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James Allen
'Spiderboy' — American Realism, New York City

1937

About the Item

James Allen, 'Spiderboy', 1937, etching, edition 40, Ryan 86. Signed in pencil. A superb, richly-inked impression, on cream laid paper, with full margins (1 1/4 to 2 7/8 inches). A spot of printer’s ink in the top right margin, well away from the image, in excellent condition. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Image size 11 x 8 7/16 inches (179 x 214 mm); sheet size 15 1/2 x 11 inches (394 x 279 mm). Illustrated in 'American Art of the Great Depression: two sides of the coin', Howard E. Wooden, Witchita Art Museum, 1985. Impressions of this work are held in the collections of the Cincinnati Art Museum, Cornell University Library, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Wichita Art Museum. ABOUT THE ARTIST James E. Allen is acclaimed for his printmaking imagery focusing on American industry and the heroic workers of the 1930s and 40s. A Montana native, Allen began his art education at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1911, where he studied painting and drawing. After moving to New York City, he worked as an illustrator for popular periodicals such as Collier's and the Saturday Evening Post, as well as for the book publisher Doubleday, Page, and Company. Following his service as a fighter pilot in World War I, he married artist Grace Parmelee and continued his career as a commercial illustrator in New York City. In the early 1920s, Allen studied etching with Joseph Pennell at the Art Students League in New York. He made his first etching in 1925 in Paris, where he shared a studio with fellow American artist Howard Cook. He drew inspiration from the spacial innovations of cubism, the powerful figural paintings of French artist Georges Rouault, and the structurally rigorous compositions of Paul Cézanne. To enhance his figurative renderings, he adopted the academic practice of drawing from the model. Returning to New York in 1930 during the Great Depression, he managed to find work in commercial illustration while continuing his studies at the Art Students League and with Arshile Gorky at the Grand Central Art School. He also studied etching privately with William Auerbach-Levy, an accomplished etcher and caricaturist. In 1932, Allen entered his prints in juried exhibitions and received prizes from the Society of American Etchers and New York's Salmagundi Club. Throughout the 1930s, his prints were regularly exhibited in New York and nationally, drawing critical acclaim. Allen specialized in realistically depicting the construction of bridges and skyscrapers, as well as images of factory workers and industrial laborers. When the Sinclair Refining Company commissioned him to update its dinosaur logo, Allen conducted scientific studies at the American Museum of Natural History, leading to a series of lithographs of dinosaurs and modern wildlife. In 1937, he was commissioned to create twelve lithographs for the United States Pipe and Foundry Company, depicting laborers installing giant pipe sections and laying pipelines in various terrains. In 1938, the Graphic Arts Division of the Smithsonian's Museum of American History presented a solo exhibition of Allen's work, elevating his stature as a master printmaker. In 1943, after creating over ninety prints, Allen shifted his focus to painting. He studied with abstract painter Hans Hofmann and exhibited his compositions at a solo show at New York's Rehn Gallery in 1950. Unfortunately, a degenerative brain disease cut short his career, and he passed away fourteen years later. Allen’s graphic works are represented in the collections of the Ackland Art Museum, Akron Art Museum, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Boston Public Library, British Museum (London), Cornell University Library, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Five Colleges and Historic Deerfield Museum Consortium, Hood Museum, Library of Congress, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Building Museum, National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Terra Foundation for American Art, and the Yale University Art Gallery.
  • Creator:
  • Creation Year:
    1937
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 11 in (27.94 cm)Width: 8.44 in (21.44 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Myrtle Beach, SC
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 1042521stDibs: LU532313080022

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