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Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

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Period: Early 20th Century
Hand Signed Norman Rockwell "No Swimming" Print
Located in New York, NY
Norman Rockwell (American, 1894-1978) No Swimming Original painting produced 1921, date of this print unknown Lithograph Sight: 21 x 18 in. Framed: 30 x 24 x 1 in. Signed in plate Ha...
Category

American Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Erich Heckel German Expressionist Woodblock Print, 1919 "Dostoevski's Idiot"
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Erich Heckel (1883-1970) Original Woodblock print, 1919. “Dostoevski's Idiot (Final Scene)” Unframed and in excellent condition. Image size: 9 3/4" H x 11 1/2" W. In a 16" H x 20" ...
Category

Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

"He Made Fun of Hindenburg" original lithograph
Located in Henderson, NV
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 edition ...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

ICE CREAM
Located in Portland, ME
Bacon, Peggy (American, 1895-1987). ICE CREAM. Flint 6. Drypoint, 1918. Edition size not known, but likely very small. Titled "Ice Cream," dated "Nov. 19...
Category

Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint

Early 20th century aquatint landscape figure boat water trees lake print signed
Located in Milwaukee, WI
'Le Pecheur' is an excelletn example of the aquatints of Manuel Robbe, a French artists working during the turn of the 20th century. The image draws upon th...
Category

Impressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Aquatint

Emil Orlik (1870-1932) - Early 20th Century Etching, Chinese Women
Located in Corsham, GB
A charming etching by 19th century artist Emil Orlik. Etched in Orlik's signature minimalist style, the group of figures appear to be in conversation. Signed in graphite below the pl...
Category

Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

"Landschaft mit Frauen" original woodcut
By Aloys Wach
Located in Henderson, NV
Medium: original woodcut. The title means "Landscape with Women". Printed in 1920 for the German Expressionist art revue Das Kunstblatt, published in Berlin by Verlag Gustav Kiepenhe...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

CAKE WALK DES PETITES FILLES
Located in Portland, ME
Villon, Jacques. CAKE WALK DES PETITES FILLES. GP.102, second state of four. Drypoint and aquatint in colors, 1904. Edition of only 10 (there was an edition of 30 in state 4, with th...
Category

Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint, Aquatint

Ballet und Pantomime "Spukgestalt" (Ghostly Figure), plate #12.
Located in Chicago, IL
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

Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

Original 1920 "Cachou Lajaunie" vintage poster by Leonetto Cappiello
Located in Boca Raton, FL
Beautifully framed original 1920 "Cachou Lajaunie" vintage lithograph poster by Leonetto Cappiello. Printed by Devambez Imp. Paris.
Category

Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Ludgate Hill
Located in Middletown, NY
Etching with drypoint and aquatint on light cream wove paper, 5 1/2 x 5 inches (140 x 122 mm), full margins. Signed in pencil in the lower margin. One of a total of 400 signed impres...
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint, Etching, Aquatint

Ballet und Pantomime "Maskerade", plate #9.
Located in Chicago, IL
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 BALLET UND PANTOMIME...
Category

Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

Louis Icart Etching "Badende" ( Bathers ), 1926
Located in Berlin, DE
Art Deco, colored etching by Louis Icart ( 1888-1950 ), France. Signed in pencil lower right: Louis Icart. Framed. Dimensions: 21.85 x 18.11 in ( 55,5 x 46 cm )
Category

Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Barcarolle.
Located in Storrs, CT
Barcarolle. 1926. Etching. Carter 233. 14 7/8 x 8 3/8 (sheet 17 1/4 x 10 1/4). Edition 80, #xxv. Print Collector's Quarterly 24 (1938): 428; Eric Denker, Reflections & Undercurrents: Ernest Roth...
Category

Impressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint, Etching

Erotic Scene - Héliogravure by Micheal Von Zichy - 1911
Located in Roma, IT
Erotic scene is an original Héliogravure artwork on ivory-colored paper, realized by Micheal Von Zichy in 1911. Printed in only 300 copies, Leipzig; Privatdruck, from the Catalogue ...
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper, Engraving

Klimt, Weibliches Bildnis, Das Werk von Gustav Klimt (after)
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Héliogravure, collotype vélin paper. Paper Size: 18.23 x 17.32 inches; image size: 14.69 x 12.8 inches. Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued. Notes: From the fo...
Category

