 15.8 cm (depiction), 42 cm x 30 cm (sheet size), signe...

Rudolf Nehmer (1912 Bobersberg - 1983 Dresden), Blessed are the spiritually poor, 1948. Woodcut on yellowish wove paper, 20 cm x 15 cm (image), 45 cm x 30 cm (sheet size), signed “Ru...

Rudolf Nehmer (1912 Bobersberg - 1983 Dresden), The Zero Hour, 1948. Woodcut on yellowish wove paper, 20 cm x 14.8 cm (image), 43 cm x 30 cm (sheet size), signed “Rud.[olf] Nehmer” i...

Hermosa Beach Coastline - Watercolor On Paper Watercolor painting depicting the Hermosa Beach coastline by California artist F.J. Whitlock (American, B- 1923 ). Vibrant hues of blue...

Le port de la Chaume. Oil on canvas, 33x41 cm

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) - Table Before Window Lithograph from 1946. Dimensions of work: 48 x 32.8 cm Publisher: Pantheon. The work is in Excellent condition. Fast and secure ...

A Painting depicting an amusement park exploding in vibrant colors. The painting is signed "William Wright" lower right. Oil on Canvas. 20 x 24. Nicely framed.

Gorgeous American impressionist mid century coastal landscape painting of sailboats near Santa Barbara by John Dominque (Swedish/American, 1893 - 1994), 1946. Signed "Dominique" and ...

Initialed lower right, 'Kay' for Kay Christensen (Danish, 1899-1981), dated verso, "27 October 1948" and titled, 'Paris'. A serene, Parisian cityscape showing an aerial perspective of the Seine and the Île Saint-Louis viewed from above the Quai des Célestins, and looking towards the Île de la Cité and Notre Dame in the distance. This early Danish Post-Impressionist artist first studied with Marie Sandholt and Astrid Holm at the Copenhagen Art Academy and, subsequently, at the School of Graphics (1929-31). Christensen continued his studies while traveling widely in Europe, including to Germany and Austria (1913-14), Paris (1917-23) and to Budapest and Vienna (1934). In 1935, he was awarded the Michaelsen Scholarship which enabled him to remain in Paris during the late 1930's. During intense period of development and creativity, he moved away from the bold colors and defined forms of his earlier Fauve and Cubist periods and began to explore the creation of predominantly single-color works, often in blues or greens accented with subtle shades of white. After the Second World War, he returned frequently to paint in Paris. Kay Christensen, like his friend, Rainer Maria Rilke, followed a solitary artistic path in which his imagery was characterized by a personal aesthetic of sensuality combined with a spirited boldness and expressive force. He exhibited internationally with success and was the recipient of numerous prizes, medals and juried awards. Christensen's work is held in private and public collections including the State Art Museum of Denmark and Copenhagen's Metropolitan Museum, among others. We are pleased to offer this lyrical perspective of the Seine, the Pont Marie and the Île Saint-Louis painted...

Original, vintage silver gelatin print by Imogen Cunningham. Printed by the artist circa 1949 with Certificate of Authenticity from the trust on the back of the mount. Artist Biograp...

Rare black and white photograph, a portrait of a handsome man by Edward Henry Weston (March 24, 1886 – January 1, 1958). Signed "EW 1949" lo...

