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1940s Art

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Period: 1940s
Vintage 1940’s Circus Acrobat Oil on Canvas Painting.  Unique modern style.
Vintage 1940’s Circus Acrobat Oil on Canvas Painting.  Unique modern style.

Vintage 1940’s Circus Acrobat Oil on Canvas Painting. Unique modern style.

Located in Baltimore, MD

This is a highly stylized circus acrobat scene. Done “en grissille” or shades of grey, it portrays an acrobat on a trapeze high above the crowd, abstractly shown lower right. The stark composition, enhanced by the theatrical lighting...

Category

Art Deco 1940s Art

Materials

Oil

Dorothy with her Coton de Tulear (Dog Portrait) 1940 Young Woman oil painting
Dorothy with her Coton de Tulear (Dog Portrait) 1940 Young Woman oil painting

Dorothy with her Coton de Tulear (Dog Portrait) 1940 Young Woman oil painting

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Harry Finney (fl.1875-1945) Portrait of Dorothy with her Coton de Tulear, 1940. Oil on canvas, 25 x 31 inches. Signed, dated and dedicated lower left. We have an antique frame (n...

Category

American Impressionist 1940s Art

Materials

Oil

Hudson River School Style - The Homestead and Grist Mill 1942
Hudson River School Style - The Homestead and Grist Mill 1942

Hudson River School Style - The Homestead and Grist Mill 1942

By A. Mathieu

Located in Soquel, CA

Hudson River School Style - The Homestead and Grist Mill 1942 In the Hudson River School style by A (K) Mathieu (American, 19th-20th C). Harvest time at the Homestead with a hay wago...

Category

Hudson River School 1940s Art

Materials

Oil, Illustration Board, Stretcher Bars

Kathe Kollwitz, Self-Portrait, from Ten Lithographs, 1941 (after)
Kathe Kollwitz, Self-Portrait, from Ten Lithographs, 1941 (after)

Kathe Kollwitz, Self-Portrait, from Ten Lithographs, 1941 (after)