Symbolist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Advice
Located in New York, NY
Walt Kuhn (1877-1949), Advice, etching and drypoint, 1915, signed in pencil lower right and titled lower left. In generally good condition but obviously a proof impression, with marg...
Category

American Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Drypoint, Etching

Peter Pathe - Original Lithograph Poster
Located in Chicago, IL
PETER PATHE, poster lithograph, Schnackenberg School, 1919, the image features the headline performer, Peter Pathe, in drag wearing a form-fitting button-down jacket, high-waisted shorts buttoning down the front, Mary Jane dance shoes and calf-length white socks; Pathe is depicted in motion with raised jazz hands which frame his bushy-haired heavily made-up face and body curving in dynamic lateral movement with raised front leg turned out; with printed text at the bottom: “PETER PATHE/und/Fritz Wolf-Killanyi * Renate Ferena/Tia Majja * Else Zimmermann tanzenmit grossem/Orchester (Leitung: Rob. Tants) Donnerstag, 18 Nov., amends 71/2 Uhr im Konzertsaal Hotel “Vier Jahreszeiten”/Karten zu Mk. 20. - bis Mk. 3.- bei Alfr. Schmid Nachf., Residenzstr. 7 und Otto Halbreiter, Promendeplatz 16.”; printed text at mid-right: “M. Pathe/19”; marked with the printer’s stamp in the lower right: “Oscar Consee/Kunstanstalt/Munchen/Valley Str./7-9”; the poster is secured by matting and framed with a plexiglass cover, Boston...
Category

Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Original vintage Cognac Pellisson poster by Leonetto Cappiello
Located in Boca Raton, FL
Original vintage Cognac Pellisson poster by Leonetto Cappiello of figure carrying Pellison Pere & Co. Cognac barrel printed by Vercasson. Raised Maxmi...
Category

Other Art Style Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

Sevillanas
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Sevillanas Etching and color aquatint on laid watermarked paper, c. 1900 Signed by the artist in pencil lower right (see photo) Editioned in pencil lower left corner of sheet Publish...
Category

Post-Impressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Aquatint

Kostume, Plakate, und Dekorationen, "Shadows & Light"
Located in Chicago, IL
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 poster...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Max Beckmann German Expressionist Etching 1922, Maiden Sleeping in the Cornfield
Located in Phoenix, AZ
A fine example of a very rare etching and drypoint by German Expressionist Max Beckmann, an edition of 50. Titled lower left corner in pencil: Schlafendes Madchen im Kornfield. (Mai...
Category

Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

Erotic Scene - Héliogravure by Micheal Von Zichy - 1911
Located in Roma, IT
Erotic scene is an original Héliogravure artwork on ivory-colored paper, realized by Micheal Von Zichy in 1911. Printed in only 300 copies, Leipzig; Privatdruck, from the Catalogue ...
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper, Engraving

Nijinsky in Cleopatre.
Located in London, GB
BARBIER, George. Nijinsky in Cleopatre. London, C. W. Beaumont, 1913. ‘The designs, although somewhat fantastic in treatment, do convey the impression produced by Nijinsky in hi...
Category

Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Ballet und Pantomime "Columbine", plate #20.
Located in Chicago, IL
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 BALLET UND PANTOMIME...
Category

Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

Print Porcelain Plaque Last Supper Painting after Leonardo in Carved Wood Frame
Located in Firenze, IT
A lovely early 20th century printed porcelain miniature of The last supper painting after Leonardo Da Vinci in Italian Cenacolo. This Swiss Fr...
Category

Renaissance Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Porcelain, Color

Erotic Scene - Héliogravure by Micheal Von Zichy - 1911
Located in Roma, IT
Erotic scene is an original Héliogravure artwork on ivory-colored paper, realized by Micheal Von Zichy in 1911. Printed in only 300 copies, Leipzig;...
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper, Engraving

