Skip to main content

Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

to
667
2,421
542
242
77
81
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
1,402
269
244
142
125
37
25
11
3
2
1
1
170
102
57
56
43
3,639
7,761
25,251
6,713
285
584
1,435
1,207
1,247
2,191
3,034
5,178
3,011
1,512
3,106
2,368
974
19
2,720
1,476
1,310
1,066
812
800
552
274
202
177
173
162
152
142
125
124
117
82
71
59
1,151
1,106
598
450
365
338
1,257
1,537
1,306
Period: Early 20th Century
Cross Building Four Flights of Stairs - Offset and Lithograph by G. Grosz - 1923
Located in Roma, IT
Cross building four flights of stairs from Ecce Homo is an original offset lithograph, realized by George Grosz. The artwork is the plate n. 49 from the porfolio Ecce Homo publishe...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

Original "Iolanthe" vintage stone lithograph vintage theater poster
Located in Spokane, WA
Original Iolanthe vintage theatre poster: Gilbert and Sullivan Iolante stone lithograph vintage poster. Museum linen backed. Clear, clean, bright. Grade A condition. The poster features a central image of a character dressed in a traditional British Grenadier Guard uniform, complete with a bearskin hat. The character is depicted in a whimsical pose, which aligns with the comedic and satirical nature of the operetta. Above the main figure, there are smaller illustrations of various characters from the operetta, hinting at the fantastical and fairy-tale elements of the story. The title "Iolanthe" is prominently displayed in bold, stylized lettering at the bottom. "Iolanthe, or The Peer and the Peri," is a comic opera by the famous duo W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. The opera premiered on November 25, 1882, at the Savoy Theatre in London and is one of their most beloved works. "Iolanthe" tells the story of fairy Iolanthe, who was banished from the fairy kingdom...
Category

Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Nymphe et Faunes - Etching by K.-X. Roussel - 1900 ca.
Located in Roma, IT
Image dimensions: 11,7 x 15,3 cm. Hand signed in pencil. Note lower left "3em état". Artist's proof, III state. Original etching. Ref: Catalogue Salomon n. 116.
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

The European Macabre Dance N.40 - Lithograph by A. Martini - 1915
Located in Roma, IT
The European Macabre Dance N.40 is a hand-colored lithograph, from the Series "La Danza Macabra Europea" illustrated by Alberto Martini (Oderzo, 1876 – Milan, 1954) in 1915. Signed on the plate, Original Edition. Published by Domenico Longo, Treviso. Handcolored lithographic postcards. Very good conditions. Alberto Martini (Oderzo, 1876 - Milan, 1954); was an Italian draftsman, painter, engraver and illustrator, forerunner of the surrealist movement...
Category

Symbolist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Eventail - Lithograph by Raoul Dufy - 1920
Located in Roma, IT
Eventail is a vintage lithograph realized by Raul Dufy in the 1920. Good conditions. Edition of 110. The artwork is depicted through confident strokes in a well-balanced composition.
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Le Paradis et la Péri - Lithograph by Henri Fantin-Latour - 1901
Located in Roma, IT
Le Paradis et la Péri is a wonderful black and white lithograph on China paper applied, realized in 1901 by the French artist Henri Fantin-Latour (Grenoble, 1836- Buré 1906). From Robert Schumann...
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Getting Rest - Lithograph by Hermann Paul - 1905s
Located in Roma, IT
Getting Rest is aLithograph realized by Paul Hermann in 1905 ca. Good conditions except for some foxings. Signed on plate. The artwork is depicted in a well-balanced composition.
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

Fashionable Dress 145
Located in Columbia, MO
Artist Unknown "Fashionable Dress, 145" 1914 Etching
Category

Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Verfuhrung - Vintage Héliogravure by Franz von Bayros - Early 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
"Verfuhrung" is an original Black and white héliogravure on cream-colored cardboard realized by Choisy Le Conin, pseudonym of Franz Von Bayros (Agram, 1866 – Vienna, 1924). From Ma...
Category

Symbolist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Engraving

Decorative Objects - Chromolithograph by A. Alessio - Early 20th Centur
Located in Roma, IT
Decorative Motifs - Arabic Style is a print on Ivory-colored paper realized by an A. Alessio in the early 20th Century Vintage Chromolithograph. Very good conditions. The artwork...
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

