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Leon Bibel
'Food Not Cannon' — rare WPA modernist work of Social Conscience

1937

About the Item

Leon Bibel, 'Food Not Cannon', etching, 1937, edition 12 (an early state, probably unique). Signed in pencil. A fine impression, on cream wove paper, with full margins (7/8 to 2 1/8 inches), in very good condition. Very scarce. Image size 7 7/16 x 5 15/16 inches (189 x 151 mm); sheet size 11 3/8 x 8 inches (289 x 203 mm). Archivally matted to museum standards, unframed. ABOUT THE ARTIST Painter, printmaker, and sculptor Leon Bibel was born in Poland in 1913 but moved to San Francisco with his family as a child. He trained at the California School of Fine Arts and received a scholarship to study under the German Impressionist Maria Riedelstein. He collaborated with Bernard Zackheim, a student of Diego Rivera, to create frescoes for the San Francisco Jewish Community Center and the University of California Medical School. In 1936, Bibel moved from California to join the Federal Art Project of the New York City WPA. He was assigned to the Graphic Arts Project and the Easel Project at Harlem Art Center. He also taught at P.S. 94 and Bronx House in New York City. Bibel’s WPA program ended in 1941, and he moved with his wife to South Brunswick, New Jersey, ceasing his artistic pursuits to support his family. He resumed his artistic work in the early 1960s and continued to explore the mediums of painting and sculpture until his death. A constant innovator, Bibel experimented with diverse printmaking mediums. His work is distinguished by its boldly conceived, dramatic composition and passionately executed expressionist renderings. Bibel's parents immigrated from Poland, and he remained staunchly pacificist, even throughout WWII. Much of his work during this period focused on the destructiveness of war and the consequent suffering and alienation of humankind. An artist of the people, his work is imbued with a sense of humanity and concern for social justice and the working man's plight. Bibel’s numerous exhibitions include the Newark Museum (1966, one-person); Jersey City Museum (1967); Hunterdon County Art Center, Clinton, NJ (1978); Monmouth College Art Festival (1978); Rutgers State University (1978); New Jersey State Museum (1978, one-person); Rider College, Lawrenceville, NJ (1983, one-man); Hillel Foundation of Rutgers (1985-86, one-man); Trenton State College (1985); Noyes Museum (1986); National Academy of Design (1987); Rutgers Labor Education Center (1988, one-person); Ellarslie Museum, Trenton, NJ (1990); Mercer County Community College, Trenton, NJ (1990); South Brunswick Public Library (1990-91, one-person); Hillel Foundation of Rutgers (1991); Trenton City Museum (1991); Noyes Museum (1991); Klutznick Museum, Washington, DC (1992); Joseph Gallery, Hebrew Union College (1992, one-person); National Jewish Museum (1992); and Hunterdon Art Center (1993, one-person). His work is represented in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Newark Museum, the Zimmerli Art Museum of Rutgers, the Amon Carter Museum, the Dade County Museum, the Klutznick Museum, the Art Collection of the Federal Reserve Board, Rutgers State University, Rider College, Ohio University, George University, and the New Brunswick State Theater, as well as many corporate and private collections.
  • Creator:
    Leon Bibel (1913 - 1995)
  • Creation Year:
    1937
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 7.44 in (18.9 cm)Width: 5.94 in (15.09 cm)
  • Medium:
    Etching
  • Movement & Style:
    American Modern
  • Period:
    1930-1939
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Myrtle Beach, SC
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 996801stDibs: LU53239215692
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