George Platt Lynes Photograph #12 of dancer Francisco Moncion 1949. George Platt Lynes rare original vintage 1949 gelatin silver portrait photograph of dancer Francisco Moncion. Stamped on verso - GEORGE PLATT LYNES. Photo is 7 3/4 x 9 1/2 inches, glossy finish in excellent condition. This photograph is #12 from a collection of 12 different poses in this series taken in Platt Lynes's NYC studio in 1949 (as per the NY Public Library archives). The cloud backdrop is recognizable in other Platt Lynes photographs. Moncion was a personal friend of Platt Lynes and this photograph is from Moncion's personal photographic collection. George Platt Lynes (1907–1955), was a gregarious American portrait, dance, fashion, and male nude photographer whose career spanned the late 1920s through the early 1950s. From age eighteen, Lynes entered the cosmopolitan world of the American expatriate community in Paris when he became acquainted with the salon of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. He began photographing authors like Stein, Jean Cocteau, André Gide, and Colette and soon established himself as one of the premier fashion photographers in the Condé Nast stable, documenting the ballet companies of George Balanchine/Lincoln Kirstein, and pursuing a private obsession with seductive images of young male nudes rarely published in his lifetime. Platt Lynes photographs are in the collections of every major art museum and university archive including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Yale Art Museum, and the Smithsonian. Francisco Moncion (July 6, 1918 – April 1, 1995) was a charter member of the New York City Ballet. Over the course of his forty year career, choreographers George Balanchine, and Jerome Robbins in the New York City Ballet created 22 major roles for Moncion including the Dark Angel in Orpheus, Death in La Valse, Prince Ivan in Firebird, and the Boy in Afternoon of a Faun. He was also a choreographer and a talented painter who exhibited alongside Miro, Picasso and Carrado Cagli. Moncion was a popular model for many famed mid-century (late 1930s, 1940s - 1950s) figure photographers including Platt Lynes, Carl van Vechten, Maurice Seymour...

View of Rome is an original drawing in pen realized by Luigi Montanarini in 1947. Hand-signed by the artist on the lower right margin. Passepartout: 48.5 x 65 Good condition excep...

Beautiful desert canyon landscape of Black Canyon, Arizona featuring Adobe home in foreground by Claire McAnear (American, 1989 - 1986), 1945. Presented in aged gilt-toned wood fram...

To see our other original vintage public information posters, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this Seller" - or send us a message if you cannot find the poster you want. We have a whole series referring to environmental issues on the theme of "Waste not want not" and caring for the environment and recycling. FHK Henrion (1914 - 1990) What Comes from Coal (circa 1945) Original vintage poster 51 x 76 cm Signed in plate. Issued by the Ministry of Fuel and Power; printed for HM Stationery Office by Field Sons & Co Ltd, Bradford. We have been unable to identify any other copy of this poster by this renowned designer in any public collection - it is possibly the only remaining copy. A Ministry of Fuel poster...

Artist: Margaretha E. Albers, American (1881 - 1977) Title: Corlears Hook Year: circa 1940 Medium: Oil on Board, signed Size: 12 in. x 16 in. (30.48 cm x 40.64 cm) Frame: 14.5 x...

