Abraham Walkowitz is perhaps best known for his watercolor studies of Isadora Duncan and the dance. However, Walkowitz laid claim to being the first to exhibit truly modernist paintings in the United States. After 1909, he became an intimate of Alfred Stieglitz's 291 Gallery, and while there became a participant in the debate over modern art in America. Walkowitz was an outspoken proponent of the continuous experimentation in the arts, which was his definition of modernism. As an artist, Walkowitz embodied the changing role of the modernist painter in the United States, as modernism moved from an avant-garde protest against established modes to become an accepted style and tradition.
Abraham Walkowitz was a Russian born, turn-of-the-century immigrant to the United States, who grew up in New York's Lower East Side. He first studied art at the Educational Alliance, the Cooper Union and the National Academy of Design. In 1906, he journeyed to Europe where he studied at the Académie Julian in Paris. Upon his return to the United States in 1907, he became a fully-fledged convert to modernism, and his first exhibit, at the Haas Gallery in that year, brought him a measure of notoriety as well as the attention of Stieglitz and other pioneers of non-objective art. In subsequent years, he became one of the most exhibited painters shown at the 291 Gallery, a fact which was also reflected in the pages of Stieglitz's polemical journal of modernism, camera work. As a result of this early attention, by the time of the Armory Show of 1913, to which Walkowitz contributed several paintings, his work was widely known to both fellow modernists as well as their opponents.
Walkowitz was clearly part of the new vocabulary of American art and criticism. During the 1920s and 1930s, as the first-generation modernists lost their revolutionary cast, and as American realism gained in favor, Walkowitz continued his experiments with form and line, especially in his series of Duncan studies. Although his paintings received less critical attention than they once had, Walkowitz was clearly one of the grand old folk of American modernism. During the depression, Walkowitz was politically active on behalf of unemployed artists supporting various new-deal initiatives in the arts. In the 1940s, Walkowitz gained national attention when he explored the varieties of the modernist vision in the form of an exhibit of 100 portraits of him by 100 artists. The result was widely discussed and was featured in Life magazine in 1944.
In 1945, Walkowitz traveled to Kansas, where he painted landscapes made up largely of strip mines and barns. This was his last venture in active painting — by 1946, glaucoma, which led to his eventual blindness, began to impair his vision and limit his ability to work. Walkowitz then turned to the preparation of a series of volumes of his drawings, designed to illustrate the development of modernism in the 20th century, and in so doing, established his role as a pioneer American modernist.
Abstraction
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Signed and dated in ink lower center Provenance: Charlotte Bergman, noted collector and patron of Walkowitz. See photo for additional information.
Ink, Pen
Modernist Drawing, Portrait of a Man
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Surfside, FL
Abraham Walkowitz (March 28, 1878 - January 27, 1965) was an American painter grouped in with early American Modernists working in the Modernist style. Walkowitz was born in Tyumen,...
Paper, Ink
Abstraction
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Untitled Abstraction Pen and ink on paper, 1932 Signed and dated in ink lower center Condition: Excellent Sheet/Image size: 10 3/8 x 6 1/4 inches Frame size: 16 1/2 x 12 1/2" Provena...
Ink, Pen
Beautiful abstract sketch American modern art
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in London, GB
This soft and inviting work is the first in a series of abstractions. Walkowitz utilises innovative drawing techniques, the side of the pencil becomes a valuable tool in creating a b...
Paper, Photographic Film
Intriguing abstract pencil sketch American modern art famous artist
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in London, GB
“If it brings to me a harmonious sensation…” Walkowitz once said, “…I then try to find the concrete elements that are likely to record the sensation in visual forms.” This philosoph...
Pencil
Modernist Watercolor Painting, Portrait of a Man, Judaica Rabbi
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Surfside, FL
Abraham Walkowitz (March 28, 1878 - January 27, 1965) was an American painter grouped in with early American Modernists working in the Modernist style. Walkowitz was born in Tyumen, Siberia to Jewish parents. He emigrated with his mother to the United States in his early childhood. He studied at the National Academy of Design in New York City and the Académie Julian in Paris under Jean-Paul Laurens. Walkowitz and his contemporaries later gravitated around photographer Alfred Stieglitz's 291 Gallery, originally titled the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession, where the forerunners of modern art in America gathered and where many European artists were first exhibited in the United States. During the 291 years, Walkowitz worked closely with Stieglitz as well as Arthur Dove, Marsden Hartley, and John Marin (often referred to as "The Stieglitz Quartet"). Early Career and Training Portrait of Abraham Walkowitz - 1907 - Max Weber - Brooklyn Museum Walkowitz was drawn to art from childhood. In a 1958 oral interview with Abram Lerner...
