1930s Sculptures

John William Mills (born 4 March 1933, London) is an English sculptor. He studied at Hammersmith School of Art, 1947–54, and at the Royal College of Art, 1956–60. He was a resident ...

An extraordinary group of Ibeji "triplets" sculpted by the same master sculptor. Ibeji is name of a very specific type of carved wooden figure from Yoruba in Nigeria. Ibejis repre...

White stone head in the art deco style. Born in Lithuania at the end of the nineteenth century, Boris Lovet-Lorski studied art at the Imperial Academy of Art in St. Petersburg before working briefly as an architect. He immigrated to New York in 1920 and became an American citizen five years later. His sculptures epitomize the ideals of the Art Deco decades: comprised of sleek lines and smooth surfaces, the streamlined compositions reflect the new technological forms of the machine age. Despite their modernist treatment, Lovet-Lorski’s elegant, stylized figures reference both ancient and classical sources and are characterized by a universal and serene sensibility. Concentrating on figural busts, familial groups, and standing female nudes as his subject matter, the artist rendered them in a variety of media. The materials range from the traditional bronze and marble to exotic woods and unusual stones; each is carefully selected so that its surface texture and color contribute to the emotive aura of the work. Carved out of a block of limestone, Untitled (Head) depicts a female visage nearly androgynous in its idealization. The delicate features of her face, the long, straight nose, thin pursed lips and high cheekbones, are made even more diminutive by the massive bulk of the stone that serves as their backdrop. The prominent widow’s peak of her hairline and the strong arch of her brow, two of Lovet-Lorski’s most distinctive characteristics, are elongated to accentuate the linear rhythms of the composition. The layers of her hair are delineated by stepped striations reminiscent of archaic precedents, which meld into structural columns and connect the form architecturally to the stone’s mass. Unlike the majority of Lovet-Lorski’s sculptures, in which the heads of the figures are tilted to the side or downward to convey a pensive mood, the woman in Untitled (Head) looks straight ahead. Her frontal positioning gives the composition a nearly perfect symmetry, in turn endowing the work with a still, eternal sensibility. The notched surface of the surrounding limestone stands in sharp contrast to the smoothness of her skin. In the twenties, the artist tended to finish his sculptures to a highly polished degree of refinement, but in the thirties he began to experiment with contrasts of texture and the aesthetic of the fragment. In this respect, the work is vaguely evocative of Egyptian funerary sculptures, in which the figures were carved with an eye for three-dimensionality but were left intact in a larger piece of stone to give them physical durability and permanence. Embodying classical ideals of stoicism and universal beauty, the sculpture ultimately exudes a surface allure that is difficult to resist. A similar example of this approach can be seen in the 1937 sculpture Diana, which resides in the permanent collection of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C. Carved from a piece of black Belgian marble, the work is a stylized bust of the Greek goddess Diana...

John William Mills (born 4 March 1933, London) is an English sculptor. He studied at Hammersmith School of Art, 1947–54, and at the Royal College of Art, 1956–60. He was a resident ...

Presenting an original carved wood sculpture by American WPA artist Avis Zeidler Nemkoff. "Isabella", is a hand carved wood sculpture measuring 18.5 inches tall, exceptional original condition, originally acquired from the estate of the artist who resided in Northern California. This is a magnificent one of a kind hand carved wood sculpture, c.1938. Please contact the gallery for additional information •Avis Zeidler was born in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1908. •It is not known when Zeidler moved to California. However, in the 1930s she majored in art at the University of California. •Later, she enrolled at the California School of Fine Arts after receiving a scholarship for her studies there. She studied with Ray Boynton, Lucien Labaudt, Karl Eugen Neuhaus, and Ralph Stackpole...

Arrighini Nicola (Pietrasanta 1905-1977) a sculptor of Pietrasanta (Italy) in 1930 decided to create, in white Carrara marble on black marble basis, the Mask of Leopoldo Fregoli, o...

