1940s Art

Original pencil signed Grant Wood lithograph, "February," created 1940. A fine impression and one of the most important of the 19 lithographs created by the painter of "American Goth...

6118 Parisian cafe street scene Set in a gilted wood frame Image size 8x9,5"

This exquisite lithograph after Henry Moore (1898–1986), titled Sculptural Objects, S.P.30., originates from the School Prints Ltd. series, published by School Prints Ltd., London, u...

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.

"The Barefoot Lumberjack" Etching from "Les Ames Mortes" by Marc Chagall Playful etching of a lumberjack by Marc Chagall (Russian, 1887-1985). A stout lumberjack is shown holing his...

Rocky Inlet, Monhegan, Maine Oil on canvas mounted on phenolic resin, c. 1940 Unsigned Signed with the estate stamp on the reverse (see photo) Condition: Excellent, recently cleaned ...

Wonderful 1940's Swiss winter scene with snow covered chalet in valley, by an unknown artist, c.1940's. Signature illegible lower right. Presented in period rustic frame. Image size...

Dorothy Rivo Untitled (Bridge Tower), c. 1960s–70s Acrylic on paper, floated in a mat Framed dimensions: 30 in. H × 24 in. W Contemporary walnut or black wood frame with white archiv...

Figure of a horse , French 1940's , on a marble base appears unsigned finely carved, beautiful rendering, nice patina

"High School Dance" WPA Mid-20th Century Modern American Scene Social Realism Heusing (20th Century) "High School Dance" 27 x 32 inches Oil on canvas Signed and dated '47 Lower Righ...

"Men in Barracks" WPA Mid 20th Century American Scene Realism Gay Modernism WWII. 18 x 24 inches Watercolor on paper. c. 1940s. Signed lower right. BIO ...

Paris, France: A City Street Scene by Henri Miloch (1898-1979) unsigned watercolour and gouache painting on artist's paper, unframed sheet 9.75 x 12.25 inches Very nicely execu...

Woodcut on vélin Utopian paper. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition. Notes: From the folio, Gauguin, A portfolio of 12 color woodblocks, Paul Gauguin, French, 1848-1903 from the collection of the Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston, 1946. Rendered by Albert Carman (1899-1949); published the Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston and The Studio Publications, Inc., New York and London; printed by Holme Press Inc., New York, in an edition of MMMD. Excerpted from the folio, Paul Gauguin and Emil Bernard at Pont-Aven, Brittany, in 1888, each made a bas-relief, wooden panel to decorate a piece of furniture for a friend. In order to keep a record of their designs, a few inked impressions were made on paper. The illustration at left is a reproduction of a print which is possibly one of the above mentioned. It is further possible that this experiment later gave Gauguin the idea of making woodcuts. Just as his work in painting expressed a revolt against the overemphasis on factual representation of the nineteenth century in favor of decorative pattern and color, so also his woodcuts leaned strongly to the same side of the balance. Ten of the cuts reproduced (all excepting Soyez Amoureuses and Changement de Residence), which constitute the whole of his best known series, were made at Pont-Aven beginning in the fall of 1894, after Gauguin's return from his first trip to Tahiti and after he broke his ankle. They were at first roughly cut with a common carpenter's gouge, and the flat surfaces sandpapered and engraved with a sharp in-strument, perhaps an engraver's burin. A few trial proofs were printed in black ink only. Then the hollows were deepened with a woodcutter's gouge and highlights were added. An edition of thirty to fifty impressions of each subject, with the addition of color blocks (one, two or three), was made by Louis Roy...

Antique American modernist interior still life oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. In excellent original condition. Handsomely framed in a modernt wood molding. Excellent cond...

Oil on canvas. Signed in oil, lower right corner.

Antique American impressionist landscape oil painting. Oil on canvas, lain to board. Framed. Measuring: 17 by 19 inches overall, and 8 by 10 painting alone. Provenance from a Sag Har...

This exquisite lithograph after Hans Feibusch (1898–1998), titled Monkeys, S.P.16., originates from the School Prints Ltd. series, published by School Prints Ltd., London, under the ...

Edward Landon 'River View, color serigraph, 1942, edition 50, Ryan 159. Signed in pencil in the image, lower right. Titled, dated, and annotated '9 COLORS – 50 PRINTS' in the screen,...

This exquisite etching by Jean Cocteau (1889–1963), titled Sans titre (Untitled), from the album Alternance (Alternation), originates from the 1946 edition published by Le Gerbier, P...

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 ...

Signed oil on canvas board figures in cityscape circa 1940 by sought after French impressionist painter Edouard Cortes. The work depicts an autumnal scene of the the Arc de Triomphe,...

Work on canvas Dimensions with frame 58 x 66 x 5 cm This painting depicts three massive draft horses, majestically posed in an open field, under a soft, cloudy sky. The artist captur...

"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...