Zwei Frauen (Two Women) /// German Expressionism Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Woodcut
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (German, 1884-1976) Title: "Zwei Frauen (Two Women)" Portfolio: Das Spiel Christa vom Schmerz der Schönheit des Weibes (The Play Christa from the Pain of the Beauty of the Woman) *Issued unsigned Year: 1918 Medium: Original Woodcut Engraving on wove paper Limited edition: Unknown Printer: Fritz Voigt, Berlin, Germany Publisher: Verlag Die Aktion, Berlin, Germany Reference: Schapire No. 222, page 45; Jentsch No. 35. Rifkind No. 2563; Lang No. 300; Reed No. 118 Overall size with attached page: 8.5" x 10.63" Sheet size: 8.5" x 5.38" Image size: 6.5" x 3.63" Condition: Toning to sheet (as normal). A few tiny pinholes in right margin. In very good condition Very rare Notes: Provenance: private collection - Oxnard, CA. Comes from a complete originally bound 48 page folio with 9 original woodcut engravings by Schmidt-Rottluff. Text by Alfred Brust. Presently attached to its accompanying page. The cover and title pages in pictures are not included, only for reference/provenance. There is an example of this work in the permanent collection of the Brücke Museum, Berlin, Germany. Biography: Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (born December 1, 1884, Rottluff, near Chemnitz, Germany—died August 9, 1976, West Berlin [now Berlin]), German painter and printmaker who was noted for his Expressionist landscapes and nudes. In 1905 Schmidt-Rottluff began to study architecture in Dresden, Germany, where he and his friend Erich Heckel met Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Fritz Bleyl...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Engraving, Woodcut

FEMME NUE ET JOUEUSE DE FLUTE
Located in New York, NY
stamped on back: Le Vent d'Arles and SPADEM 1975 - Printed in France Edition sticker on back reads: No. 1815
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Color

Ballet und Pantomime "Der Vogelfanger" (The Bird Catcher), plate #19.
Located in Chicago, IL
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

Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

Rare 1923 Cubist Reuven Rubin Woodcut Woodblock Print Israeli Hasidic Judaica
Located in Surfside, FL
This is from the original first edition 1923 printing. there was a much later edition done after these originals. These are individually hand signed in pencil by artist as issued. This listing is for the one print. the other documentation is included here for provenance and is not included in this listing. The various images inspired by the Jewish Mysticism and rabbis and mystics of jerusalem and Kabbalah is holy, dramatic and optimistic Rubin succeeded to evoke the spirit of life in Israel in those early days. They are done in a modern art style influenced by German Expressionism, particularly, Ernst Barlach, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and Franz Marc, as introduced to Israel by Jakob Steinhardt, Hermann Struck and Joseph Budko. Reuven Rubin 1893 -1974 was a Romanian-born Israeli painter and Israel's first ambassador to Romania. Rubin Zelicovich (later Reuven Rubin) was born in Galati to a poor Romanian Jewish Hasidic family. He was the eighth of 13 children. In 1912, he left for Ottoman-ruled Palestine to study art at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. Finding himself at odds with the artistic views of the Academy's teachers, he left for Paris, France, in 1913 to pursue his studies at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. He was of the well known Jewish artists in Paris along with Marc Chagall and Chaim Soutine, At the outbreak of World War I, he was returned to Romania, where he spent the war years. In 1921, he traveled to the United States with his friend and fellow artist, Arthur Kolnik. In New York City, the two met artist Alfred Stieglitz, who was instrumental in organizing their first American show at the Anderson Gallery. Following the exhibition, in 1922, they both returned to Europe. In 1923, Rubin emigrated to Mandate Palestine. Rubin met his wife, Esther, in 1928, aboard a passenger ship to Palestine on his return from a show in New York. She was a Bronx girl who had won a trip to Palestine in a Young Judaea competition. He died in 1974. Part of the early generation of artists in Israel, Joseph Zaritsky, Arieh Lubin, Reuven Rubin, Sionah Tagger, Pinchas Litvinovsky, Mordecai Ardon, Yitzhak Katz, and Baruch Agadati; These painters depicted the country’s landscapes in the 1920s rebelled against the Bezalel school of Boris Schatz. They sought current styles in Europe that would help portray their own country’s landscape, in keeping with the spirit of the time. Rubin’s Cezannesque landscapes from the 1920s were defined by both a modern and a naive style, portraying the landscape and inhabitants of Israel in a sensitive fashion. His landscape paintings in particular paid special detail to a spiritual, translucent light. His early work bore the influences of Futurism, Vorticism, Cubism and Surrealism. In Palestine, he became one of the founders of the new Eretz-Yisrael style. Recurring themes in his work were the bible, the prophet, the biblical landscape, folklore and folk art, people, including Yemenite, Hasidic Jews and Arabs. Many of his paintings are sun-bathed depictions of Jerusalem and the Galilee. Rubin might have been influenced by the work of Henri Rousseau whose naice style combined with Eastern nuances, as well as with the neo-Byzantine art to which Rubin had been exposed in his native Romania. In accordance with his integrative style, he signed his works with his first name in Hebrew and his surname in Roman letters. In 1924, he was the first artist to hold a solo exhibition at the Tower of David, in Jerusalem (later exhibited in Tel Aviv at Gymnasia Herzliya). That year he was elected chairman of the Association of Painters and Sculptors of Palestine. From the 1930s onwards, Rubin designed backdrops for Habima Theater, the Ohel Theater and other theaters. His biography, published in 1969, is titled My Life - My Art. He died in Tel Aviv in October 1974, after having bequeathed his home on 14 Bialik Street and a core collection of his paintings to the city of Tel Aviv. The Rubin Museum opened in 1983. The director and curator of the museum is his daughter-in-law, Carmela Rubin. Rubin's paintings are now increasingly sought after. At a Sotheby's auction in New York in 2007, his work accounted for six of the ten top lots. Along with Yaacov Agam and Menashe Kadishman he is among Israel's best known artists internationally. Education 1912 Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem 1913-14 École des Beaux Arts, Paris and Académie Colarossi, Paris Select Group Exhibitions Eged - Palestine Painters Group Eged - Palestine Painters Group, Allenby Street, Tel Aviv 1929 Artists: Chana Orloff, Abraham Melnikoff, Rubin, Reuven Nahum Gutman, Sionah Tagger,Arieh Allweil, Jewish Artists Association, Levant Fair, Tel Aviv, 1929 Artists: Ludwig Blum,Eliyahu Sigad, Shmuel Ovadyahu, Itzhak Frenel Frenkel,Ozer Shabat, Menahem Shemi...
Category