By Käthe Kollwitz

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph after Kathe Kollwitz (1867–1945), titled Selbstbildnis (Self-Portrait), from the folio Kathe Kollwitz, Ten Lithographs, originates from the 1941 edition published by Henry C. Kleemann, New York, and Curt Valentin, New York; printed by Duenewald Printing Corporation, New York. The composition reflects Kollwitz’s profound engagement with themes of identity, introspection, and human vulnerability, rendered with stark emotional intensity and a powerful graphic economy that underscores her enduring social message. Executed as a lithograph on velin paper, this work measures 19 x 16 inches (48.26 x 40.64 cm), overall; 10.5 x 9 inches (26.67 x 22.86 cm), image. Unsigned and unnumbered as issued. Artwork Details: Artist: After Kathe Kollwitz (1867–1945) Title: Selbstbildnis (Self-Portrait), from Kathe Kollwitz, Ten Lithographs Medium: Lithograph on velin paper Dimensions: 19 x 16 inches (48.26 x 40.64 cm), overall; 10.5 x 9 inches (26.67 x 22.86 cm), image Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered as issued Date: 1941 Publisher: Henry C. Kleemann, New York, and Curt Valentin, New York Printer: Duenewald Printing Corporation, New York Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium Provenance: From the folio Kathe Kollwitz, Ten Lithographs, 1941 About the Publication: Kathe Kollwitz, Ten Lithographs, published in New York in 1941 by Henry C. Kleemann in collaboration with Curt Valentin, represents an important early American presentation of Kollwitz’s graphic work at a time when her reputation was expanding internationally. Issued during the turbulence of the Second World War and following the suppression of her work in Germany under the Nazi regime, the folio played a crucial role in introducing her imagery to a broader audience outside Europe. The publication gathers a selection of her most powerful lithographic compositions, emphasizing her mastery of tonal contrast, expressive line, and psychological depth. Produced with careful attention to print quality by Duenewald Printing Corporation, the edition reflects the continued transmission of European modernist printmaking traditions into the American context, serving both as a document of artistic excellence and as a vehicle for the preservation and dissemination of Kollwitz’s humanistic vision. About the Artist: Kathe Kollwitz (1867–1945) was a German draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor whose profoundly moving imagery, exceptional technical mastery, and unwavering social conscience established her as one of the most important and influential artists of the twentieth century, widely recognized as a master of modern printmaking and one of the most powerful visual chroniclers of human suffering, war, and social injustice. Born in Konigsberg, East Prussia, into a progressive and intellectually engaged family, Kollwitz was encouraged from an early age to pursue art and developed a deep awareness of social inequality that would shape her entire career, studying in Berlin and Munich at a time when women were largely excluded from formal academies while mastering drawing and graphic techniques with extraordinary discipline. Her breakthrough came with the monumental graphic cycle A Weavers’ Revolt (1893–1897), followed by The Peasants’ War (1901–1908), works that combined complex narrative structure with extraordinary technical command in etching, aquatint, and lithography, establishing her reputation as one of Europe’s leading graphic artists. Throughout her career, Kollwitz remained committed to portraying the lives of workers, mothers, and victims of poverty and conflict with unflinching honesty, creating compositions defined by bold, sculptural line, dense shadow, and unparalleled psychological depth that conveyed grief, resilience, and dignity. Working during a period transformed by the radical innovations of Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray, Kollwitz maintained a resolutely figurative and human-centered approach, aligning more closely with German Expressionism and artists such as Ernst Barlach, Max Liebermann, and Edvard Munch, whose emotional intensity and symbolic treatment of the human figure profoundly shaped her artistic language. Her later work, particularly the woodcut cycle War (1922–1923), stands among the most powerful anti-war statements in the history of art, reflecting both personal tragedy, including the death of her son in World War I, and a universal condemnation of violence and loss. In addition to her prints, Kollwitz created deeply moving sculptures that extended her exploration of grief and maternal protection into three dimensions, reinforcing her status as a multidisciplinary artist of exceptional range. She achieved significant recognition during her lifetime, becoming the first woman elected to the Prussian Academy of Arts, though her work was later condemned by the Nazi regime as degenerate, leading to her forced resignation and the removal of her works from public collections, yet her reputation expanded internationally after World War II and she is now regarded as a central figure in modern art. Her influence has been profound and far-reaching, shaping later artists including Francis Bacon, Anselm Kiefer, Leon Golub, Kiki Smith, and numerous contemporary figurative and socially engaged artists who continue to explore themes of trauma, memory, and human vulnerability. Today her works are held in major museum collections worldwide, including the Kathe Kollwitz Museum in Berlin, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the British Museum in London, and the Art Institute of Chicago, and remain highly sought after by collectors for their emotional intensity and historical significance. The highest auction record for a work by Kathe Kollwitz is held by her sculpture Mutter mit totem Sohn (Mother with Dead Son), which achieved approximately 1.2 million EUR at auction, confirming her enduring importance. Kathe Kollwitz Selbstbildnis 1941 lithograph German Expressionism social realism print.

Category

Expressionist 1940s Art

Materials

Lithograph

IMMIGRANT FAMILY
IMMIGRANT FAMILY

IMMIGRANT FAMILY

By Ben Shahn

Located in Portland, ME

Shahn, Ben. IMMIGRANT FAMILY. Serigraph, 1941. Prescott 2. Edition size unknown; Prescott knew of only 3. This copy unsigned. 11 1/2 x 18 inches (image), 19 1/4 x 25 1/4 (sheet), framed to 23 x 28 1/4 inches. This was only the second print made by Shahn, and the first serigraph, a medium in which he continued to use for his prints throughout his career. Provenance: Kennedy Galleries, with its label, George Krevsky Gallery...

Category

1940s Art

Materials

Screen

Rockefeller Center (1945) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print

Rockefeller Center (1945) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print

Located in London, GB

Rockefeller Center (1945) - Silver Gelatin Fibre Print (Photo by George Enell/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) circa 1945: The Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan, New York City. ...

Category

Modern 1940s Art

Materials

Black and White, Silver Gelatin

original lithograph

original lithograph

By Yves Tanguy

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original lithograph. Printed in Paris by Mourlot and published by Pierre à Feu and Maeght Editeur for the Marcel Duchamp / André Breton project "Surréalisme en 1947". Issued ...

