1920s Figurative Prints

James Lesesne Wells, 'Sisters', linocut, edition not stated but small, 1928. Signed, titled, and annotated 'imp' in pencil. A fine impression on off-white wove Japan paper, with wide margins (1 7/8 to 3 3/4 inches), in excellent condition. Printed by the artist. Very scarce. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Image size 8 3/16 x 6 3/4 inches (208 x 171 mm); sheet size 13 1/2 x 10 3/4 inches (343 x 273 mm). Exhibition and Literature: 'Narratives of African American Art and Identity: The David C. Driskell Collection,' The Art Gallery at the University of Maryland, extensive touring exhibition, 1998-2000. Collections: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Smithsonian Institution (Anacostia Community Museum). ABOUT THE ARTIST “Wells is more than an artist with a deep concern for his fellow man. He carries many of his themes a step further into an apocalyptic world, a world of revelation and shifting lights. … He works on large blocks in a bold free style. … His work has a vigor, therefore, that is not often used in the medium today.” —Jacob Kainen (painter, critic, and collector) from Richard J. Powell’s 1986 essay Phoenix Ascending: The Art of James Lesesne Wells. James Lesesne Wells was an American painter, printmaker, educator, and pioneering figure of the Harlem Renaissance, whose work established a vital connection between African heritage, modernist form, and African American cultural identity. Known for his innovative use of linoleum and woodblock printing, Wells played a key role in shaping 20th-century African American art and inspired countless students throughout his lengthy career as a teacher at Howard University. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Wells' early exposure to the arts came through church and community, where African American cultural traditions were central. He pursued formal artistic training at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania (earning a B.A. in 1924), followed by studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Barnes Foundation, where he encountered European modernists as well as traditional African sculpture, which profoundly influenced his style. Wells moved to New York in the late 1920s, swiftly immersing himself in the lively artistic and intellectual scene of Harlem. There, he became associated with artists, writers, and thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance, contributing to the growth of Black cultural identity. Considered a mentor to many famed artists of the Harlem Renaissance, Wells served as director of a summer art workshop in Harlem where his assistants included Charles Alston, Jacob Lawrence, and Palmer Hayden...

Night Shadows. 1921. Etching. Levin 82. 7 x 8 3/8 (sheet 10 x 13 7 1/16).s Series: Six American Etchings: The New Republic Portfolio, 1924. Edition approximately 500-600. Illustrate...

Karl Michel, 'Der Gartner' (The Gardener), woodcut, c. 1925. Signed, titled, and numbered '15/50' in pencil. Signed in the block, lower left and right. A fine, richly-inked impression on buff wove paper, with full margins (1 1/2 to 2 3/4 inches), in excellent condition. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Scarce. Image size 5 1/4 x 3 7/8 inches (133 x 98 mm); sheet size 10 x 7 3/4 inches (254 x 198 mm). ABOUT THE ARTIST Karl Michel (1889-1984) was a noted graphic designer and expressionist printmaker during Germany's pre-Nazi Weimar Republic (1919 - 1933). In 1920, his work was featured in the influential German graphic design magazine Das Plakat...

Boris Lovet-Lorski, Untitled (Portrait of an African Woman), lithograph, edition 250, 1929. Signed and numbered 13 in pencil. Number 13 of Volume 2, a series of 10 lithographs publis...

Karl Michel, 'Mehr Sonne fur 1924. Viel Gluck Wunscht Karl Michel U. Frau', woodcut, 1924, edition 20. Signed, dated, and numbered 'op. 162' and '15/20' in pencil. Signed in the image, lower left. A fine, richly-inked impression on buff wove paper, with full margins (1 1/2 to 2 3/4 inches), in very good condition. Printed by the artist. Scarce. Matted to museum standards, unframed. New Year's Greeting – English translation: "More Sun for 1924. Good Luck Wishes from Karl Michel and his Wife." Image size 4 5/8 x 4 3/4 inches (118 x 121 mm); sheet size 7 3/4 x 10 inches (198 x 254 mm). ABOUT THE ARTIST Karl Michel (1889-1984) was a noted graphic designer and expressionist printmaker during Germany's pre-Nazi Weimar Republic (1919-1933). Michel’s work was the subject of a feature article in the influential German graphic design magazine Das Plakat...

Tempête à Nice is a photolithograph realized in 1993 after Henri Matisse. Signed on the plate On Milano handmade paper. Very good conditions.