I am pretty sure this is by the architect and artist Elmer Grey. He was a famous architect in Los Angeles and also an artist he mostly signed with his full name but the way the last ...

Large and impressive modernist landscape painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed illegibly.

Nicely painted early 1900's oil painting. by Richard Hook. Great color and composition. Nicely framed.

This exquisite lithograph after Edgar Degas (1834–1917), titled Danseur au bar (Dancer at the Barre), originates from the 1945 folio Degas, Ten Ballet Sketches. Published by The Stud...

Untitled (Surrealist Composiition) Lithograph with hand coloring, 1945 Signed and dated lower right (see photo) Numbered 10/12 lower left (see photo) fragment from 6X litho In 1945, ...

La Corderie et le Pain de Sucre by Paulémile Pissarro (1884-1972) Oil on canvas 65 x 54 cm (25 ⁵/₈ x 21 ¹/₄ inches) Signed lower left, Paulémile- Pissarro- Signed and titled on the r...

Artist: José Fin (José Vilató Ruiz) (Barcelona, 1916 – Paris, 1969) Title: Catalan Peasant Portrait Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 66 × 58 cm (25.98 × 22.83 in) Signature: Signed ...

Edward Zutrau Toucan, 7/29/1949 Dated on verso Oil on linen 30 x 23 inches Edward Zutrau (1922–1993) was an American painter whose career spanned from the 1940s through the early 1...

5109 Japanese peasant worker Set in custom wood frame Signed lower right Image size 23.5x19.5

A Vibrant, Mid-Century Modern Portrait of a Young Woman in a Yellow Blouse by Notable Chicago Artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Oil on Masonite, dating circa 1945. Artwork Si...

Work on canvas Golden wooden frame 62 x 76 x 5.5 cm

"Mother and Daughter" Expressionist Portrait in Oil on Cardstock Mid Century expressionist portrait by unknown artist Jane W. Grace (American, 20th C...

Hiroshi Honda Hatatatedai Signed upper right Ink on paper laid on canvas 35 x 92 inches Hiroshi Honda was an American painter who was born in Hilo, Hawaii, to Japanese parents who ...

Medium: original etching. Printed in 1946 at the atelier Quesneville on BFK Rives paper and published in a limited edition of 300 for the "Alternance" portfolio (a collective art and...

Boy Jumping into Hudson River, NYC by Ruth Orkin is a black and white gelatin silver print of a child jumping off a building into the water below. Gelatin Silver Print 14 x 11 in. B...

Vintage American modernist abstract figural oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Provenance from a Sag Harbor, NY collection. Measuring: 25 by 19inches overall. Handsomely framed in...

Work on canvas with a frame; total size 80x93 cm

George Morrison 18 Cornelia Street, 1944 Signed and dated "May 1944" lower left Ink on paper 8 1/4 x 5 1/4 inches Provenance The artist Carl Ashby Estate of the above Private Collec...

Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Winter Landscape, 1947 Oil on canvas Signed and dated lower left 19 x 22.5 inches 25 x 28.25 inches, framed Clarence Holbrook Carter a...

Etching and drypoint on paper. Hand signed, dated and numbered. Editions of 20. Very good condition.

'L’Enterramant de Pierrot', 1947 Henri Matisse Pochoir in colors on Arches paper 16.5 x 25.5 in. / 42 x 65 cm. Edition of 250 The specific information regarding edition will be prov...

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;...

Still life with Calla Lily is an oil painting on masonite realized by Ugo Celada da Virgilio. Hand-signed on the lower left. Provenance: Galerie Sigfrid O...

An accomplished American Scene painter, Clyde Singer successfully captured everyday life during his long career. A unique aspect of American life is depicted in this painting, entitl...

5-3086 oil on canvas set in a vintage gilt wood frame

'Set Pieces: Vanity of Trust', color lithograph, 1949, edition 40, Fine and Looney 279. Signed, titled, dated and numbered '23/40' in pencil. A fine, impression with fresh colors, on...

This exquisite halftone print after Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946), titled Georgia O'Keeffe Hands with Thimble, originates from the 1947 folio Stieglitz Memorial Portfolio, 1864–1946. ...

Henri Matisse (1869-1954) Woman face, 1946 Original lithograph Unsigned Edition of 200 copies On Rives vellum size 25 x 18 cm REFERENCE : Catalog raisonné Duthuit 25 Very good con...