Category

Surrealist 1940s Art

Materials

Lithograph

Kathe Kollwitz, Mother with Child, from Ten Lithographs, 1941 (after)
Kathe Kollwitz, Mother with Child, from Ten Lithographs, 1941 (after)

Kathe Kollwitz, Mother with Child, from Ten Lithographs, 1941 (after)

By Käthe Kollwitz

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph after Kathe Kollwitz (1867–1945), titled Mutter mit Kind (Mother with Child), from the folio Kathe Kollwitz, Ten Lithographs, originates from the 1941 edition published by Henry C. Kleemann, New York, and Curt Valentin, New York; printed by Duenewald Printing Corporation, New York. The composition reflects Kollwitz’s profound engagement with themes of maternal protection, tenderness, and human vulnerability, rendered with stark emotional intensity and a powerful graphic economy that underscores her enduring social message. Executed as a lithograph on velin paper, this work measures 19 x 16 inches (48.26 x 40.64 cm), overall; 13 x 10.5 inches (33.02 x 26.67 cm), image. Unsigned and unnumbered as issued. Artwork Details: Artist: After Kathe Kollwitz (1867–1945) Title: Mutter mit Kind (Mother with Child), from Kathe Kollwitz, Ten Lithographs Medium: Lithograph on velin paper Dimensions: 19 x 16 inches (48.26 x 40.64 cm), overall; 13 x 10.5 inches (33.02 x 26.67 cm), image Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered as issued Date: 1941 Publisher: Henry C. Kleemann, New York, and Curt Valentin, New York Printer: Duenewald Printing Corporation, New York Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium Provenance: From the folio Kathe Kollwitz, Ten Lithographs, 1941 About the Publication: Kathe Kollwitz, Ten Lithographs, published in New York in 1941 by Henry C. Kleemann in collaboration with Curt Valentin, represents an important early American presentation of Kollwitz’s graphic work at a time when her reputation was expanding internationally. Issued during the turbulence of the Second World War and following the suppression of her work in Germany under the Nazi regime, the folio played a crucial role in introducing her imagery to a broader audience outside Europe. The publication gathers a selection of her most powerful lithographic compositions, emphasizing her mastery of tonal contrast, expressive line, and psychological depth. Produced with careful attention to print quality by Duenewald Printing Corporation, the edition reflects the continued transmission of European modernist printmaking traditions into the American context, serving both as a document of artistic excellence and as a vehicle for the preservation and dissemination of Kollwitz’s humanistic vision. About the Artist: Kathe Kollwitz (1867–1945) was a German draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor whose profoundly moving imagery, exceptional technical mastery, and unwavering social conscience established her as one of the most important and influential artists of the twentieth century, widely recognized as a master of modern printmaking and one of the most powerful visual chroniclers of human suffering, war, and social injustice. Born in Konigsberg, East Prussia, into a progressive and intellectually engaged family, Kollwitz was encouraged from an early age to pursue art and developed a deep awareness of social inequality that would shape her entire career, studying in Berlin and Munich at a time when women were largely excluded from formal academies while mastering drawing and graphic techniques with extraordinary discipline. Her breakthrough came with the monumental graphic cycle A Weavers’ Revolt (1893–1897), followed by The Peasants’ War (1901–1908), works that combined complex narrative structure with extraordinary technical command in etching, aquatint, and lithography, establishing her reputation as one of Europe’s leading graphic artists. Throughout her career, Kollwitz remained committed to portraying the lives of workers, mothers, and victims of poverty and conflict with unflinching honesty, creating compositions defined by bold, sculptural line, dense shadow, and unparalleled psychological depth that conveyed grief, resilience, and dignity. Working during a period transformed by the radical innovations of Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray, Kollwitz maintained a resolutely figurative and human-centered approach, aligning more closely with German Expressionism and artists such as Ernst Barlach, Max Liebermann, and Edvard Munch, whose emotional intensity and symbolic treatment of the human figure profoundly shaped her artistic language. Her later work, particularly the woodcut cycle War (1922–1923), stands among the most powerful anti-war statements in the history of art, reflecting both personal tragedy, including the death of her son in World War I, and a universal condemnation of violence and loss. In addition to her prints, Kollwitz created deeply moving sculptures that extended her exploration of grief and maternal protection into three dimensions, reinforcing her status as a multidisciplinary artist of exceptional range. She achieved significant recognition during her lifetime, becoming the first woman elected to the Prussian Academy of Arts, though her work was later condemned by the Nazi regime as degenerate, leading to her forced resignation and the removal of her works from public collections, yet her reputation expanded internationally after World War II and she is now regarded as a central figure in modern art. Her influence has been profound and far-reaching, shaping later artists including Francis Bacon, Anselm Kiefer, Leon Golub, Kiki Smith, and numerous contemporary figurative and socially engaged artists who continue to explore themes of trauma, memory, and human vulnerability. Today her works are held in major museum collections worldwide, including the Kathe Kollwitz Museum in Berlin, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the British Museum in London, and the Art Institute of Chicago, and remain highly sought after by collectors for their emotional intensity and historical significance. The highest auction record for a work by Kathe Kollwitz is held by her sculpture Mutter mit totem Sohn (Mother with Dead Son), which achieved approximately 1.2 million EUR at auction, confirming her enduring importance. Kathe Kollwitz Mutter mit Kind 1941 lithograph German Expressionism social realism print.