John Steuart Curry "Sketching Wisconsin," 1946 oil on canvas 31.13 x 28 inches, canvas 39.75 x 36.75 x 2.5 inches, frame Signed and dated lower right Overall excellent condition Presented in a 24-karat gold leaf hand-carved wood frame John Steuart Curry (1897-1946) was an American regionalist painter active during the Great Depression and into World War II. He was born in Kansas on his family’s farm but went on to study art in Chicago, Paris and New York as young man. In Paris, he was exposed to the work of masters such as Peter Paul Rubens, Eugène Delacroix and Jacques-Louis David. As he matured, his work showed the influence of these masters, especially in his compositional decisions. Like the two other Midwestern regionalist artists that are most often grouped with him, Grant Wood (American, 1891-1942) and Thomas Hart Benton (American, 1889-1975), Curry was interested in representational works containing distinctly American subject matter. This was contrary to the popular art at the time, which was moving closer and closer to abstraction and individual expression. Sketching Wisconsin is an oil painting completed in 1946, the last year of John Steuart Curry’s life, during which time he was the artist-in-residence at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The painting is significant in Curry’s body of work both as a very revealing self-portrait, and as a landscape that clearly and sensitively depicts the scenery of southern Wisconsin near Madison. It is also a portrait of the artist’s second wife, Kathleen Gould Curry, and is unique in that it contains a ‘picture within a picture,’ a compositional element that many early painting masters used to draw the eye of the viewer. This particular artwork adds a new twist to this theme: Curry’s wife is creating essentially the same painting the viewer is looking at when viewing Sketching Wisconsin. The triangular composition of the figures in the foreground immediately brings focus to a younger Curry, whose head penetrates the horizon line and whose gaze looks out towards the viewer. The eye then moves down to Mrs. Curry, who, seated on a folding stool and with her hand raised to paint the canvas on the easel before her, anchors the triangular composition. The shape is repeated in the legs of the stool and the easel. Behind the two figures, stripes of furrowed fields fall away gently down the hillside to a farmstead and small lake below. Beyond the lake, patches of field and forest rise and fall into the distance, and eventually give way to blue hills. Here, Curry has subverted the traditional artist’s self-portrait by portraying himself as a farmer first and an artist second. He rejects what he sees as an elitist art world of the East Coast and Europe. In this self-portrait he depicts himself without any pretense or the instruments of his profession and with a red tractor standing in the field behind him as if he was taking a break from the field work. Here, Curry’s wife symbolizes John Steuart Curry’s identity as an artist. Compared with a self-portrait of the artist completed a decade earlier, this work shows a marked departure from how the artist previously presented and viewed himself. In the earlier portrait, Curry depicted himself in the studio with brushes in hand, and with some of his more recognizable and successful canvases behind him. But in Sketching Wisconsin, Curry has taken himself out of the studio and into the field, indicating a shift in the artist’s self-conception. Sketching Wisconsin’s rural subject also expresses Curry’s populist ideals, that art could be relevant to anyone. This followed the broad educational objectives of UW’s artist-in-residence program. Curry was appointed to his position at the University of Wisconsin in 1937 and was the first person to hold any such position in the country, the purpose of which was to serve as an educational resource to the people of the state. He embraced his role at the University with zeal and not only opened the doors of his campus studio in the School of Agriculture to the community, but also spent a great deal of time traveling around the state of Wisconsin to visit rural artists who could benefit from his expertise. It was during his ten years in the program that Curry was able to put into practice his belief that art should be meaningful to the rural populace. However, during this time he also struggled with public criticism, as the dominant forces of the art market were moving away from representation. Perhaps it was Curry’s desire for public acceptance during the latter part of his career that caused him to portray himself as an Everyman in Sketching Wisconsin. Beyond its importance as a portrait of the artist, Sketching Wisconsin is also a detailed and sensitive landscape that shows us Curry’s deep personal connection to his environment. The landscape here can be compared to Wisconsin Landscape of 1938-39 (the Metropolitan Museum of Art), which presents a similar tableau of rolling hills with a patchwork of fields. Like Wisconsin Landscape, this is an incredibly detailed and expressive depiction of a place close to the artist’s heart. This expressive landscape is certainly the result of many hours spent sketching people, animals, weather conditions and topography of Wisconsin as Curry traveled around the state. The backdrop of undulating hills and the sweeping horizon, and the emotions evoked by it, are emphatically recognizable as the ‘driftless’ area of south-central Wisconsin. But while the Metropolitan’s Wisconsin Landscape conveys a sense of uncertainty or foreboding with its dramatic spring cloudscape and alternating bands of light and dark, Sketching Wisconsin has a warm and reflective mood. The colors of the foliage indicate that it is late summer and Curry seems to look out at the viewer approvingly, as if satisfied with the fertile ground surrounding him. The landscape in Sketching Wisconsin is also revealing of what became one of Curry’s passions while artist-in-residence at UW’s School of Agriculture – soil conservation. When Curry was a child in Kansas, he saw his father almost lose his farm and its soil to the erosion of The Dust Bowl. Therefore, he was very enthusiastic about ideas from UW’s School of Agriculture on soil conservation methods being used on Wisconsin farms. In Sketching Wisconsin, we see evidence of crop rotation methods in the terraced stripes of fields leading down the hillside away from the Curry’s and in how they alternate between cultivated and fallow fields. Overall, Sketching Wisconsin has a warm, reflective, and comfortably pastoral atmosphere, and the perceived shift in Curry’s self-image that is evident in the portrait is a positive one. After his rise to favor in the art world in the 1930’s, and then rejection from it due to the strong beliefs presented in his art, Curry is satisfied and proud to be farmer in this self-portrait. Curry suffered from high blood...