Created at the height of Matisse’s mature period, this work exemplifies the artist’s turn toward clarity, purity of line, and compositional balance. Matisse, in his signature linear ...

Herbert Bayer Sale and Marketing Kiosk for P Cigarettes (Verkauf- und Werbekiosk, Zigarettenmarke P ), 1924 Offset Lithograph Year: 1994 Size: 33.2 × 23.2 inches Publisher: Bauhaus A...

Louis Icart, French (1888 - 1950) - Paresse, Year: 1925, Medium: Etching, Image Size: 15 x 18.75 inches, Size: 23.5 in. x 27.5 in. (59.69 cm x 69.85 cm)

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Crayon (Crayon), from the album Dessins de Henri-Matisse (Drawings by Henri Matisse), originates from the 1925 edition published by Editions des Quatre Chemins, Paris, rendered by Daniel Jacomet, Paris, and printed by Atelier Daniel Jacomet et Cie, Paris, December 15, 1925. The work exemplifies Matisses mastery of pure line and the expressive economy of form that defined his graphic art of the 1920s, transforming simplicity into lyrical harmony. Executed as a lithograph on velin Lafuma Navarre paper, this work measures 10 x 8 inches (25.4 x 20.32 cm). Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. The edition exemplifies the refined craftsmanship of the Daniel Jacomet et Cie workshops, Paris. Artwork Details: Artist: After Henri Matisse (1869–1954) Title: Crayon (Crayon), from the album Dessins de Henri-Matisse (Drawings by Henri Matisse) Medium: Lithograph on velin Lafuma Navarre paper Dimensions: 10 x 8 inches (25.4 x 20.32 cm) Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued Date: 1925 Publisher: Editions des Quatre Chemins, Paris Printer: Atelier Daniel Jacomet et Cie, Paris Catalogue Raisonne Reference: Duthuit, Claude. Henri Matisse: Catalogue raisonne des ouvrages illustres. Editions Claude Duthuit, Paris, 1988, illustration 3. Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium Provenance: From the album Dessins de Henri-Matisse (Drawings by Henri Matisse), published by Editions des Quatre Chemins, Paris; rendered by Daniel Jacomet, Paris; printed by Atelier Daniel Jacomet et Cie, Paris, December 15, 1925 Notes: Excerpted from the album (translated from French), This album was printed in C examples on velin d'Arches with an original example by Henri-Matisse, numbered from I to C, and M examples on velin Lafuma. Printing was completed on December Fifteenth, One Thousand, Nine Hundred and Twenty-Five by F. Dutal et Cie, in Paris; the boards having been executed by the Daniel Jacomet et Cie workshops in Paris. About the Publication: Dessins de Henri-Matisse (Drawings by Henri Matisse), published by Editions des Quatre Chemins, Paris, in 1925, is a landmark early graphic portfolio that captures the artist’s mastery of contour and proportion through a series of delicately rendered lithographs. Realized under the direction of the Daniel Jacomet et Cie workshops—renowned for their exceptional skill in fine art printmaking—the album showcases Matisse’s fascination with the purity of line and the human form. Issued in a limited printing of examples on both velin d’Arches and velin Lafuma papers, it reflects the refined aesthetics and technical excellence that characterized the interwar Parisian print ateliers. The publication represents a pivotal stage in Matisse’s evolution as a draughtsman, bridging the intimate immediacy of his drawings with the permanence of fine print. About the Artist: Henri Matisse (1869–1954) was a French painter, sculptor, draughtsman, and printmaker whose revolutionary vision redefined modern art through his daring use of color, line, and form. Celebrated as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, Matisse led the Fauvist movement and devoted his life to the pursuit of balance, beauty, and emotional expression in visual art. His early works burst with vibrant hues and liberated brushwork, while his later “cut-out” compositions achieved a poetic simplicity that transformed the relationship between color and space. Deeply influenced by the work of Paul Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh, and Georges Seurat, as well as by the rhythmic patterns of Islamic art, Byzantine mosaics, and Japanese prints, Matisse forged a new visual language that celebrated joy, movement, and serenity. He was part of an extraordinary generation of artists who shaped the evolution of modernism, maintaining lifelong dialogue and friendly rivalry with contemporaries such as Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Marc Chagall, Andre Derain, Albert Marquet, and Raoul Dufy—peers who, like him, sought to expand the expressive potential of color and composition. Matisses influence extended across generations, inspiring modern and contemporary masters including Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray, each of whom drew upon his fearless experimentation and refined visual harmony. His paintings, sculptures, and works on paper are held in the most prestigious museums in the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Centre Pompidou, the Tate, and the Hermitage Museum, where his art continues to symbolize the essence of creativity and human emotion. The highest price ever paid for a Henri Matisse artwork is approximately 80.8 million USD, achieved in 2018 at Christies New York for Odalisque couchee aux magnolias (1923). Henri Matisse Crayon...