This French Art-Deco hand-carved wooden panel or wall-mounted sculpture features a stunning Venetian mask. This high-dimensional panel is made of natural wood with a warm tone and re...

African Wood c1930 Ceremonial Figure w/Vessel For Offering. Nigeria-Yoruba 32 1/2 x 16 x 10"

Keith Murray, architect and industrial designer, created this particular vase, "Chinese Lantern" in moonstone white ( shape no.3765) Made in England. Priced individually at $1200 each, we have this same vase in Yellow and in Green. A quote can be given for additional pieces. We have yellow green and moonstone in bombe in small and large sizes. We have celadon bowls, yellow bowls, and small moonstone pot with lid. All c. 1935 art deco style made in England. All in excellent condition. These are the most desirable classic examples of pottery by Architect Keith Murray produced for Wedgwood in the 1930's. Published and illustrated in the book "Wedgwood Ceramics...

A very rare bronze cast of two battling Rams, by Sirio Tofanari (1886-1969). An old cast with a dark brown shaded patina. On a heavy green marble steppe...

A fine quality, twentieth-century bronze model of a ram and a ewe by Alberic Collin (Belgian 1886-1962). Cast by the Rocher Paris foundry signed, inscri...

Max Kalish (American, 1891-1945) Harmony, c. 1930 Bronze with green marble base Incised signature on right upper side of base 14 x 9 x 5 inches, excluding base 17 x 10 x 8 inches, including base Born in Poland March 1, 1891, figurative sculptor Max Kalish came to the United States in 1894, his family settling in Ohio. A talented youth, Kalish enrolled at the Cleveland Institute of Art as a fifteen-year-old, receiving a first-place award for modeling the figure during studies with Herman Matzen. Kalish went to New York City following graduation, studying with Isidore Konti...

Numbered 1/8 Cast Fonderie Rocher A fine cast with a vivid green patina of a bird of prey

A fine quality, twentieth-century bronze model of a roaring lioness by Alberic Collin (Belgian 1886-1962). Prior to casting by the Valsuani foundry it w...

Stunning, original Art Deco bronze of a male archer by the well known French sculptor, Pierre Le Faguays. Condition is very good. Verde green finish over bronze patina. Slight rubbed...

RICHARD GARBE, RA (1876-1957) The Falconer Signed and dated on the reverse: Richard Garbe, ARA / 1932 Patinated plaster 49.5 cm., 19 ½ in. high Proven...

Keith Murray Pottery 6" matte green vessel. Excellent condition, normal wear on the bottom. We also have a larger collection of Keith Murray pottery in large Moonstone and Bombe, celadon polished glaze bowls and many others. Please contact for further details and photographs. Keith Murray was both an architect and industrial designer, considered one of the most famous industrial designers for art deco ceramics. This green piece photographed, has a matching one in yellow. Each are 950.00 or $1700. for the pair. We have an extensive collection of his pieces, many not illustrated here. Please inquire for further photographs. All from Keith Murray designed for Wedgwood in the 1930' and illustrated in the book "Wedgwood Ceramics...

Polo (Wall Plaque) Polychromed ceramic, c. 1930-1931 Signed with the artist's initials: VS recto Cowan Pottery stamp verso References And Exhibitions: Designed by the artist while working for Cowan Pottery in 1930. One of Cowan's clients, an interior designer, requested plates decorated with different outdoor activities. Others in the series included "Swimming," "Tennis," "Golf," and "The Hunt." Condition: with the usual craquelure Size: 11 1/4 inches in diameter Industrial design democratizes high style, and Mr. Schreckengost was widely considered among the most democratic industrial designers. He made, quite literally, the stuff of life — things found routinely in homes, backyards and garages in this country and around the world. He designed bicycles for Sears and everyday china for American Limoges. He designed children’s toys and pedal cars; flashlights, furniture and fans; lawn chairs, lawn mowers...

Antique French wooden steer's head is used as the exterior sign of a butcher’s shop (in French, they call it a Boucherie). The sign must be over a hundred years old, still has its or...