Category

Expressionist 1940s Art

Materials

Lithograph

pochoir

pochoir

By (after) Edgar Degas

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: pochoir (after the drawing). A soft and delicate impression, printed in Paris in 1948 and published in an edition of 1200 by Braun et Cie. Size: 6 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches (164 x 1...

Category

Impressionist 1940s Art

Materials

Lithograph, Stencil

The Racken Group, A Värmland Lake View, 1945
The Racken Group, A Värmland Lake View, 1945

The Racken Group, A Värmland Lake View, 1945

By Ture Ander

Located in Stockholm, SE

This landscape painting by Ture Ander, completed in 1945, captures the serene beauty of a Värmland lake. The composition is dominated by soft, blue hues that give a tranquil feel, suggesting a calm day by the water. The trees in the foreground, depicted with a delicate blend of pink and earthy tones, add depth and contrast to the expansive lake and distant hills. Ture Ander was born on September 17, 1880, in Askers socken, Örebro. At the age of 13, he moved to Stockholm to apprentice as a painter. While working during the day, he pursued evening courses at the Technical School, now known as Konstfack, where he graduated in 1903 with high honors in painting. In 1905, Ander was accepted into the prestigious Artist Association School, studying alongside prominent artists such as Leander Engström, Isaac Grünewald, and Einar Nerman...

Category

1940s Art

Materials

Oil, Board

lithograph

lithograph

By (after) Pierre Bonnard

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: lithograph (after the drawing). This impression in violet ink was printed in France in 1944 for the rare "Correspondances" portfolio, published by Teriade in a limited editio...

Category

1940s Art

Materials

Lithograph

'The Orange Point' — Mid-Century Modernism
'The Orange Point' — Mid-Century Modernism

'The Orange Point' — Mid-Century Modernism

By Thomas A. Robertson

Located in Myrtle Beach, SC

Thomas A. Robertson, 'The Orange Point', color serigraph, edition 54, 1941. Signed, titled, and annotated 'Ed/54' in pencil. A fine impression, with fresh colors, on buff wove paper;...

Category

American Modern 1940s Art

Materials

Screen

Fishing by the Sea

Fishing by the Sea

By Milton Avery

Located in London, GB

Milton Avery Fishing By The Sea, 1944 Gouache on stout paper 55.9 x 78.8 cm 22 x 31 inches Born in Altmar, New York, in 1885, Milton Avery moved with his family to Hartford, Connect...

Category

Contemporary 1940s Art

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Original Perlach Maccaroni - Spaghetti vintage poster  pasta
Original Perlach Maccaroni - Spaghetti vintage poster  pasta

Original Perlach Maccaroni - Spaghetti vintage poster pasta

By Richard Roth

Located in Spokane, WA

An original vintage poster of Perlach Macaroni Spaghetti created by Richard Roth for the German pasta brand, Perlach in the 1940s 1. The poster features an anthropomorphic pasta man...

Category

Art Deco 1940s Art

Materials

Lithograph

Landscape
Landscape

Landscape

By Marcel Emile Cailliet

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Landscape, 1940, oil on canvas, 24 x 20 inches, signed, dated and titled verso: “Marcel Cailliet ’40 – S.C.” and “Marcel Cailliet Landscape”; likely exhibited at the annual juried st...