The Newlyweds - Original Etching by R. de Los Rios - Early 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
"The Newlyweds" is an original etching on ivory-colorated paper by R. de Los Rios. In very good conditions. Sheet dimension: 27 x 20.5 cm. Image Dimensions: 13.5 x 9 cm Hand-sign...
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Landlord - Original Lithograph and Offset by George Grosz - 1923
Located in Roma, IT
Landlord is an original vintage offset and lithograph print realized by George Grosz. The artwork is plate n.29 from the portfolio Ecce Homo published between 1922/1923, edition of ...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

Candid Oder der Optimismu - Original Rare Book Illustrated by Max Unold - 1913
Located in Roma, IT
Candid oder der optimismus is an original modern rare book written by Voltaire and illustrated by Max Unold (Memmingen, 1885 - Munich, 1964) in 1913. Original Edition. 800 Numbere...
Category

Symbolist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

Commerzienrat's Daughter - Original Offset and Lithograph by George Grosz - 1923
Located in Roma, IT
Commerzienrat's daughter from Ecce Homo is an original offset and lithograph, realized by George Grosz. The artwork is the plate n. 48 from the portfolio Ecce Homo, published betw...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

Landscape - Etching on Paper by Francesco Vitalini - 1904
Located in Roma, IT
Landscape is an original etching artwork realized in the 1904 ca. by Italian artist Francesco Vitalini. Hand-signed on the lower right in pencil. The State of preservation is very ...
Category

Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Military - Etching by Anselmo Bucci - 1917
Located in Roma, IT
"Military" is a beautiful print in the etching technique, realized by Anselmo Bucci (1887-1955). In good conditions except for diffused stains and consumed margins. Hand-signed. I...
Category

Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Veiled Woman - Original Lithograph by Ferdinand Bac - 1922
Located in Roma, IT
Veiled Woman is an original modern artwork realized by Ferdinand Bac (1859 - 1952) in 1922. Signed and dated on plate on the lower left corner: F. Bac 19...
Category

Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Military - Original Etching by Anselmo Bucci - 1917
Located in Roma, IT
"Military" 1917 is a beautiful print in etching technique, realized by Anselmo Bucci (1887-1955). Hand signed. Numbered 82/100 of prints on the lower left. On the lower left corner,...
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Reguliersracht during winter, Amsterdam
Located in Middletown, NY
Etching with drypoint on cream wove paper with a deckle edge, 6 7/8 x 4 7/8 inches (200 x 125 mm); sheet 15 x 11 inches (380 x 280 mm), full margins. In excellent condition with mino...
Category

Dutch School Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint, Etching

The Fall of Troy - Original Lithograph by F. Bac - 1922
Located in Roma, IT
The Fall of Troy is an original modern artwork realized by Ferdinand Bac (1859 - 1952) in 1922. Original Lithograph on ivory paper. Signed and dated on ...
Category

Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Couple - Original Etching by Louis Jou - Early 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Couple is an original etching realized by Louis Jou in the Early 20th Century. Good conditions. Specimen before the lettering. Louis Jou (Gracia, 1882 - Baux, 1968), the twentieth-century etcher and wood engraver, was a prolific illustrator of a large number of books in France, authored by big names like Andre Gide...
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

The Awakening - Original Lithograph by F. Bac - 1922
Located in Roma, IT
The Awakening is an original modern artwork realized by Ferdinand Bac (1859 - 1952) in 1922. Original Lithograph on ivory paper. Signed and dated on plate on the lower right corner: F. Bac 1922. Excellent conditions. The Awakening depicts a very interesting scene. A girl below is awakened by an apparition of a standing and monumental female figure on her right. She is, according to the headdress, the Goddess Minerva, goddess of the wisdom. the Goddess is taking off a veil to reveal herself. On the right you can see a glimpse of vegetation; the figures indeed are surrounded by dense vegetation. Ferdinand Bac (1859 - 1952). Ferdinand-Sigismond Bach, known as Ferdinand Bac was a French cartoonist, artist and writer, son of an illegitimate nephew of the Emperor Napoleon. As a young man, he mixed in the fashionable world of Paris of the Belle Époque, and was known for his caricatures, which appeared in popular journals. He also traveled widely in Europe and the Mediterranean. In his fifties, he began a career as a landscape gardener. He attended Adolphe Thiers, Gambetta, Richard Wagner, Victor Hugo, Taine, Villiers de L'Isle-Adam, Paul Verlaine, Maurice Barrès, Barbey d'Aurevilly, Alphonse Daudet, Guy de Maupassant, Verdi, Gounod, Pierre de Nolhac, and many more other famous people of the time. He established himself as one of the first cartoonists and caricaturists of his time, as famous as Albert Robida...
Category

Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Mädchen am Fenster. 1906-08.
Located in New York, NY
Mädchen am Fenster. 1906-08. Color lithograph printed on smooth card stock. Full margins. , signed by the artist in pencil, on the recto. Published by the Wiener Werkstätte, Vienna, with the printed postcard text on verso. Among Kokoschka's earliest prints were a series of 14 postcards, the current work and the following lot that he produced for the Wiener Werkstätte. Wingler/Welz 4. Oskar Kokoschka was an Austrian artist, poet and playwright best known for his intense expressionistic portraits...
Category

Vienna Secession Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Don Juan
Located in Missouri, MO
Aquating Engraving Image Size: approx. 20 1/4 x 13 3/8 Framed Size: 28 x 20.5 inches Pencil Signed Lower Right Louis Justin Laurent Icart was born in Toulouse in 1890 and died in Paris in 1950. He lived in New York City in the 1920s, where he became known for his Art-Deco color etchings of glamourous women. He was first son of Jean and Elisabeth Icart and was officially named Louis Justin Laurent Icart. The use of his initials L.I. would be sufficient in this household. Therefore, from the moment of his birth he was dubbed 'Helli'. The Icart family lived modestly in a small brick home on rue Traversière-de-la-balance, in the culturally rich Southern French city of Toulouse, which was the home of many prominent writers and artists, the most famous being Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Icart entered the l'Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Toulouse in order to continue his studies for a career in business, particularly banking (his father's profession). However, he soon discovered the play writings of Victor Hugo (1802-1885), which were to change the course of his life. Icart borrowed whatever books he could find by Hugo at the Toulouse library, devouring the tales, rich in both romantic imagery and the dilemmas of the human condition. It was through Icart's love of the theater that he developed a taste for all the arts, though the urge to paint was not as yet as strong for him as the urge to act. It was not until his move to Paris in 1907 that Icart would concentrate on painting, drawing and the production of countless beautiful etchings, which have served (more than the other mediums) to indelibly preserve his name in twentieth century art history. Art Deco, a term coined at the 1925 Paris Exposition des Arts Decoratifs, had taken its grip on the Paris of the 1920s. By the late 1920s Icart, working for both publications and major fashion and design studios, had become very successful, both artistically and financially. His etchings reached their height of brilliance in this era of Art Deco, and Icart had become the symbol of the epoch. Yet, although Icart has created for us a picture of Paris and New York life in the 1920s and 1930s, he worked in his own style, derived principally from the study of eighteenth-century French masters such as Jean Antoine Watteau, François Boucher and Jean Honoré Fragonard. In Icart's drawings, one sees the Impressionists Degas...
Category

Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Engraving, Aquatint

Don Juan
Don Juan
$2,800 Sale Price
20% Off
La Secchia Rapita - Original Advertising Lithograph by Marcello Dudovich - 1910s
Located in Roma, IT
Image dimensions. 26x18 cm. La Secchia Rapita is a beautiful and rare color lithograph printed by Ricordi, Milan, in 1910. A nice poster for "La Secchia Rapita", by Alessandro Tass...
Category

Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Czech Street Scene, Kino, Couples Shopping Weimar Era 1929 Lithograph
Located in Surfside, FL
Man in bowler hat, ladies in hats out shopping. Vojtěch Tittelbach ( 1900, Mutějovice - 1971, Prague) was a Czech painter and graphic artist, gradua...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Portrait of Piero Belli - Original Woodcut by A. Giuliani - Early 20th century
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of Piero Belli is an original woodcut print by Attilio Giuliani in the early 20th Century. Good conditions. The artwork is depicted through strong strokes in a well-balanc...
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

E. Strache, Handzeichnungen, "Seated Female Nude w/Orange Drapery" Collotype
Located in Palm Beach, FL
“ART CANNOT BE MODERN, ART IS PRIMORDIALLY ETERNAL.” -SCHIELE Defiantly iconoclastic in life and art, Egon Schiele is esteemed for his masterful draftsmanship and precocious insight...
Category

