1940s Abstract Prints

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Series Z, Variation 3, originates from the rare 1943 folio Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations. Published b...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Series E, Variation 13, originates from the rare 1943 folio Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations. Published ...

This exquisite lithograph and pochoir after Pablo Picasso (1881–1973), titled The Basket, from the folio Picasso, Fifteen Drawings, 1946, originates from the 1946 edition published b...

Robert Vale Faro, 'Going My Way?', lithograph, 1946, edition 14. Signed in pen, recto. Titled, numbered '#118 14/14' and dated '5/5/46' in pen, verso. A fine, richly-inked impression, on heavy, off-white wove paper, with full margins (1 5/8 to 2 15/16 inches), in excellent condition. Image size 13 1/8 x 7 3/8 inches; sheet size 17 x 12 3/8 inches. Scarce. Matted to museum standards, unframed. An impression of this work is in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art. ABOUT THE ARTIST Robert Vale Faro (1902-1988) was a modernist architect and artist associated with the Chicago Bauhaus. He received his degree in architecture and design from the Armour Institute in Chicago and worked at L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, from 1924-27, where he was influenced by Harry Kurt Bieg and Le Corbusier. Upon his return to Chicago, Faro worked with the important modernist Chicago architects George and William Keck under Louis Sullivan. Faro founded the avant-garde printmaking group Vanguard in 1945. The group counted Atelier 17 artists Stanley William Hayter, Sue Fuller...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Serie E, var. 7 (Series E, Variation 7), from the album Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations (Drawings, Them...

Woodcut on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good Condition. Notes: From the folio, The Documents of Modern Art. Arp: On My Way, Poetry And Essays 1912 - 1...

This exquisite lithograph and pochoir after Pablo Picasso (1881–1973), titled Family at Supper, from the folio Picasso, Fifteen Drawings, 1946, originates from the 1946 edition publi...

Robert Vale Faro, 'Dialogue Erudite', color lithograph, 1945, edition 16. Signed, dated, titled, and numbered '98' and '4/16' in pen. A fine, richly-inked impression with fresh colors, on heavy, off-white wove paper; full margins (1/2 to 1 1/4 inch), in excellent condition. Image size 20 1/2 x 14 3/8 inches; sheet size 22 1/2 x 17 inches. Scarce. Matted to museum standards, unframed. ABOUT THE ARTIST Robert Vale Faro (1902-1988) was a modernist architect and artist associated with the Chicago Bauhaus. He received his degree in architecture and design from the Armour Institute in Chicago and worked at L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, from 1924-27, where he was influenced by Harry Kurt Bieg and Le Corbusier. Upon his return to Chicago, Faro worked with the important modernist Chicago architects George and William Keck under Louis Sullivan. Faro founded the avant-garde printmaking group Vanguard in 1945. The group counted Atelier 17 artists Stanley William Hayter, Sue Fuller...

Robert Vale Faro, 'Cheerleader', wood engraving, 1945, edition 15. Signed, dated, titled, and numbered '104' (the artist's inventory number) and '8/15' in pencil. A fine, black impression, with full margins (1 1/2 inches), on heavy, cream wove paper, in excellent condition. Scarce. Matted to museum standards, unframed. ABOUT THE ARTIST Robert Vale Faro (1902-1988) was a well-known modernist architect and artist associated with the Chicago Bauhaus...

Thomas Robertson, 'Composition #4,' color serigraph, edition 47, c. 1940. Signed, titled, and annotated 'Ed/47' in pencil. A superb, painterly impression, with fresh colors, on buff wove paper, the full sheet with margins (1 to 2 inches), in excellent condition. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Image size: 10 9/16 x 8 1/2 inches (268 x 216 mm); sheet size 13 x 12 1/2 inches (330 x 318 mm). An impression of this work is represented in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. ABOUT THE ARTIST Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Thomas Arthur Robertson (1911-1976) was the son of an attorney. Although his father, a co-owner of the Arkansas Law School, insisted that his son study there, after graduating, Robertson enrolled at the Adrian Brewer...

Robert Vale Faro, 'Bullfight', wood engraving, 1945, edition 15. Signed, dated, titled, and numbered '105' (the artist's inventory number) and '13/15' in pencil. A fine, richly-inked impression, on cream wove paper, with full margins (1 1/16 to 2 3/8 inches), in excellent condition. Scarce. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Image size 5 1/16 x 4 1/16 inches (129 x 103 mm); sheet size 8 9/16 x 6 5/16 inches (217 x 160 mm). An impression of this work is included in the museum collection of the National Gallery of Art. ABOUT THE ARTIST Robert Vale Faro (1902-1988) was a well-known modernist architect and artist associated with the Chicago Bauhaus. He received his degree in architecture and design from the Armour Institute in Chicago and worked at L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, from 1924-27, where he was influenced by Harry Kurt Bieg and Le Corbusier. Upon his return to Chicago, Faro worked with the important modernist Chicago architects George and William Keck under Louis Sullivan. Faro founded the avant-garde printmaking group Vanguard in 1945. The group counted Atelier 17 artists Stanley William Hayter, Sue Fuller, and Anne Ryan as New York members and Francine Felsenthal...