Abstract Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

John Sloan Etching, 1916, "McSorley's Back Room"
Located in Phoenix, AZ
John Sloan (1871-1951) etching created 1916. Edition: 100 Titled: “McSorley’s Back Room” Plate size: 5 1/4" H x 7 " W Sheet size: 7 1/2" H x 10 3/8" W In excellent condition, unframe...
Category

Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

Moody Untitled 1920s Boris Anisfeld Lithograph of Figures and City Buildings
Located in Chicago, IL
A ca. 1920s moody, Modernist lithograph by notable artist Boris Israelevich Anisfeld, depicting figures and buildings. Artwork size: 11 3/4" x 9". Archivally matted to 16" x 14". ...
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph, Paper

"Toy Horse Dance" Japanese Woodblock Triptych with Beauties and Mt Fuji
Located in Soquel, CA
"Toy Horse Dance" Japanese Woodblock Triptych with Beauties and Mt Fuji Vibrant three-panel woodblock print by Utagawa Toyohiro (Japanese,...
Category

Edo Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Ink, Rice Paper, Woodcut

Neoclassical Scene - Lithograph after Baldassarre Peruzzi - Early 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage cromolithograph print applied on plywood, realized after a 1508 fresco by Baldassarre Peruzzi, now hosted in Villa Farnesina Rome. Includes a gilded wooden frame.
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Kostume, Plakate, und Dekorationen, "Preysing-Palais Munich"
Located in Chicago, IL
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

View of Mount Fuji in Winter- Woodcut by Katsushika Hokusai - Early 20th century
Located in Roma, IT
View of Mount Fuji in Winter is a woodcut print realized by Katsushika Hokusai in the early 19th Century, probably around 1835. From the book "Fugaku hyakkei" (100 views of Mount Fu...
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Kostume, Plakate, und Dekorationen, "The Blue Flame"
Located in Chicago, IL
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 poster...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Ballet und Pantomime "Der Tanzende Gott" (The Dancing God), plate #14.
Located in Chicago, IL
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

Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

Portrait of an Elderly Woman Praying at a Table Etching
Located in Houston, TX
Portrait of a woman praying at a table with food. In the corner a cat reaching up to see over the table. The etching is signed by the artist in the botto...
Category