Otto Kuhler, 'The Gateway to the New World', etching (artist's proof), edition 16, 1926, Kennedy 25. Signed in pencil and annotated 'Japan Silk Paper - Trial Proof - Ltd. Ed. Del. et...

Le chapeau épinglé (La fille de Berthe Morisot et sa cousine) 3e planche. Etching realized by Renoir in 1894. Image dimension 11.5x8 cm. / sheet dimension 33.2x15.1 cm. The final s...

A superb, dark impression of a well known scene by Arms. Etching with aquatint on watermarked handmade F.J. Head & Co. laid paper, 12 3/8 x 13 15/16 inches (315 x 354 mm), full marg...

The sailors are still in uniform in this post-World War I print of young people meeting at a semi-secluded park setting, Snug Harbor, along Riverside Drive...

KATHE KOLLWITZ (1867-1945) GEFALLEN (Killed in Action) 1920 (Klipstein 153 (1st state, a of c of 2 states) Lithograph on laid paper. Image 16 ¼ x 15 ¼ inches, Large Full Sheet, 25 ½...

Jules CHADEL (1870-1941) Mythology : Fight with a Centaur, 1929 Original woodcut Handsigned in pencil Numbered /160 On Perrigot vellum 32.5 x 25.5 cm (c. 13 x 10 in) Bears the blind...

Artist: Louis Icart, French (1888 - 1950) Title: Conchita Year: 1929 Medium: Etching, signed in pencil Image Size: 20 x 13 inches Frame Size: 32.5 x 25 inches Reference: Figure 361 ...

A Mirage. 1928. Etching. Hardie 238. 11 13/16 x 14 3/8 (sheet 12 3/16 x 18 3/4). Edition 76, #46. Illustrated: Fine Prints of the Year, 1928 and 1938; Holmes, Etchings of Today. A ri...

Derain, Andre (French, 1880-1954). VISAGE DE FEMME APPUYE SUR SA MAIN (FACE OF A WOMAN LEANING ON HER HAND). Adhemar 71, BN-IFF 17. Lithograph, 1927. One of 25 copies numbered in Rom...

This exquisite lithograph after Francois Auguste Rene Rodin (1840–1917), titled Sans titre (Untitled), from the folio Douze aquarelles de Auguste Rodin (Twelve Watercolors by Auguste...

Clifford James (active 1900-1930) After James Abbott NcNeill Whistler (1834-1903) Symphony in White No. 2, The Little White Girl Color mezzotint, 1922 Signed in pencil by James (see ...

New York: c 1920. Etching with aquatint printed in brownish black ink on cream wove paper, 8 3/4 x 12 inches (220 x 304 mm), full margins. Signed and titled in pencil in the lower ma...

HENRI MATISSE (French 1869-1954) LE REPOSE du MODELE 1922 . (Duthuit 416) Original lithograph, FIRST STATE, on Chine volant paper BEFORE image was reduced at the left edge. An uns...

Otto Kuhler, 'Grand Central Station', etching and drypoint, 1927, edition c. 50, Kennedy 27. Signed and titled in pencil. A superb, richly-inked impression, in brown/black ink, with ...

New York: c 1920. Etching with aquatint printed in brownish black ink on cream wove paper, 8 3/4 x 12 inches (220 x 304 mm), full margins. Signed and titled in pencil in the lower ma...

A German Expressionist woodcut, with original hand-coloring in watercolor, depicting a parent and child watching a theatrical production; ...

Maurice Vlaminck Le Cafe de Paris, Pl. X, from Visage des Maisons, c. 1927 (Walterskirchen 132) Etching on Van Gelder laid paper, signed in pencil, trial proof with the blindstamp o...