Robert Vale Faro, 'Bird Dog', color lithograph with relief collagraph, 1946, edition 14. Signed, dated, titled, and numbered '123' (the artist's inventory number) and '12/14' in pen. A fine impression, with fresh colors, on heavy, cream, wove paper; the full sheet with margins(1 3/4 to 3 1/2 inches), in excellent condition. Scarce. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Image size 10 1/8 x 6 7/8 inches (257 x 174 mm); sheet size 17 x 11 7/16 inches (432 x 291 mm). A collagraph is a relief print made from a collage of various materials adhered to a metal, plastic, hardboard, or other type of ground plate. In this work, the artist appears to have combined a lithograph with a collagraph to achieve the intricately textured image. ABOUT THE ARTIST Robert Vale Faro (1902-1988) was a well-known modernist architect and artist associated with the Chicago Bauhaus. He received his degree in architecture and design from the Armour Institute in Chicago and worked at L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, from 1924-27, where he was influenced by Harry Kurt Bieg and Le Corbusier. Upon his return to Chicago, Faro worked with the important modernist Chicago architects George and William Keck under Louis Sullivan. Faro founded the avant-garde printmaking group Vanguard in 1945. The group counted Atelier 17 artists Stanley William Hayter, Sue Fuller, and Anne Ryan as New York members and Francine Felsenthal of Chicago. The Brooklyn Museum mounted a show of Vanguard artists' work in 1946, which subsequently toured several other institutions in the United States. Faro's visionary graphics from the 1940s are a sophisticated blend of Abstract Expressionism, Surrealism, and Indian Space...

This exquisite lithograph and pochoir after Pablo Picasso (1881–1973), titled Head of a Woman, from the folio Picasso, Fifteen Drawings, 1946, originates from the 1946 edition publis...

Terry Haass, 'Quintet', etching and aquatint, edition 20, c. 1948. Signed, titled, and numbered '12/20' in pencil. A superb, richly-inked impression, on off-white wove paper, with fu...

Lithograph on papier vélin teinté, fait a la main paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the folio, Les Illuminations, 1949. Published by...

Robert Vale Faro, 'Kindergarten', color lithograph, 1945, edition 12. Signed, dated, titled, and numbered '99' and '5/12' in pen. A fine, richly-inked impression, with fresh colors, on heavy, coated off-white wove paper; the full sheet with margins (1/2 to 1 1/2 inch), in excellent condition. Scarce. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Image size 13 1/2 x 7 9/16 inches (343 x 192 mm); sheet size 17 x 12 1/4 inches (432 x 311 mm). ABOUT THE ARTIST Robert Vale Faro (1902-1988) was a well-known modernist architect and artist associated with the Chicago Bauhaus. He received his degree in architecture and design from the Armour Institute in Chicago and worked at L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, from 1924-27, where he was influenced by Harry Kurt Bieg and Le Corbusier. Upon his return to Chicago, Faro worked with the important modernist Chicago architects George and William Keck under Louis Sullivan. Faro founded the avant-garde printmaking group Vanguard in 1945. The group counted Atelier 17 artists Stanley William Hayter, Sue Fuller, and Anne Ryan as New York members and Francine Felsenthal of Chicago. The Brooklyn Museum mounted a show of Vanguard artists' work in 1946, which subsequently toured several other institutions in the United States. Faro's visionary graphics from the 1940s are a sophisticated blend of Abstract Expressionism, Surrealism, and Indian Space...

Robert Vale Faro, 'Hold that Tiger', color lithograph, 1945, edition 16. Signed, dated, titled, and numbered '91' and '15/16' in pen. A fine impression, with fresh colors, on heavy, coated, off-white wove paper; the full sheet with margins (13/16 to 1 1/2 inches), in excellent condition. Scarce. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Image size 14 x 9 3/8 inches (356 x 239 mm); sheet size 17 x 11 1/4 inches (432 x 285 mm). ABOUT THE ARTIST Robert Vale Faro (1902-1988) was a well-known modernist architect and artist associated with the Chicago Bauhaus. He received his degree in architecture and design from the Armour Institute in Chicago and worked at L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, from 1924-27, where he was influenced by Harry Kurt Bieg and Le Corbusier. Upon his return to Chicago, Faro worked with the important modernist Chicago architects George and William Keck under Louis Sullivan. Faro founded the avant-garde printmaking group Vanguard in 1945. The group counted Atelier 17 artists Stanley William Hayter, Sue Fuller, and Anne Ryan as New York members and Francine Felsenthal of Chicago. The Brooklyn Museum mounted a show of Vanguard artists' work in 1946, which subsequently toured several other institutions in the United States. Faro's visionary graphics from the 1940s are a sophisticated blend of Abstract Expressionism, Surrealism, and Indian Space...