Signed upper left, 'V. Isbrand' for Victor Isbrand (Danish, 1897-1989) and painted circa 1945. A vibrant Post-Impressionist still-life showing a view of a farmhouse interior with a...

Crafted by the skilled artist Alois Carigiet in 1947, the original poster for the Foire Suisse Bâle (Swiss Fair Basel) from April 12th to 22nd, 1947, offers a captivating glimpse int...

PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973) Trois sardines (A.R. 34) stamped, marked and numbered 'Madoura Plein Feu / Edition Picasso / I 113 / 28/200' (underneath) whit...

Post Impressionist oil on canvas still life painting by the New York artist, Frances Joan Kruszewski. Initialed bottom right and dated 1942. In very good original condition; no restorations. Original gesso over wood gold leaf frame in fine condition. Overall 21.25 by 17.25 inches. Provenance: Port Jervis, New York estate. A painter of post-impressionist landscapes and still lifes, Kruszewski was born on August 30, 1921 in New York City and died in Locust Valley, New York on July 18, 1971. Education: Studied under Edgar Whitney, AWS; Marion B. Brown, AWS; Paul Puzinas, Anthony Toney...

To see our other original vintage propaganda posters, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this Seller" - or send us a message if you cannot fin...

Nicely painted impressionist coastal view with a lighthouse. Oil on canvas. Framed. No signature found.

Born in Szeged, Hungary, he became one of the better known and successful illustrators of the Golden Age of Illustration, completing over 100 books. Among them are "A Treasury of Verse for Little Children," "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam," and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." He is probably best known for pen and ink drawings of mythology subjects geared towards children. He studied at Budapest Technical University and attended art schools in Munich and Paris before moving to London at age 23. In 1907, he began illustrating children's books and did a series of annual gift books...

Watercolor on paper of a chorus or show girl by Ruth Adele Mysel. Mysel grew up in Boston and attended the New England School of Art. She was both a artist and sculptor as well as ...

3830 Oil on canvas streets of old Paris Image size 8x10"

Artist: Pablo Picasso Title: Round Head of a Woman with Hair (Plate XVIII) Portfolio: Carmen Medium: Etching on Montval wove paper Year: 1949 Edition: 289 Frame Size: 21" x 18" Sheet...

Original watercolor with graphite tracings of interior pub scene by the British artist, George Anderson Short. Signed bottom left. Circa 1940. ...

This historically interesting Post Impressionist town landscape oil painting is by noted Slade School trained artist Bertram Nicholls. Painted in 1940, the location is the Somerset t...

Nicely painted mid century modernist interior portrait oil painting by Sadie Skoletsky Rosenblum 1899-1987. Great color and composition. Framed.

This work is one of the lithographs for the magazine "L'Immagine", 1950. Editions consist in 50 copies numbered from 1 to 30 and from I to XX, and some artist's test. (P.A.) Publishe...

Porcupine Engraving, 1949 Signed and dated lower right (see photo) Titled and numbered lower left (see photo) Created while the artist was completing the MFA in Printmaking at the Un...

Original artist proof engraving, aquatint, intaglio on archival paper by the Russian/American artist, Nahum Tschacbasov. Signed in pencil lower right and dated 1947. Condition: good...

Original watercolor of sailboats at dock by well listed artist Carl Broemel. This work is stunning with wonderful colors and movement. This piece is also housed in the original hand carved arts and crafts frame. Carl William Broemel...