Luigi Kasimir, 'Brooklyn Bridge', color etching with aquatint, 1927, edition 100. Signed in pencil. A superb impression, with fresh colors, on heavy, cream wove paper; with margins...

Le Tir Forain, engraving, edition 108, 1920-21, Sylvain Laboureur 191. Signed and numbered '19/85 ép' in pencil. Initialed 'L' and dated 1920 in the matrix,...

Original French vintage poster. le "Flip" Soap. This fun image shows the tube of 'Flip" pushing away the shaving bowl, towel, and shaving brush. I...

Detailed and dramatic hand-colored etching by Luigi Kasimir (Austrian, 1881-1962). St. Stephen's cathedral towers above the streets of Vienna, with people going about their daily bus...

Marc Chagall (1887-1985) Tall Nude with a Fan, 1924 Original etching On vellum 34 x 51,5 cm (c. 14 x 20 in) REFERENCE: Catalog raisonne Kornfeld #39 INFORMATION : Beautiful proof...

Les Biches is a ballet by Bronislava Nijinska, with music by Francis Poulenc and with costume design by Marie Laurencin. Edition of 335 copies. Copy nu...

This wonderful original etching with drypoint  was realized by Marc Chagall  in 1924. Hand-signed in pencil by the artist "Marc Chagall" at the lower right corner. It's an artist pro...

Medium: original lithograph. Printed in 1920 on smooth wove paper for the Deutsche Graphiker der Gegenwart portfolio, and published in Leipzig by Klinkhardt & Biermann in an edit...

Karl Michel, 'Venus, Ex Libris - Hanns U. Herta Heeren', woodcut, 1923, edition not stated but small. Signed, dated, and numbered 'op.154' in pencil. Signed in the block, lower left. A fine impression, on cream Japan paper, with full margins (15/16 to 2 11/16 inches), in good condition. Printed by the artist. Matted to museum standards (unframed). . Translation: Venus Ex Libris for Hanns and Herta Heeren. Image size 5 15/16 x 4 inches (156 x 102 mm); sheet size 9 5/8 x 6 inches (245 x 152 mm). ABOUT THE ARTIST Karl Michel (1889-1984) was a noted graphic designer and expressionist printmaker during Germany's pre-Nazi Weimar Republic (1919-1933). Michel’s work was the subject of a feature article in the influential German graphic design magazine Das Plakat (The Poster) in 1920. An anti-war advocate, Michel created a suite of 12 wood engravings depicting his impressions of the humanitarian toll of WWII entitled ‘Humanitas’ (Humanity). The German publishing house Greifenverlag published the series in a reduced folio of unsigned prints. Michel’s graphic work is held in the permanent collections of the Auckland War Memorial Museum (New Zealand), Frederikshavn Kunstmuseum & Exlibrissamling (Denmark), Museum of Applied Arts (Budapest), The Robert Gore Rifkind Center for German Expressionist Studies at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the German Expressionism...

Yasuo Kuniyoshi, 'Dancing', lithograph, 1928, edition 30, Davis L-29. Signed, dated, and numbered '8/30' in pencil. A superb, richly-inked impression, printed on cream chine appliqué on heavy off-white wove backing; the full sheet with wide margins (1 3/8 to 4 7/8 inches), in excellent condition. Printed by Desjobert, Paris. Scarce. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Impressions of this work are in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of Modern Art, and Yasuo Kuniyoshi Museum (Japan). ABOUT THIS WORK The French economy boomed from 1921 until the Great Depression reached Paris in 1931. This period called 'Les années folles' or the 'Crazy Years', saw Paris reestablished as a capital of art, music, literature, and cinema. Paris in the 1920s and 1930s was the home and meeting place of some of the world's most prominent painters, sculptors, composers, dancers, poets, and writers. For those in the arts, it was, as Ernest Hemingway described it, "A moveable feast". Paris was home to an exceptional number of galleries, art dealers, and a network of wealthy patrons who offered commissions and held salons. Pablo Picasso, perhaps the most famous artist in Paris, shared renown with a remarkable group of others, including the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuși, the Belgian René Magritte, the Italian Amedeo Modigliani, the Russian émigré Marc Chagall, the Catalan and Spanish artists Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Juan Gris, and the German surrealist...

This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Plume (Feather), from the album Dessins de Henri-Matisse (Drawings by Henri Matisse), originates from the 1925 editi...