Childwood Memory is an original Modern artwork realized by Luigi Spacal (Trieste, 1907 - Trieste, 2000) in the half of the 20th Century. Original B/W woodcut on cardboard. Excellent conditions. Lojze Spacal...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Serie E, var. 8 (Series E, Variation 8), from the album Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations (Drawings, Them...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Serie P, var. 1 (Series P, Variation 1), from the album Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations (Drawings, Them...

This exquisite lithograph and pochoir after Pablo Picasso (1881–1973), titled Four Ballet Dancers, from the folio Picasso, Fifteen Drawings, 1946, originates from the 1946 edition published by Pantheon Books, Inc., New York, and rendered and printed by Albert Carman, City Island...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Serie N, var. 5 (Series N, Variation 5), from the album Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations (Drawings, Them...

Charles Quest, 'Underwater', 1948, chiaroscuro wood engraving, edition 12. Signed, titled, dated and numbered '3/12' in pencil. A fine, richly-inked impression, in dark brown and warm black, on off-white wove paper, with full margins (5/8 to 1 1/2 inch), in excellent condition. Scarce. ABOUT THE ARTIST Charles Quest, painter, printmaker, and fine art instructor, worked in various mediums, including mosaic, stained glass, mural painting, and sculpture. Quest grew up in St. Louis, his talent evident as a teenager when he began copying the works of masters such as Michelangelo on his bedroom walls. He studied at the Washington University School of Fine Arts, where he later taught from 1944 to 1971. He traveled to Europe after his graduation in 1929 and studied at La Grande Chaumière and Academie Colarossi, Paris, continuing to draw inspiration from the works of the Old Masters. After returning to St. Louis, Quest received several commissions to paint murals in public buildings, schools, and churches, including one from Joseph Cardinal Ritter, to paint a replica of Velasquez's Crucifixion over the main altar of the Old Cathedral in St. Louis. Quest soon became interested in the woodcut medium, which he learned through his study of J. J. Lankes' A Woodcut Manual (1932) and Paul Landacre's articles in American Artist magazine ‘since no artists in St. Louis were working in wood’ at that time. Quest also revealed that for him, wood cutting and engraving were ‘more enjoyable than any other means of expression.’ In the late 1940s, his graphic works began attracting critical attention—several of his woodcuts won prizes and were acquired by major American and European museums. His wood engraving entitled ‘Lovers’ was included in the American Federation of Art's traveling print exhibition in 1947. Two years later, Quest's two prize-winning prints, ‘Still Life with Grindstone’ and ‘Break Forth into Singing’, were exhibited in major American museums in a traveling show organized by the Philadelphia Print Club. His work was included in the Chicago Art Institute's exhibition, ‘Woodcut Through Six Centuries’, and the print ‘Still Life with Vise’ was purchased by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 1951 he was invited by artist-Curator Jacob Kainen to exhibit thirty wood engravings and color woodcuts in a one-person show at the Smithsonian's National Museum (now known as the American History Museum). Kainen's press release praised the ‘technical refinement’ of Quest's work: ‘He obtains a great variety of textural effects through the use of the graver, and these dense or transparent grays are set off against whites or blacks to achieve sparkling results. His work has the handsome qualities characteristic of the craftsman and designer.’ At the time of the Smithsonian exhibition, Quest's work was represented by three New York galleries in addition to one in his home town. He had won 38 prizes, and his prints were in the collections of the Library of Congress, the Chicago Art Institute, the Metropolitan Museum, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In cooperation with the Art in Embassies program, his color woodcuts were displayed at the American Embassy in Paris in 1951. Recognition at home came in 1955 with his first solo exhibition in St. Louis. Press coverage of the show heralded the ‘growth of graphic arts toward rivaling painting and sculpture as a major independent medium’. An exhibition of his prints at the Bethesda Art Gallery in 1983 attracted Curator Emeritus Joseph A. Haller, S.J., who began purchasing his work for Georgetown University's collection. In 1990 Georgetown University Library's Special Collections Division was the recipient of a large body of Quest's work, including prints, drawings, paintings, sculpture, stained glass, and his archive of correspondence and professional memorabilia. These extensive holdings, including some 260 of his fine prints, provide a rich opportunity for further study and appreciation of this versatile and not-to-be-forgotten mid-Western American artist...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Serie K, var. 1 (Series K, Variation 1), from the album Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations (Drawings, Them...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Series E, Variation 12, originates from the rare 1943 folio Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations. Published ...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Serie E, var. 4 (Series E, Variation 4), from the album Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations (Drawings, Them...