"Barge Toiler" by Max Kalish is a Mid 20th Century modern Depression-Era sculpture from his Labor series. The WPA era work is made of plaster. Max Kalish (1891 – 1945) Barge Toiler...

Feminine Nude Bronze with black patina Signed on Base 31 inches Paris Listed in Major Art books Iconic pose of both arms pressed close to the body with ...

Sculpture Terracotta From Marcel Bouraine (1886-1948)" Original terra cotta sculpture of Marcel Bouraine Naïade of the 1930's Signed Bouraine On the ...

American artist Burton Freund worked in Chicago in the 1930's and 1940’s for the FAP (Federal Arts Project) as an illustrator and sculptor. These original wood sculptures are time capsules of the 1930's and 1940's, hand carved out of solid wood including their bases. Walking the train platform in Chicago in 1938, the artist saw a "Red Cap" porter with a Phi Beta Kappa key hanging around his neck. When asked, the porter...

Hammer and two nails on wood board, 1930, signed in pencil, from an unknown edition size, published by Edition VICE-Versand, Remscheid, Germany, overall sizes: 34 x 16.5 x 7.8 cm. (1...

This half-shield from New Guinea is carved wood, embellished with vegetable pigment. It features an abstracted face with other designs. The shield is 31" x 9" x 4".

This ceramic pot was made by an unknown Mossi artist in Burkina Fasso. It was used as a farmer's water jug. The Mossi are a people in central Burkina Faso, living mostly in the villa...

Modern artist George L.K. Morris created this abstract biomorphic non0objective plaster sculpture during the WPA era of the 1930s / 40s. Though George Lovett Kingsland Morris studied with realist painters John Sloan and Kenneth Hayes Miller at the Art Students League, the influence of their points of view was replaced by that of abstractionists Amedee Ozenfant and Fernand Leger. The paintings of Morris were two-dimensional, hard-edged and brightly colored. Born in New York City in 1905, Morris became a full-fledged abstractionist and a founder in 1936 of the American Abstract Artists. He edited "The World of Abstract Art, the group's publication, and was their president from 1948-1950. Morris had graduated from Yale in 1928 and studied at the League until 1930, when he went to Paris to attend the Academie Moderne. A sculptor, writer, art critic and teacher in addition to abstract painter Morris himself later taught at the Art Students League from 1943-1944, as well as St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland, 1960-1961. Morris' intrinsic abstract bent was made even clearer by his positive feeling for Hans Arp's sculpture. He and Arp edited the French art magazine, "Plastique." Morris also edited the "Bulletin of the Museum of Modern Art" and "Partisan Review." He died in 1975 in New York City. George LK...

Philip Paval was a sculptor and silversmith who worked primarily in Los Angeles. He was known as a Hollywood Artist, as he affiliated with many of the Hol...

"Secret Society Mask-Sierra Leone W. Africa," is a wood sculpture of a woman's head. The hair has been sculpted with intricate detail, and metal hair adornments...

Monumental, Art Nouveau, Bronze Sculpture – Anonymous (20th Century) “Woman with Two Borzoi Dogs” 6 feet 7 inches high x 3 feet 3 inches wide x 2 feet 5 inches wide Medium: Silvered, patinaed and painted bronze Provenance: Maxwell House...

"Nkondi Bakongo Fetish - Zaire" is a sculpture created out of wood, cloth, nails, and twine in circa 1930. This statue is large and formidable. The figure's limbs are wrapped up in a...

Edition of 100 copies numbered and signed by the artist. Excellent conditions. Aurelio Mistruzzi was an Italian sculptor and medalist. He attended the Udine ...

Signed lower right: Marco Novati Italo Balbo was one of the key figures of Italian fascism, being among the four quadrumvirs of the March toward Rome whic...

"Fire Spiter's Mask/Senufo Mask of Worship Ceremonies" is made of wood and was created in the Ivory Coast circa 1930. This mask has to heads on either side...