Vienna Secession Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

Alte Deutsche Schwanke - Rare Book Illustrated by Max Unold - 1914
Located in Roma, IT
Alte Deutsche Schwanke is an original modern rare book illustrated by Max Unold (Memmingen, 1885 - Munich, 1964) in 1914. Original First Edition. Limited edition of 800 numbered cop...
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

Norwich – The Cathedral Route Original Vintage British Travel Poster
Located in Zurich, CH
Original Vintage Travel Poster by Frank Newbould, commissioned by LNER (The London & North Eastern Railway of England & Scotland) to promote its connection to Norwich; beautifully pr...
Category

English School Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

Czech Park Scene, Swing Set Weimar Era 1923 Lithograph
Located in Surfside, FL
Ladies chatting in park. man pushes girl on boat swing. Vojtěch Tittelbach ( 1900, Mutějovice - 1971, Prague) was a Czech painter and graphic artist, graduate of the Academy of Fine...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Le Bouquet de Violettes (The Bouquet of Violets) /// Figurative Impressionist
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Manuel Robbe (French, 1872-1936) Title: "Le Bouquet de Violettes (The Bouquet of Violets)" *Signed by Robbe in pencil lower right Year: 1903 Medium: Original Hand-Colored Etc...
Category

Post-Impressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Watercolor, Laid Paper, Etching, Aquatint, Intaglio

“La Rèpublique nous appelle…” (The Republic calls us…)
Located in Fairlawn, OH
La République Nous Appelle (The Republic Calls Us) Transfer lithograph with an etching Remarque in the lower left corner, 1915 Signed in pencil lower right (see photo) Edition: 100 (...
Category

Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Mele - Advertising Lithograph by Marcello Dudovich - 1910s
Located in Roma, IT
Image dimensions. 26x17.5 cm. Mele 2 is a precious color lithograph printed by G. Ricordi and C. Milano, Milan, between 1895 and 1914. A nice advertising poster representing two el...
Category

Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Art Deco City Scene with Motor Car print by Gerald Mac Spink
Located in London, GB
To see our other Modern British Art, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this Seller" - or send us a message if you cannot find the artist you ...
Category

Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Mein Weg mit dem Weib, plate 10
Located in Roma, IT
Drypoint and aquatint (brown ink) on cream paper. Signed "Rehn" in pencil on the lower right margin. Titled and numbered in pencil on the lower left margin. Edition of 25 prints. Fro...
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint, Etching, Aquatint

Mein Weg mit dem Weib, plate 16
Located in Roma, IT
Drypoint and aquatint (brown ink) on cream paper. Signed "Rehn" in pencil on the lower right margin. Titled and numbered in pencil on the lower left margin. Edition of 25 prints. Fro...
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint, Aquatint

Mein Weg mit dem Weib, plate 7
Located in Roma, IT
Drypoint and aquatint (brown ink) on cream paper. Signed in pencil on the lower right margin. Titled and numbered in pencil on the lower left margin. Edition of 25 prints. From the s...
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Aquatint, Drypoint

The Conversation - Woodcut Print by Hermann-Paul - 1920s
Located in Roma, IT
The Conversation is an original Modern artwork realized by Hermann-Paul (Paris,1864 – 1940). Original woodcut ph on paper. Hand-signed in pencil on the lower right corner. Passep...
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

The Soldier and the Bacchants - Original Lithograph by Ferdinand Bac - 1922
Located in Roma, IT
The Soldier and the Bacchants is an original modern artwork realized by Ferdinand Bac (1859 - 1952) in 1922. Signed and dated on plate on the lower left corner: F. Bac 1922. Origin...
Category

Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

The Crying Women - Original Lithograph by Ferdinand Bac - 1922
Located in Roma, IT
The Falling Woman is an original modern artwork realized by Ferdinand Bac (1859 - 1952) in 1922. Signed and dated on plate on the lower left corner: F. ...
Category

Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Bacchantes and Musicians - Original Lithograph by Ferdinand Bac - 1922
Located in Roma, IT
Bacchantes and Musicians is an original modern artwork realized by Ferdinand Bac (1859 - 1952) in 1923. Signed and dated on plate on the lower left corn...
Category

Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Bacchus and the Nymphs - Original Lithograph by Ferdinand Bac - 1922
Located in Roma, IT
Bacchus and the Nymphs is an original modern artwork realized by Ferdinand Bac (1859 - 1952) in 1922. Signed and dated on plate on the lower right corner: F. Bac 1922. Original Lit...
Category

Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Baccanale - Original Lithograph by F. Bac - 1922
Located in Roma, IT
Baccanale is an original modern artwork realized by Ferdinand Bac (1859 - 1952) in 1922. Original Lithograph on ivory paper. Signed and dated on plate on the lower left corner: F. Bac 1922. Perfect conditions. Baccanale is an excellent Liberty Style lithograph realized by the French artist Ferdinand Bac in the Second decade of the XX Century. The work depicts a very movimented scene with several female figures in the night singing and playing ancient instruments. The scene is surrounded by columns and, on the upper right corner, there is the silhouette of a temple. This work has been realized the French artist Ferdinand Bac (1859 - 1952). Ferdinand-Sigismond Bach, known as Ferdinand Bac was a French cartoonist, artist and writer, son of an illegitimate nephew of the Emperor Napoleon. As a young man, he mixed in the fashionable world of Paris of the Belle Époque, and was known for his caricatures, which appeared in popular journals. He also traveled widely in Europe and the Mediterranean. In his fifties, he began a career as a landscape gardener. He attended Adolphe Thiers, Gambetta, Richard Wagner, Victor Hugo, Taine, Villiers de L'Isle-Adam, Paul Verlaine, Maurice Barrès, Barbey d'Aurevilly, Alphonse Daudet, Guy de Maupassant, Verdi, Gounod, Pierre de Nolhac, and many more other famous people of the time. He established himself as one of the first cartoonists and caricaturists of his time, as famous as Albert Robida...
Category

Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

By Night On My Bed
Located in New York, NY
Woodcut. Signed by the artist and dated in pencil, lower right. Titled in pencil, lower left, and numbered "28" in pencil, lower center. This woodcut was made by Esherick to ill...
Category

American Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Erotic Scene - Etching by Chas Laborde - 1920s
Located in Roma, IT
Erotic is an etching by Chas Laborde in the 1920s. This original print is hand-colored in watercolor. In very good condition, including white cardboard Passepartout, 52 x 37cm. This artwork belongs to the erotic series of Chas Laborde in which you recognize his authentic style of illustration. Chas Laborde (Buenos Aires, 1886 - Paris, 1941) Charles Laborde...
Category

Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

R. Layni, Zeichnungen folio, "Seated Woman with Bent Knee" Collotype plate I
Located in Palm Beach, FL
After Egon Schiele (1890 – 1918), AUSTRIA “ART CANNOT BE MODERN, ART IS PRIMORDIALLY ETERNAL.” -SCHIELE Defiantly iconoclastic in life and art, Egon Schiele is esteemed for his mas...
Category