Joséphine Beaudouin (1909-2005) Poetry of the Bird, surrealist painting, 1948 Oil on canvas Signed "Joséphine Beaudouin" and dated "1948" lower left 13,7 x 10,6 inch Born in Albi in 1909, Josephine Beaudouin (née Cals) showed an early interest in drawing. At the age of twelve, she moved to Paris where her mother, Jeanne Ramel-Cals, ran a literary salon that was frequented by art world figures such as Ambroise Vollard. In 1925, while her first drawings appeared in the magazine Crapouillot, the young artist entered the School of Decorative Arts where she studied fresco painting. She married the architect Eugène Beaudouin in 1928, with whom she traveled throughout Europe. Beaudouin, a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, designed a series of buildings that were precursors of modern architecture in France (Clichy, Maison du Peuple; Antony, Résidence universitaire Jean Zay). Josephine Beaudouin exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants, the Salon des Tuileries, the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs. The work of the one that Jean Cocteau described as "bewitching" is full of mystery. Her work bears the stamp of an extraordinary personality. Indeed, Josephine Beaudouin developed a penchant for dreams at a very early age and took refuge in the works illustrated by Gustave Doré. Her technical virtuosity and overflowing imagination were praised by the critics of her time who unanimously greeted her Marmorées (ill.1). Named by René Barotte, these are paintings made on marble slabs from 1955. The artist exploits the infinite resources of the veins of this support which inspires him poetic compositions with unusual subjects. Marked by surrealism, she returns to the fantastic by delivering a prodigious creation of the mind made of dreamed cities and trompe-l'oeil. The 1948 painting that we propose probably represents a red-billed chough. The bird is a recurring theme in the work of Josephine Beaudouin, as in her life. An avid ornithologist, she kept an aviary in her Parisian home where many island birds were kept. She also built up a collection of stuffed birds. Still on this theme, the writer Claude Aveline (1901-1992), author of the poem L'Oiseau-Qui-N'Existe-Pas, invited several visual artists to freely interpret what this bird could be. The first series of works was produced between 1956 and 1963. In 1957, Joséphine Beaudouin delivered a work with a pen of great finesse, now preserved at the Centre Pompidou (ill.2). Several renowned artists also responded to the invitation of the poet such as Jean Cocteau and Ossip Zadkine. The precision of the graphics of our painting testifies to an attentive observation of the anatomy of the birds. The artist paints with great delicacy: the technique is impeccable, the drawing is careful, the material is smooth, the details are represented with great finesse and mastery. Bibliography : Fernand Pouillon...

Laurence Vail Untitled Bottles, circa 1942 Collaged glass bottles 8 3/4 x 5 inches, 12 1/4 x 3 3/4 inches Provenance The artist Art of the Century, New York Dwight Ripley Estate of Dwight Ripley By Descent, New York Acquired from the above, 2025 Exhibited New York, Art of This Century, Laurence Vail: Bottles, December 1942. Greenwich, CT, Bruce Museum, Connecticut Modern: Art, Design and the Avant-Garde, 1930-1960, September 23, 2023-January 7, 2024. Literature Susan Davidson, Peggy Guggenheim and Frederick Kiesler: The Story of Art of This Century, Guggenheim Museum Publications, 2004, p. 319-320. Laurence Vail was born in Paris on January 28, 1891, to American parents. His father, Eugène Vail, was a painter, renowned for his depictions of Brittany and Venice. For many years throughout his childhood, Vail accompanied his father on his travels to Venice. Having initially studied in France, he moved to England to study literature at Oxford University. Upon his return to Paris, he devoted himself to writing plays and essays, translating books from French, painting, sculpting, and creating collages. In the late 1920s he was considered a main figure of Paris's flourishing intellectual and social circles, to the extent that he became known as the "King of Bohemia." He associated with writers and artists, including Marcel Duchamp and Man Ray, who crowded the cafes of Montparnasse. In 1922 he married Peggy Guggenheim, who was, in his eyes, a young woman to whom he could teach art, life, and literature. After the birth of their first son, Sindbad, the couple travelled to Italy and Egypt. In 1926 they went to Switzerland, where their second child, Pegeen, was born. The family settled in Pramousquier in the south of France, where Vail started writing the novel Murder! Murder!, a cutting satire about his marriage, published in 1932. He also continued to paint, creating a series of works which were exhibited for the first time in 1926 at the Parisian boutique on the rue du Colisée managed by Guggenheim and her business partner, Mina Loy...

Paris is an original drawing in pencil on paper realized by an anonymous artist of the XX century. The State of preservation is very good. Sheet dime...

Norman Parkinson's iconic image of models wear a variety of hats on the roof of the Condé Nast building on Lexington Avenue, New York City. Published in American Vogue on 15th Octobe...

This evocative 1930s–1940s vintage oil painting by Denver modernist Paul K. Smith depicts a timeless New Mexico adobe church, likely inspired by the iconic San ...

Impressive early American modernist abstract oil painting by Louis Wolchonok (1898 - 1973). Framed. Oil on board. Signed. Image size, 24H by 18L.

Nicely painted mid century abstract oil painting. Great color. Framed.

Nicely painted Flamenco dancer portrait. Framed. Oil on board. Signed. Image size, 20H by 16L.

Self-Portrait, c. 1940, oil and tempera on Masonite, artist’s name inscribed verso, 30 x 25 inches William Ashby McCloy was an American artist, educator, and clinical psychologist. ...