"Idgo Nigeria Female Standing" is a wooden statue with blue and white pigment created in Nigeria circa 1930. This figure stands up right with arms out slightly in front of her. A st...

Figurative bronze sculpture of a man with his dog hunting. The man has a drawn bow. The sculpture is mounted on a marble base. The signature is stamped on to the bronze. Artist Bio...

Signed 'Lloyd' for Caroline Lloyd (American, 1875-1945) and created circa 1935. Base impressed with foundry stamp, 'C. Valsuani Cire Perdue', for Claude Valsuani Fonderie, Paris. Please note: Video has not been color corrected; for correct color, refer to photographs. Born in Indiana, Caroline Lloyd first studied at the Convent of Notre Dame in Milwaukee. After raising a family, she moved to Paris where she studied under Robert Wierick at the Ecole des Arts Appliqué à l’Industrie and, subsequently, at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Montparnasse. In France, Lloyd quickly achieved both commercial and critical success and was made welcome in Modernist artistic circles. She exhibited widely, including at the Salon D'Automne, the Salon des Tuileries and the Salon des Beaux Arts among other Ateliers and galleries. At the Paris International Exposition of 1937, Lloyd was awarded a medal and her exhibited work was purchased by the French government for the permanent collection of the Jeu de Paume...

Artist: Burr Miller (1904-1958) Title: Bust of Helen Coolidge Woodring Year: 1939 Medium: Patinated Bronze, signed, titled, and dated on verso Size: 14.5 x 7.5 x 9 in. (36.83 x 19.05...

This ceremonial mask was created by an unknown artist in the Yaka tribe of Africa. This mask is made out of carved wood, plant fibers, and painted intricately. This mask is mounted on five steel rods and has a base. 26" x 14" x 15" The Yaka are an African ethnic group numbering around 300,000 found in southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo, with Angola border to their west. The Yaka are notable for their arts and handicrafts. They make statues, portraits, baskets, carved objects, masks, tools for cooking, building, hunting, fishing or entertaining with additions of instruments such as drums. Their masks are bulky, distinctive with upturned noses and eyes shaped in the form of globules. These masks were frequently used in various Traditional Religion ceremonies. Their sculptures called Mbwoolo and their carved slit drum...

"Bobo Mask of Dance" is a wood sculpture with painted accents. A human face with two protruding shapes make up the mask, while a long structure sit atop. 37...

This mask was hand-carved by an unknown artist from the Mende tribe in Sierra Leone, Africa. It depicts a face with its eyes downcast, hair in rows, and two birds on the top. 16" x 10" x 10 1/2" The Mende people (also spelled Mendi) are one of the two largest ethnic groups in Sierra Leone. The Mende are mostly farmers and hunters. Much Mandé art is in the form of jewelry and carvings. The masks associated with the fraternal and sorority associations of the Marka and the Mendé are probably the best-known, and finely crafted in the region. The Mandé also produce beautifully woven fabrics which are popular throughout western Africa, and gold and silver necklaces, bracelets, armlets, and earrings. Masks are the collective Mind of Mende community; viewed as one body, they are the Spirit of the Mende people. The Mende mask...

A substantial and dramatic Art Deco figure of a horse, hand-carved in rose-ochre alabaster. Unsigned, American School circa 1930.

The stylized bronze nude posing on black Lucite base,

Numbered and signed. Limited edition of 100 pieces. Excellent conditions. Aurelio Mistruzzi was an Italian sculptor and medalist. He attended the Udine School of Art with professor ...

"Cow Pull Toy" is a carved and painted wood sculpture by an unknown folk artist. The sculpture is 9 1/4" long and 7 1/4" high.

Marble portrait of a woman in 1930 not signed but attribute to Michel Serraz

Marble portrait of a boy in 1930 not signed

This head of young boy is a rare, precious and unpublished sculpture by Marino Marini, belonging to a private collection for over 60 years. The same subject...