Robert Vale Faro, 'Kaf With', color lithograph, 1945, edition 15. Signed, dated, titled and numbered '84' and '6/15' in pen, recto. Titled, numbered '#84' and '6/15' and dated '7/22/...

Albert Urban, Untitled Abstraction (Figures in Red), color serigraph, 1944. Signed and dated in blue ink. A fine, painterly impression, with fresh, rich colors, on cream wove paper;...

This exquisite lithograph and pochoir after Pablo Picasso (1881–1973), titled Man with Pipe, from the folio Picasso, Fifteen Drawings, 1946, originate...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Series G, Variation 4, originates from the rare 1943 folio Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations. Published b...

This exquisite lithograph by Fernand Leger (1881–1955), titled Composition sur fond rouge (Composition on a Red Background), from the folio Derriere le miroir, L’art abstrait, No. 21...

Joan Miró "Femmes et Oiseaux devant la Lune" Original pochoir stencil print in five colors Reference: Dupin 50. Printed in 1947 in an edition of 1500 by Meriden Gravure and publish...

This exquisite lithograph by Hans Jean Arp (1886–1966), titled Rouge, bleu, brun (Red, Blue, Brown), from the folio Derriere le miroir, L’art abstrait, No. 21-22, originates from the...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Series G, Variation 6, originates from the rare 1943 folio Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations. Published b...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Serie A, var. 3 (Series A, Variation 3), from the album Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations (Drawings, Them...

This exquisite heliogravure after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Fleurs et Feuillage (Flowers and Foliage), from Verve, Revue Artistique et Litteraire, Vol. IV, No. 13, originates...

Lithograph on papier vélin teinté, fait a la main paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: From the folio, Les Illuminations, 1949. Published by...

This exquisite lithograph by Hans Jean Arp (1886–1966), titled Composition sur fond bleu (Composition on a Blue Background), from the folio Derriere le miroir, L’art abstrait, No. 21...

STANLEY WILLIAM HAYTER (British 1901-1988) GREETING CARD FOR 1946-7 (Black / Moorheard 176) Engraving, soft-ground etching, signed and dated 1946. Wit...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Series G, Variation 2, originates from the rare 1943 folio Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations. Published b...

ARP, Jean, poems by Georges HUGNET. Paris; Robert-J. Godet 193. Collection "Pour mes amis" With 35 illustrations integrated with the text (2 full-page), by J. Arp. Small 8vo, [...

This exquisite lithograph and pochoir after Pablo Picasso (1881–1973), titled Study for Les Demoiselles D'Avignon, from the folio Picasso, Fifteen Drawings, 1946, originates from the...

Stencil, 1947 Handsigned by the artist in pencil Edition : 23/30 H.C. + 300 Publisher : Guy Spitzer, Paris Printer : Guy Spitzer, Paris Catalog : [Saphire n°E20 p.290-291] 88.00 cm....

Andre Masson, French (1896 - 1987) - Embleme, Year: 1942, Medium: Etching and Aquatint, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 5/30, Image Size: 9.5 x 8.75 inches, Size: 18.25 ...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Series L, Variation 12, originates from the rare 1943 folio Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations. Published ...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Serie N Gc’S, var. 6 (Series N Gc’S, Variation 6), from the album Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations (Draw...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Serie O, var. 11 (Series O, Variation 11), from the album Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations (Drawings, Th...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Serie A, var. 5 (Series A, Variation 5), from the album Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations (Drawings, Them...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Serie H, var. 1 (Series H, Variation 1), from the album Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations (Drawings, Them...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Series F, Variation 6, originates from the rare 1943 folio Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations. Published b...

Mystery of Womanhood is an original 1947 pencil signed limited edition ( 31 / 100 ) lithograph by Emilio Pucci. It is from a set of six lithographs...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Series M, Variation 7, originates from the rare 1943 folio Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations. Published b...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Serie E, var. 9 (Series E, Variation 9), from the album Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations (Drawings, Them...

Lithograph on wove paper. Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Excellent Condition; never framed or matted. Notes: From the volume, Cahiers d'Art, vol. 24, no. 2, 1949. P...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Serie N Gc’S, var. 5 (Series N Gc’S, Variation 5), from the album Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations (Draw...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Series I, Variation 9, originates from the rare 1943 folio Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations. Published b...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Series D, Variation 6, originates from the rare 1943 folio Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations. Published b...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Series D, Variation 2, originates from the rare 1943 folio Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations. Published b...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Series F, Variation 8, originates from the rare 1943 folio Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations. Published b...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Serie H, var. 3 (Series H, Variation 3), from the album Henri Matisse, Dessins, Themes et Variations (Drawings, Them...