Category

American Modern 1940s Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'The Artist's Garden', Munich Academy, Art Institute of Chicago, PAFA, Corcoran
'The Artist's Garden', Munich Academy, Art Institute of Chicago, PAFA, Corcoran

'The Artist's Garden', Munich Academy, Art Institute of Chicago, PAFA, Corcoran

By Julius Moessel

Located in Santa Cruz, CA

'The Artist's Garden' by Julius Moessel, 1943. Munich Academy, Art Institute of Chicago, Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts, Corcoran ----- Signed lower left 'Moessel' for Julius Moe...

Category

American Realist 1940s Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Third Class Carriage (Down South)

Third Class Carriage (Down South)

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Third Class Carriage (Down South), c. 1942 - 45, oil on canvas, 24 x 29 inches, labels verso read: "Painting by Mervin Honig [with address included]" and inscribed verso: "Title: Thi...

Category

American Realist 1940s Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Study for 'Willie Gillis in Convoy'
Study for 'Willie Gillis in Convoy'

Study for 'Willie Gillis in Convoy'

By Norman Rockwell

Located in Fort Washington, PA

LITERATURE: L.N. Moffatt, Norman Rockwell: A Definitive Catalogue, Vol. II, Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1986, p. 1107, no. M48, illustrated. --- The first Saturday Evening Post cov...

Category

1940s Art

Materials

Charcoal

Mid-Century Modern Italian Signed Still Life with Fish
Mid-Century Modern Italian Signed Still Life with Fish

Mid-Century Modern Italian Signed Still Life with Fish

By Gian Carozzi

Located in Roma, IT

Gian Carozzi Still Life with Cuttlefish 1942 The textural elegance of Mid-century Italian Ligurian Realism This still life with cuttlefish by Gian Carozzi (1942), dating from his early years in La Spezia, depicts two cephalopods against a dark background rendered in earthy tones and fluid brushstrokes, evoking the Ligurian tradition of marine compositions. Oil on panel, in a realist style with an emphasis on texture and natural light, the work reflects his early interest in organic matter, prior to his move to Milan. In 1942, Gian Carozzi took part in the 17th edition of the Littoriali exhibition in Trieste and Vienna. Dilvo Lotti wrote in *Meridiano di Roma* that Carozzi’s work was one of the revelations of the exhibition. Also in 1942, he took part in the 1st National Art Exhibition celebrating agriculture, fruit, flowers and animals in Verona – Verona Prize. The work, signed and dated by the artist, was exhibited at the 1942 Littoriali, highlighting his involvement in the Fascist art...

Category

Modern 1940s Art

Materials

Oil, Panel

Howard Schleeter 1949 Abstract Painting, Southwest Modernist Art
Howard Schleeter 1949 Abstract Painting, Southwest Modernist Art

Howard Schleeter 1949 Abstract Painting, Southwest Modernist Art

By Howard Schleeter

Located in Denver, CO

This striking 1949 gouache and wax painting by Howard Schleeter is a powerful example of mid-century American modernism rooted in the visual language of the Southwest. Titled Fetishe...

Category

American Modern 1940s Art

Materials

Wax, Gouache

(after) Kurt Seligmann - pochoir

(after) Kurt Seligmann - pochoir

By Kurt Seligmann

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: pochoir (after the painting). This exquisitely rich impression on black wove paper was published in 1941 by the Nierendorf Gallery, of New York, for the cover of a now quite ...

Category

Surrealist 1940s Art

Materials

Lithograph

God and the Four Evangelists ("Fool's Concert") - 1943 Linocut on Paper
God and the Four Evangelists ("Fool's Concert") - 1943 Linocut on Paper

God and the Four Evangelists ("Fool's Concert") - 1943 Linocut on Paper

By Leopoldo Méndez

Located in Soquel, CA

God and the Four Evangelists ("Fool's Concert") - 1943 Linocut on Paper Leopoldo Méndez (Mexico City, Mexico, 1902–1969) "Fool's Concert" (from the portfolio "25 Prints of Leopoldo ...

Category

Symbolist 1940s Art

Materials

Linocut, Printer's Ink, Laid Paper