Sculpture of abstract boat

Bronze with light gold patina, 1931. Numbered 6/11, signed. Foundry stamp: H. Noack Berlin Width: 4.8 in ( 12,2 cm ), Depth: 3.31 in ( 8,4 cm ), Height: 6.1 in ( 15,5 cm )

Dudley Vaill Talcott (American, 1899-1986), The Gate, 1930s. From the estate of the artist. In fine condition. This large aluminum gate is decorated with the...

Henri-Paul Rey 1904-1981 Henri-Paul Rey was born in Pesmes, France. Rey was a sculptor who worked in stone and wood. He also created a large number of ceramic works. Rey studie...

Artist: (after) Auguste Moreau (French, 1834-1917) Title: "Jeune Fille sur L'oreiller (Young Girl on Pillow)" *Signed in the cast "A. Moreau" on pillow, behind the model. It is also ...

Escena de recolección de frutas BRY-002, 1937 Edition 1/8 Bronze 200 x 113 x 11.5 cm 78.7 x 44.4 x 4.5 in. ABOUT THE ARTIST Narváez was born in Porlamar, Venezuela, in 1905; he was the fifth son of eleven siblings; his parents were Jose Lorenzo Narváez and Vicenta Rivera. Don José Lorenzo, a multifaceted and creative man, sowed the seed of creativity in his son. “My father did not fit in with his fantasies of cabinetmaker, bricklayer, master builder, and self-taught architect.”1 From an early age, Francis was led to the artistic activity, he traced, carved, made replicas of the furniture and the saints restored by his father. In 1920 he obtained his first professional assignment, a San Rafael for the Church of Carupano, and, in 1922, his father authorized him to travel to Caracas to pursue his studies as an artist. He studied at the atelier of Marcos Castillo, at of the Angel Cabre y Magriña and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Caracas, where he was introduced to the painters and intellectuals of the time. In 1928 he presented his first solo exhibition at the Club Venezuela. With the money raised from the sale of the works and the support of Monsignor Sosa, and the Ministers Centeno Grau and Arcaya, he studied in Paris on a scholarship. Once there, he enrolled at the Académie Julian, where Tito Salas, Cristóbal Rojas and Arturo Michelena had also studied. It was in Paris where, unable to work in wood, he turned to stone carving. “In Paris, I didn’t have wood, so I carved a lot in stone (…), when there were demolitions I purchased chunks of stone, I would take them to the workshop and carve them.”2 His first attempts at volumetric sculptures and painting in plain colours, linked to the thematic of American miscegenation and Creole reality, can be traced back to that first trip to Paris. During his stay in the French city, Arturo Uslar Pietri, Alfredo Boulton, and Finita Vallenilla supported the artist both financially and logistically, and in February of 1930, the trio of friends arranged another exhibition for him at the Club Venezuela. Narváez describes his exhibition as follows: “(…) in it I feel that the sculptural work is more my own, done with more assurance, a response to my pursuit of large planes, stylisation and synthesis.”3 By then, as Boulton himself noted in his book about the artist, Narvaez departed from most of the artistic traditions that prevailed by that time in Venezuela. In 1931 he returned to Caracas and established his atelier at the Barrio Obrero in Catia. The atelier became the hub of the intellectual life of the time. “In those years, the atelier of Francisco Narváez was the hub of the greatest Venezuelan hope. Nothing comparable to it can be found either before or since.”4 From that year onwards, exhibitions, projects, trips, and awards we multiplied. He was awarded the President of the Republic of Venezuela Prize, the National Sculpture Prize of the 1st Official Venezuelan Art Salon, and the John Boulton Prize of the 3rd Annual Venezuelan Art Salon; for the Military Academy, he produced a spectacular relief entitled La Patria. In 1945, commissioned by the architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva, he produced two groups of sculptures known as Las Toninas, both located in the O’Leary Square. There, as he himself states, he incorporates some baroque patterns into the figures to the source itself: “It is a work of balance between the decorative requirements and the sculpture of planes and angles.”5 In 1948 he was awarded the National Painting Prize. In the