Naturalistic Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Kostume, Plakate, und Dekorationen, "Läderlappen"
Located in Chicago, IL
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 poster...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Kostume, Plakate, und Dekorationen, "Cabaret Bonbonniere"
Located in Chicago, IL
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

Ballet und Pantomime "Der bose Zauberer" (The Evil Wizard), plate #6.
Located in Chicago, IL
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

Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

Les Laveuses, 2e Pensee (The Washerwoman)
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Les Laveuses, 2e Pensee (The Washerwomen) Lithograph, c. 1910 Unsigned (as issued) Edition: c.30-50 impressions Condition: Rust spot, associated with pape...
Category

Impressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Kostume, Plakate, und Dekorationen, "Flower of Evil"
Located in Chicago, IL
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...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Ballet und Pantomime "Der Paradiesvogel" (Bird of Paradise) plate #1.
Located in Chicago, IL
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

Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

Männlicher Kopf an weibliche (Male Head Leaning against Female) /// Rottluff
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (German, 1884-1976) Title: "Männlicher Kopf an weibliche (Male Head Leaning against Female)" Portfolio: Das Spiel Christa vom Schmerz der Schönheit des Weibes (The Play Christa from the Pain of the Beauty of the Woman) *Issued unsigned Year: 1918 Medium: Original Woodcut Engraving on wove paper Limited edition: Unknown Printer: Fritz Voigt, Berlin, Germany Publisher: Verlag Die Aktion, Berlin, Germany Reference: Schapire No. 225, page 46; Jentsch No. 35. Rifkind No. 2563; Lang No. 300; Reed No. 118 Sheet size: 8.5" x 5.38" Image size: 6.25" x 3.57" Condition: Toning to sheet (as normal). In very good condition Very rare Notes: Provenance: private collection - Oxnard, CA. Comes from a complete originally bound 48 page folio with 9 original woodcut engravings by Schmidt-Rottluff. Text by Alfred Brust. The cover and title pages in pictures are not included, only for reference/provenance. There is an example of this work in the permanent collection of the Brücke Museum, Berlin, Germany. Biography: Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (born December 1, 1884, Rottluff, near Chemnitz, Germany—died...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Engraving, Woodcut

Kostume, Plakate, und Dekorationen, "Consee"
Located in Chicago, IL
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...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

'Coupe Gordon Bennett 1909' original lithograph by Marguerite "Gamy" Montaut
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Coupe Gordon Bennett 1909 — Curtiss le Gagnant" is an original Lithograph with Pochoir created by Marguerite Montaut (GAMY). Gamy presents the viewer w...
Category

American Realist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph, Ink

Kostume, Plakate, und Dekorationen, "Lena Amsel"
Located in Chicago, IL
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 poster...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Palais de la Femme, Art Nouveau Lithograph by Georges Henri Privat-Livemont
Located in Long Island City, NY
Vintage poster by Henri Privat-Livemont created for the Exposition Universelle (the 1900 Paris Exposition) before the lettering was added on the upper portion of the image. Palais d...
Category

Art Nouveau Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Kostume, Plakate, und Dekorationen, "Schlange (Snake)"
Located in Chicago, IL
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 poster...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Ballet und Pantomime "Groteske", plate #22.
Located in Chicago, IL
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 BALLET UND PANTOMIME...
Category

Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

Pablo Picasso, "Les Trois Graces, II, " original etching, hand signed
Located in Chatsworth, CA
Pablo Picasso Les Trois Graces, II 1922/23 This is numbered 74/100 Published by Marcel Guiot, Paris. Original etching, hand signed in pencil by Pica...
Category

Modern Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Etching

Ballet und Pantomime "Tschaikiun I", print #3.
Located in Chicago, IL
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

Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper

Les Quatre Saisons
Located in Wilton, CT
Allier's colorful, charming illustrations of the four seasons, winter, summer, spring, and fall, done in beautiful pochoir coloring. Each image reads ""dessiné par Paul Allier"" and...
Category

Art Deco Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Gouache

Kostume, Plakate, und Dekorationen, "Die Rodelhexe"
Located in Chicago, IL
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 poster...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Kostume, Plakate, und Dekorationen, "Erry & Merry"
Located in Chicago, IL
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 poster...
Category

Expressionist Early 20th Century Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

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