This vintage 1940s original oil painting beautifully captures the essence of Boulder Canyon, showcasing the stunning Colorado landscape with majestic mountains and vibrant Aspen trees in their autumnal glory. The piece highlights the rich fall colors of gold, orange, and red as the Aspen leaves turn, reflecting the serene beauty of Colorado's mountainous terrain. Presented in a custom gold frame, the outer dimensions are 25 ¼ x 21 ¼ x 1 ½ inches, while the image size itself measures 22 ¼ x 18 ¼ inches. About the Artist: Irene Fowler (1884-1969) was an influential figure in the development of Denver's art scene. Born in Illinois, she moved to Denver where she became a public school teacher and a founding member of the Denver Artist’s Guild (now the Colorado Artist’s Guild). Throughout her career, Fowler painted stunning landscapes in oil and watercolor, most often working en plein air to capture the natural beauty of Colorado's diverse scenery. Known for her landscapes of Colorado, Fowler expertly depicted the unique features of the region: towering mountains, quaking Aspen trees, and rustic mining towns. Her work is marked by an exceptional understanding of the thin mountain air and luminous sunshine that make Colorado’s landscape so striking. Fowler was a prominent figure in the Denver art community, exhibiting her works at major venues such as the Schlier Gallery, Chappell House, the University Club...

Le Croates is an original drawing in ink and watercolor realized by Herbert Knotel in 1930/40s. Good condition except for being aged. The artwork is depicted through strong lines i...

Adolf Dehn: 1895-1968. Well listed American artist with a high auction record of $20,000 which was achieved this year. He was born in Minnesota and studied at Minneapolis School of F...

George Platt Lynes Photograph #1 of dancer Francisco Moncion 1949. George Platt Lynes rare original vintage 1949 gelatin silver photogra...

Artist: Henri Matisse Medium: lithograph Portfolio: Untitled from Les Lettres Portugaises Year: 1946 Edition: 250 Framed Size: 16 3/4" x 14 1/2" Reference: Duthuit 15 Signed: Unsigned

Impressive early American modernist abstract still life oil painting. Framed. Oil on canvas board. Signed. Image size, 24H by 18L.

Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right In the Timken War Bond campaign, JC Leyendecker completed more than a dozen paintings that were rep...

Medium: Lithograph and stencil on vélin paper Year: 1946 Paper Size: 18.75 x 12.625 inches Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued Catalogue raisonné reference: Or...

Antique Russian super realist still life painting by Sergei Petrovich Ivanov (1893 - 1983). Oil on canvas, circa 1945. Signed. Displayed in a period modernist frame. Image size, 3...

Original vintage poster: Paglieri dai fiori le Cipri i Profumi. Italian artist: Gino Boccasile (1901 - 1952). Size: 13.25" x 19". Archival linen backed authentic Italian post...

Georgina Klitgaard Desert Signed lower right Oil on canvas 18 x 30 inches Georgina Klitgaard’s art has sometimes gotten lost in the critical propensity to assign artists to members...

Original watercolor with graphite tracings of interior crowded pub scene by the British artist, George Anderson Short. Signed bottom left. Circa...

Lithograph on vélin pur fil paper. Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the folio, Henri Matisse, Dessins, Thèmes et Variations, 19...

A ca. 1945, Cubist black & white graphite drawing of fruit by artist Illinois and Michigan artist Stanley Bielecky. Image size: 4" x 5". Archivally matted to: 13 1/4" x 16". Stanley Bielecky was an Indiana artist who painted the American scene, from the factories and workers around East Chicago to the bucolic settings of Mackinac Island...

Cattedrale is an original lithograph realized by Franco Gentilini between 1940 and 1950. Hand signed in pencil on the lower right margin; "prova dell'artista", artist's proof. Perfec...

Animals is an original artwork realized by Jean Lurçat (1892 Bruyeres - 1966 St.-Paul-de-Vence) . Lithograph print, mid-20th Century. Perfect conditions. Jean Lurçat (1892-1966) ...

Edition of 920 numbered copies. Copy on velin de rives B.F.K.. including 43 tables with printed tissue guards, in black and white and in colour reproducing the works of Michaux from ...

Artist: Unknown Title: Family of Ducks Year: circa 1940 Medium: Oil on Board Size: 11 x 14 in. (27.94 x 35.56 cm) Frame Size: 16.5 x 19.5 inches

This piece is an original photograph shot by George Hurrell in 1941 and printed at a later date. This image depicts Rita Hayworth, an American actress an...