same year, he was called upon by the architect Carlos Raul Villanueva to participate in the project for the arts integration in the Universidad Central de Venezuela. Francisco Narváez’s public output continued with works such as the statue of Fermín Toro, La Educación, La Ciencia, three murals (produced by María Luisa Tovar) for the Instituto de Medicina Experimental, El Cristo; el Atleta, the equestrian statue of General Rafael Urdaneta. In 1953 he was appointed Director of the School of Plastic and Applied Arts, and in July of the same year, he exhibited “Francisco Narváez, Maderas, Piedras y Bronces” (Francisco Narváez, Woods, Stones and Bronzes) at the Museum of Fine Arts. Narváez is, unquestionably, one of the great Venezuelan sculptors, his work goes through various stages and interests; as the art world evolves, the artist does not remain in his initial scopes of work. His creations are not imposed by the prevailing trends or fashion but do evolve by experimenting with new materials and interests. When one peruses the artist’s lengthy list of exhibitions, commissions, and awards, it is worth remembering the Narvaez who embark on his career as a child and who, overcoming obstacles, knew how to make the most of his curiosity. He did not settle for living off his successes. He did not remain stagnant as many creators of his environment did. Narvaez managed to understand the changes in the history of art around him. We must not overlook the fact that Francisco Narvaez is an artist amid all the changes occurring in the art world. He moves from the classics to the great transformations in the art world. It is the Europe of Picasso, Braque, Arp. He observes, he is aware of what is happening in the centres of the world of art, but between his craft and his sensitivity, the result is NARVAEZ, his stamp, and his identity. Francisco Narváez comes from tradition, and his first stage is linked to the classics, to the exploration of his heritage, but always with his very own language. Throughout his prolific career, he knew how to remain true to himself, without disregarding the influences of his surroundings or his artistic interests: his ability as a sculptor, his selection of materials, whether they were wood, stone or bronze; his choice of the subject of his work…His mastery and great craftsmanship are a constant that over time have made him a leading player in the history of contemporary Venezuelan and world art. From his beginnings, no subject was foreign to him. His paintings, drawings, aquarelles, and sketches are testimony to his prolific output. Among his themes are portraits, our traditions, still lifes, and landscapes. Narváez is an artist who represents his time. Later, he evolved towards purer and simpler forms, abandoning figurative art for short periods. In 1956 he declared to the newspaper El Nacional: “Every day I am freeing myself, it is a soul that frees itself from the ephemeral wrappings of the circumstantial always, as well as from the inevitable weight of the anecdote. This second stage of my work is remarkably close to abstractionism, even if there are still certain figures or figurations in the sculptures that I will shortly be showing. However, pure, and absolute abstractionism, it will treat the form itself as the sole reason for its existence on the plane of artistic excellence.”6 The artistic development was his professional life. Each period of his life as an artist, he went one step further, searching, solving, seeing plenty of things and understanding how diverse expressions were transforming themselves. His hands followed his gaze and his mind, always inquisitive. He added movement to the volumes. Arturo Uslar Pietri, “Formas Nuevas”, Cromotip editions, 1956 “Francisco Narváez is a path: the path that Venezuelan sculpture...

Murano Glass Costolato Vase Light Green, circa 1930 Blown glass 13.25 x 6.25 x 6.25 in

Conceived circa 1936-37 and cast in 1959 in an edition of 6.

JULIO GONZÁLEZ Spanish, 1876 - 1942 PETIT MASQUE DÉCOUPÉ MONTSERRAT signed "GONZALEZ" 5 of an edition of 9 Cire Perdue "C. VALSUANI" foundry seal bronze...

Acrobat Family is an original artwork realized by Arturo Martini in 1936. Bronze sculpture with wooden base. Provenance: Pecci Blunt Collection. Published in the general catalogue...