Vienna Secession Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

"Der Hirte" original woodcut
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original color woodcut. Catalogue reference JH 771. Published in 1919 for Genius. Image size: 9 1/2 x 7 inches (240 x 178mm), on wove paper with full margins. This print is f...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Kostume, Plakate, und Dekorationen, "Odeon-Casino"
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Walter Schnackenberg’s style changed several times during his long and successful career. Having studied in Munich, the artist traveled often to Paris where he fell under the spell of the Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s colorful and sensuous posters depicting theatrical and decadent subjects. Schnackenberg became a regular contributor of similar compositions to the German magazines Jugend and Simplicissimus before devoting himself to the design of stage scenery and costumes. In the artist’s theatrical work, his mastery of form, ornamentation, and Orientalism became increasingly evident. He excelled at combining fluid Art Nouveau outlines, with spiky Expressionist passages, and the postures and patterns of the mysterious East. In his later years, Schnackenberg explored the unconscious, using surreal subject matter and paler colors that plainly portrayed dreams and visions, some imbued with political connotations. His drawings, illustrations, folio prints, and posters are highly sought today for their exceedingly imaginative qualities, enchanting subject matter, and arresting use of color. SCHNACKENBERG: KOSTUME, PLAKATE UND DEKORATIONEN, a cardboard bound art book consisting of 43 prints of work by Walter Schnackenberg, 30 of which are color lithographs that are signed and some are titled and dated in the plate, as well as black and white prints and photographs with accompanying text by Oskar Bie; lithographs printed at Kunstanstalt Oskar Consee in Munich, other images printed by Gesellschaft Pick & Co. in Munich, the text and cover with color images by Schnackenberg front and verso printed by R. Oldenbourg in Munich; published by Musarion Verlag, Munich, 1920. The majority of Walter Schnackenberg’s artistic output was destroyed by bomb attacks in Munich in 1944. The highly publicized 2013 auction in New York of the recovered pre-war poster collection once belonging to German poster aficionado, Hans Sachs has reintroduced the world to Walter Schnackenberg’s graphic genius and priceless ephemeral art from a lost era. Besides the museum world, designer Karl Lagerfeld is one of the most prodigious collectors of Schnackenberg. Flipping through the pages of Kostume, Plakate und Dekorationen, it becomes quite clear that Schnackenberg’s collection is ground zero at the crossroads of early modern fashion where the cult of celebrity meets up with dance, music, theater and cabaret, film and the graphic medium. Berlin and Munich under Germany’s Weimar Republic in the first quarter of the 20th century produced just the atmosphere to feed this burgeoning industry. Rising inflation sparked a recklessness to live large for the moment and heightened a desire for escapism. An influx of Indian and East Asian dancers and musicians added to the artsy bohemian cultural mix. A new decadence and tolerance resulted. Film boldly featured provocative subject matter. Cabarets became popular venues giving rise to the demi-monde in which people from all social stations mixed more freely in a thriving underground economy and culture where there was a blurring of boundaries and of social codes. Noted art historian and cultural doyen, Oskar Bie astutely observes in his introduction to Schnackenberg’s publication that what unites the images is fantasy and advertisement. Schnackenberg uses the eye as an instrument to brilliantly construct and convey this double message. His personages never directly confront the viewer. Their eyes gaze off in the distance like those of the screenplayer and film star Hedamaria Scholz in Schnackenberg’s “Die Rodelhexe” movie poster. Their eyes follow the path of a dance composition or become a transfixed and ogling male gaze such as the iconic 1911 Odeon Casino...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Gustav Klimt "2nd Study for Water Serpents" collotype from Funfundzwanzig folio
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Title page numbered: 263/450
Category

Vienna Secession Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

"Laderlappen" Original Lithograph Poster by Walter Schnackenberg
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Printed by Oscar Consee, Munich, 1922 Not much is known about this Stockholm-based cabaret act. Translating literally as Bat Man, we see a young dancer tease an oversized bat wearing a monocle -- a truly bizarre but beautiful design. (text by Jack Rennert) Walter Schnackenberg’s style changed several times during his long and successful career. Having studied in Munich, the artist traveled often to Paris where he fell under the spell of the Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s colorful and sensuous posters depicting theatrical and decadent subjects. Schnackenberg became a regular contributor of similar compositions to the German magazines Jugend and Simplicissimus before devoting himself to the design of stage scenery...
Category

Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Qui ne se grime pas? (Who does not wear a mask?)
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Qui ne se grime pas? (Who does not wear a mask?) Aquatint, roulette, drypoint, acid bite, and scorper, 1923 Signed in the plate loweer left (see photo) Dated in pencil Series: Miser...
Category

French School Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Aquatint

"Three Women Asleep" by Gustav Klimt - Original Print from Courtesans Folio
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Plate #13 from Gustav Klimt's 1907 "Dialogues of the Courtesans" portfolio, consisting of 15 collotypes on cream japon paper. The drawings in this folio are said to be studies for Klimt's well-known Water Serpents paintings...
Category

Vienna Secession Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

The Public Execution - Lithograph after L.T. Foujita - 1928
Located in Roma, IT
Image dimensions: 20 x 15.2 cm. After Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita Lithographic reproduction in colors, from the set of sixteen illustrations from Propos d’un intoxiqué, by Jules Boiss...
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

"The Night Out - La Garconne Series, " a Color Pochoir
Located in Milwaukee, WI
This color pochoir was done in 1925 on Arches paper No. 739/750 and depicts two couples on a night out all dressed up. Archivally framed with 12k white gold; white gold fillet, silk...
Category

Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Other Medium

By the Nets - German Expressionism Woodcut Schmidt-Rottluff
Located in London, GB
KARL SCHMIDT-ROTTLUFF 1884-1976 Rottluff, Germany 1884 - 1976 Berlin (German) Title: By the Nets Bei den Netzen, 1914 Technique: Original Hand Signed Woodcut on Laid Paper Paper size: 51.2 x 62.4 cm. / 20.2 x 24.6 in. Additional Information: This original woodcut is hand signed in pencil by the artist "S. Rottluff" at the lower right margin. This is the fifth woodcut of the portfolio "Zehn Holzschnitte von Schmidt-Rottluff" [Ten Woodcuts by Schmidt-Rottluff] that was published in 1919. It was published by Graphisches Kabinett J. B. Neumann, Berlin in a limited unnumbered edition of 75 plus some proofs. The printer was Fritz Voigt...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Fashionable Dress 141
Located in Columbia, MO
Artist Unknown "Fashionable Dress, 141" 1914 Etching
Category

Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Kostume, Plakate, und Dekorationen, "Hagen-Pathe"
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Walter Schnackenberg’s style changed several times during his long and successful career. Having studied in Munich, the artist traveled often to Paris where he fell under the spell o...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Original U. S. Marines, Soldiers of the Sea vintage WW1 poster linen backed
Located in Spokane, WA
Original U.S. Marines "Soldiers of the Sea" vintage poster by J.C. Leyendecker (c. 1917); linen-backed in A-, B+ condition, ready to frame. The poster h...
Category

Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Offset

"Exuberant Woman" Copper Plate Heliogravure
Located in Palm Beach, FL
2018 marks the centenary anniversary of Ferdinand Hodler’s death. In that 100 years time, the art world’s esteem of this important artist has proved fickle. It has shifted from extolling his artistic merits during his lifetime to showing something of a feigned disdain- more reflective of the world political order than a true change of heart for Hodler’s work. After years of Hodler being all but a footnote in the annals of art history and generally ignored, finally, the pendulum has righted itself once again. Recent retrospective exhibitions in Europe and the United States have indicated not only a joyful rediscovery of Hodler’s art but a firm conviction that his work and world view hold particular relevance today. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS is not only a collection of printed work reflecting the best of all of his painted work created up to 1914 just before the outbreak of World War I, the portfolio itself is an encapsulation of Hodler’s ethos, Parallelisme. Hodler developed his philosophy of Parallelisme as a unifying approach to art which strips away detail in search of harmony. By means of abstraction, symmetry and repetition, Hodler sought ways to depict Nature’s essence and her fundamental, universal order. He believed these universal laws governing the natural, observable world extend to the spiritual realm. Symbolist in nature with Romantic undertones, his works are equally portraits of these universal concepts and feelings governing all life as they are a visual portrait in the formal sense. Whether his subject is a solitary tree, a moment in battle, mortal fear, despair, the awe inspired by a vast mountain range, a tender moment or even the collective conviction in a belief, Hodler unveils this guiding principle of Parallelisme. Several aspects of Hodler’s portfolio reinforce his tenets of Parallelisme. The Table of Contents clearly preferences a harmonious design over detail. The two columns, consisting of twenty lines each, list the images by order of appearance using their German titles. The abbreviated titles are somewhat cryptic in that they obscure the identities of the sitters. Like the image Hodler presents, they are distillations of the sitter without any extraneous details. This shortening was also done in an effort to maintain a harmonious symmetry of the Table of Contents, themselves, and keep titles to a one-line limit. The twenty-fourth title: “Bildnis des Schweizerischen Gesandten C.” was so long, even with abbreviation, that it required two lines; so, for the sake of maintaining symmetry, the fortieth title: “Bauernmadchen” was omitted from the list. This explains why the images are not numbered. Hodler’s reasoning is not purely esoteric. Symmetry and pattern reach beyond mere formal design principles. Finding sameness and imposing it over disorder goes to the root of Hodler’s identity and his art. A Swiss native, Hodler was bi-lingual and spoke German and French. Each printed image, even number forty, have titles in both of Hodler’s languages. Certainly, there was a market for Hodler’s work among francophones and this inclusion may have been a polite gesture to that end; however, this is the only place in the portfolio which includes French. With German titles at the lower left of each image, Hodler’s name at bottom center and corresponding French titles at the lower right of each image, there is a harmony and symmetry woven into all aspects of the portfolio. This holds true for the page design, as it applies to each printed image and as it describes the Swiss artist himself. Seen in this light, Hodler’s portfolio of printed work is the epitome of Hodler’s Parallelisme. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS is also one of the most significant documents to best tell the story of how Hodler, from Switzerland, became caught between political cross-hairs and how the changing tides of nations directly impacted the artist during his lifetime as well as the accessibility of his art for generations to come. The Munich-based publisher of the portfolio, R. Piper & Co., Verlag, plays a crucial role in this story. Publishing on a wide range of subjects from philosophy and world religion to music, literature and the visual arts; the publisher’s breadth of inquiry within any one genre was equal in scope. Their marketing strategy to publish multiple works on Hodler offers great insight as to what a hot commodity Hodler was at that time. R.Piper & Co.’s Almanach, which they published in 1914 in commemoration of their first ten years in business, clearly illustrates the rapid succession- strategically calculated for achieving the deepest and broadest impact - in which they released three works on Hodler to hit the market by the close of 1914. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS was their premier publication. It preceded C.A. Loosli’s Die Zeichnungen Ferdinand Hodlers, a print portfolio after 50 drawings by Hodler which was released in Autumn of 1914 at the mid-level price-point of 75-150 Marks; and a third less expensive collection of prints after original works by Hodler, which had not been included in either of the first two portfolios, was released at the end of that year entitled Ferdinand Hodler by Dr. Ewald Bender. The title and timing of DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS' debut leaves little doubt as to the connection it has with another avant-garde portfolio of art prints, Das Werk Gustav Klimts, released in 5 installments from 1908 -1914 by Galerie Miethke in Vienna. Hodler, himself, was involved in Klimt’s ground-breaking project. As the owner of Klimt’s 1901 painting, “Judith with the Head of Holifernes” which appears as the ninth collotype print in the second installment of Das Werk Gustav Klimts, Hodler was obliged to grant access of the painting to the art printers in Vienna for them to create the collotype sometime before 1908. Hodler had been previously invited in 1904 to take part in what would be the last exhibition of the Vienna Secession before Klimt and others associated with Galerie Miethke broke away. In an interview that same year, Hodler indicated that he respected and was impressed by Klimt. Hodler’s esteem for Klimt went beyond the art itself; he emulated Klimt’s method aimed at increasing his market reach and appeal to a wider audience by creating a print portfolio of his painted work. By 1914, Hodler and his publisher had the benefit of hindsight to learn from Klimt’s Das Werk publication. Responding to the sluggish sales of Klimt’s expensive endeavor, Hodler’s publisher devised the same diversified 1-2-3 strategy for selling Hodler’s Das Werk portfolio as they did with regards to all three works on Hodler they published that year. For their premium tier of DAS WERKS FERDINAND HODLERS, R. Piper & Co. issued an exclusive Museum quality edition of 15 examples on which Hodler signed each page. At a cost of 600 Marks, this was generally on par with Klimt’s asking price of 600 Kronen for his Das Werk portfolio. A middle-tiered Preferred edition of 30, costing somewhat less and with Hodler’s signature only on the Title Page, was also available. The General edition, targeting the largest audience with its much more affordable price of 150 Marks, is distinguishable by its smaller size. Rather than use the subscription format Miethke had chosen for Klimt’s portfolios which proved to have had its challenges, R. Piper & Co. employed a different strategy. In addition to instantly gratifying the buyer with all 40 of the prints comprising DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS and the choice among three price points, they advertised in German journals a fourth possibility of ordering single prints from them directly. These printed images are easily discernible from the three complete folio editions. The paper size of the single purchased images is of the larger format like the Museum and Preferred editions, measuring 65 h x 50 w cm; however, the paper itself is the same copper print paper used in the General edition and then mounted on poster board. The publishing house positioned itself to be a direct retailer of Hodler’s art. They astutely recognized the potential for profitability and the importance, therefore, of having proprietary control over his graphic works. R. Piper & Co. owned the exclusive printing rights to Hodler’s best work found in their three publications dating from 1914. That same year, a competing publication out of Weimar entitled Ferdinand Hodler: Ein Deutungsversuch von Hans...
Category

Symbolist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

Still Thinking About These?

All Recently Viewed