1920 Social Realism Etching by John French Sloan titled "Bandits Cave" Compelling etching by John Sloan (American 1871 - 1951), 1920 during first year of prohibition showing a estab...

The Gargoyle and His Quarry, Notre Dame. 1920. Etching.Fletcher 90. 7 1/8 x 5 1/4 (sheet 10 1/2 x 9 1/16). Gargoyle series #1. Edition 75. A rich impression printed on 'FJHead&Co' c...

Original Vintage Movie Poster: The Woman Michael Married (1919) - Starring Bessie Barriscale (Michaels Hustru). Archival linen backing and ready for framing. Theater fold marks resto...

Lithograph, 1925. Image Dimensions: 30 x 24 cm Hand signed and numbered. Edition of 100 prints. Shipped from Italy.

Fifth Avenue Bridge. 1928. Drypoint. McCarron 72. 9 7/8 x 12 (sheet 12 3/4 x 15). Edition of 108 recorded impressions. A rich impression printed on cream laid paper, with full margin...

Etching and drypoint on wove paper realized by Marc Chagall between 1923 and 1927. Plate from the Suite "Les Ames Mortes de Gogol" published by Tériade in Paris in 1948. Edition of 1...

Medium: original woodcut. Catalogue reference: Colnaghi 142. Published in London in 1921 by Herbert Furst at the Little Art Rooms for inclusion in the "Modern Woodcutters 4" volume, ...

Bernard Kretzschmar (1889-1972), Auction, etching, drypoint, and burnished aquatint, 1921, signed and dated (’20) in pencil lower right [also initialed in the plate lower left] Refe...

This exquisite etching by Marc Chagall (1887–1985), titled Le traktir (The Inn), originates from the celebrated folio Nicolas Gogol, Les Ames mortes, Eaux-fortes originales de Marc C...

This exquisite etching by Marc Chagall (1887–1985), titled L'arrivee de Tchitchikov (The Arrival of Tchitchikov), originates from the celebrated folio Nicolas Gogol, Les Ames mortes,...

The Goddess is an original modern artwork realized by Ferdinand Bac (1859 - 1952) in 1923. Signed and dated on plate on the lower left corner: Ferdinand...

PAUL KLEINSCHMIDT (German 1883 – 1949) IN THE BATH HOUSE (In der Badestube) 1922 Drypoint, signed, dated and annotated “probedruck No. 3” (trial proof, No 3), 1922. Rich impres...

Original, Italian, Vini di Lusso lithograph vintage poster for fine wines. The Italian Society for Superior Wine. The image of a satyr (or Bacchus) getting ready to eat a group ...

In Thought is an original offset and lithograph print realized by George Grosz. The artwork is the plate n. 37 from the portfolio Ecce Homo published between 1922/1923, edition of D...

Boris Lovet-Lorski, Untitled (Profile of an African Woman), lithograph, edition 250, 1929. Signed and numbered 15 in pencil. Number 15 of Volume 2, a series of 10 lithographs publish...

A large format book (15.25 x 11.25 inches), following the trend among leading Parisian couture houses who had been producing elaborately designed luxury catalogs since Paul Poiret’s ...

Shadows on the Ramp. 1927. Drypoint and sand ground. McCarron 64. 9 x 10 1/2 (sheet 12 3/8 x 14). Edition 75 recorded impressions. A rich, tonal impression with drypoint burr, printe...

Original 1929 Bruxelles 10th Foire Commerciale Poster – Linen Backed & Ready to Wow! Art by Armand Massonet. Grade A condition poster almost 100 years old. No restoration but resi...

Erotic Scene is a beautiful lithograph on ivory-colored paper, realized in the 1920s by Albert Marquet (Bordeaux, 1875 - Paris,1947). Monogrammed on the plate on the lower margin. ...

Jean Cocteau - Young Woman - Drawing Circa 1912 27 x 21 cm Unsigned With an attestation of authenticity by Annie Guédras, Jean Cocteau Writer, artist and film director Jean Cocte...

Erotic Scene is a beautiful lithograph on ivory-colored paper, realized in the 1920s by Albert Marquet (Bordeaux, 1875 - Paris,1947). Monogrammed on the plate on the lower margin. ...

Nude is a modern artwork realized by Andrè Derain in Early 20th century. Lithograph on simili-Japan paper. Realized for "Les Travaux et les Jeux" by Vincent Muselli. Published by J...