Paper, Watercolor
Untitled (Nude Woman)
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Astoria, NY
Abraham Walkowitz (Russian/American, 1878-1965), Nude Woman, Watercolor on Paper, signed in pencil lower right, linen covered frame. Image: 13" H x 9.5" W; frame: 20.25" H x 16.25" W...
Paper, Watercolor
"Abstraction" American Modernist Geometric Pen/ Ink/Wash/Paper Black White Sepia
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Wellesley, MA
Abraham Walkowitz (1878 -1965) Abraham Walkowitz was a Russian-born American artist who arrived in New York in 1889 and who went to Paris in 1906 where he met the Steins and the le...
Ink, Pen
"Abstraction" American Modernist Geometric Pen/ Ink/Wash/Paper Black White Sepia
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Wellesley, MA
Abraham Walkowitz (1878 -1965) Abraham Walkowitz was a Russian-born American artist who arrived in New York in 1889 and who went to Paris in 1906 where he met the Steins and the le...
Ink, Pen
Early American modernist work by Abraham Walkowitz
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Colfax, CA
Early American modernist work on paper by Abraham Walkowitz. Abraham Walkowitz, (1878-1965), was born in Siberia to Jewish parents. He immigrant to the United States around 1900 wit...
Paper, Mixed Media
$5,600Sale Price|20% Off
New York Improvisation
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Miami, FL
Abraham Walkowitz (1878–1965) New York Improvisation, 1910 Ink wash on paper Signed lower right 'A. Walkowitz 1910' Titled and dated on Zabriskie Gallery label enclosed in clear sle...
Ink
"Abstraction" American Modernist Geometric Pen/ Ink/Wash/Paper Black White Sepia
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Wellesley, MA
Abraham Walkowitz (1878 -1965) Abraham Walkowitz was a Russian-born American artist who arrived in New York in 1889 and who went to Paris in 1906 where he met the Steins and the le...
Ink, Pen, Illustration Board
Lower East Side Crowd
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Lower East Side Crowd Ink and ink wash on paper, c. 1910 Signed in ink lower center edge (see photo) Signed with the initials lower right corner (see p...
Ink
Modernist Watercolor Painting, Portrait of a Man, the Rabbi
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Surfside, FL
Abraham Walkowitz (March 28, 1878 - January 27, 1965) was an American painter grouped in with early American Modernists working in the Modernist style. Walkowitz was born in Tyumen, Siberia to Jewish parents. He emigrated with his mother to the United States in his early childhood. He studied at the National Academy of Design in New York City and the Académie Julian in Paris under Jean-Paul Laurens. Walkowitz and his contemporaries later gravitated around photographer Alfred Stieglitz's 291 Gallery, originally titled the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession, where the forerunners of modern art in America gathered and where many European artists were first exhibited in the United States. During the 291 years, Walkowitz worked closely with Stieglitz as well as Arthur Dove, Marsden Hartley, and John Marin (often referred to as "The Stieglitz Quartet"). Early Career and Training Portrait of Abraham Walkowitz - 1907 - Max Weber - Brooklyn Museum Walkowitz was drawn to art from childhood. In a 1958 oral interview with Abram Lerner...
Paper, Watercolor
Isadora Duncan
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Isadora Duncan Graphite with grey wash on paper mounted to cardstock Signed and dated in pencil lower right (see photo) Provenance: Charlotte Bergman, f...
Graphite
"Isadora Duncan Dancing #3, " Watercolor and Ink signed by Abraham Walkowitz
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Isadora Duncan Dancing #3" is an original ink and watercolor piece on cream paper by Abraham Walkowitz. The artist signed the piece in the lower center. The drawing depicts Isadora ...
Ink, Watercolor
$6,000Sale Price|20% Off
A Sailing Ship at the Port
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Miami, FL
Abraham Walkowitz (1878–1965) A Sailing Ship at the Port, 1909 Watercolor on cardboard Signed lower right 'A. Walkowitz', in pencil '1909' Dimensions: 33.5 x 56 cm Born: Tyumen, Ru...
Watercolor
$4,800Sale Price|20% Off
Improvisations of New York
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Miami, FL
Abraham Walkowitz (1878–1965) Improvisations of New York, 1910 Watercolor and pencil on paper Signed lower right 'A. Walkowitz 1910' Dimensions: 7 x 5 inches (paper) Titled on Berna...
Watercolor
Woman Bathing #3 Abraham Walkowitz Nude watercolor Circa 1920s
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA
Signed lower left Provenance American Heritage Gallery, Inc., New York Private collection This work can be viewed at our New York City showroom by appointment.
Watercolor, Graphite, Paper
"Isadora Duncan (Blue), " Pen, Ink, & Watercolor signed by Abraham Walkowitz
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Isadora Duncan (Blue)" is an original mixed media drawing created by Abraham Walkowitz. It is made with pen & ink, graphite, and watercolor piece on cream paper. The artist signed t...
Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Graphite
$920Sale Price|20% Off
H 29 in W 18.25 in D 0.5 in
"Indian Dance", Multicolor Abstract Geometric Composition
By Ellwood Graham
Located in Soquel, CA
Bright and colorful abstract geometric watercolor with multicolor connected forms cascading in a dynamic vertical composition by Ellwood Graham (American, 1911-2007). Signed "GRAHAM" in the upper right corner, and "Ellwood Graham" on verso. Circa 1961-1966. The title "Indian Dance...
Paper, Watercolor, Pen, Pencil
$1,200
H 16.5 in W 13.75 in D 0.75 in
"I Think I Will" Modern Oval Drawing of a Nude Woman with Wings and Boots
By Charles Pebworth
Located in Houston, TX
Modern oval figurative drawing of a nude, tattooed woman with wings and cowboy boots by Houston, TX artist Charles Pebworth. Signed by the artist next to the figure's right hip. Hung...
Ink, Pen
$1,950
H 15.5 in W 16 in D 1 in
“Untitled, 1946” New Hope Modernist Small Abstract Bucks County Lambertville NJ
By Louis Stone
Located in Yardley, PA
“Untitled, 1946” by Louis K. Stone (1902-1984). A strong and charming example of mid-century American modernism by one of the most important artists working in New Hope, PA. This wa...
Paper, Watercolor
$450
H 8 in W 8 in
"residence" abstract cityscape, colorful rowhouses, geometric, marker, pencil
By Miriam Singer
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This piece titled "residence" is an original artwork made from pencil, maker, acrylic paint collage on panel by Miriam Singer. This piece measures 8"h x 8"w. Miriam Singer grew up i...
Paint, Panel, Permanent Marker, Pencil
$245
H 16 in W 12 in D 0.13 in
A Fine, Stylish 1930s Modern Figure Study Drawing of a Standing Male Nude Model
By Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
A Fine, Stylish 1930s Modern Figure Study Drawing of a Standing Male Nude Model (Back) by Famed Chicago Artist Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). A wonderful, early example of Chapin's...
Paper, Watercolor, Ink
$310
H 14 in W 16 in D 0.13 in
A Striking, 1951 Mid-Century Modern Abstract Ink Drawing, "Conversation"
By Harold Haydon
Located in Chicago, IL
A striking Mid-Century Modern 1950s abstract ink drawing by notable Chicago artist, Harold Haydon. A wonderful example of Hayden's experimentation with continuous line drawing. Ink...
Ink, Paper
$1,250
H 8.5 in W 10 in
"Untitled Abstract" Howard Daum, Mid-Century Twisting Abstract Composition
Located in New York, NY
Howard Daum Untitled Abstract, 1963 Signed and dated upper left, Signed on the reverse Pencil on paper 4 1/2 x 6 inches Provenance The artist Ashby Gallery, New York Carl Ashby, New...
Paper, Pencil
$165
H 10 in W 8 in D 0.13 in
A Striking 1950s Mid-Century Modern Ink Drawing of a Standing Female Nude
By Harold Haydon
Located in Chicago, IL
A Striking 1950s Mid-Century Modern Ink Drawing of a Standing Female Nude by Noted Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). Exhibiting a spare and exceptional use of brushwork...
Ink, Paper
$135
H 12 in W 7 in D 0.13 in
A Distinctive, 1950s Mid-Century Modern Cubist Portrait Study of Two Young Men
By Harold Haydon
Located in Chicago, IL
A Distinctive, 1950s Mid-Century Modern Cubist Portrait Study of Two Young Men by Noted Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). A visually striking charcoal male portrait stu...
Paper, Charcoal
$500
H 18 in W 14 in D 0.13 in
A Bold 1940s Cubist Mural Study of a Chicago City Scene by Rudolph Weisenborn
By Rudolph Weisenborn
Located in Chicago, IL
A bold 1940s graphite on paper WPA era mural study of a Chicago city scene by Rudolph Weisenborn. Artwork size: 12 1/2 x 9 1/4 inches. Archivally matted to 18 x 16 inches, Provenance: Estate of the artist. Rudolph Weisenborn was born in Strassburg, Germany in 1881, but was orphaned at the age of nine. He was taken-in by Mid-Western farmer Thomas Westaby and spent his early years in Wisconsin, Iowa and North Dakota. Weisenborn first attended the University of North Dakota in 1898, then the Students School of Art in Denver. Various accounts have him working out west as a gold miner and cowboy. Around 1912, he settled in Chicago and worked as a window designer for Marshall Field’s. Weisenborn is best known as the founder of the Chicago No-Jury Society of Artists. The group was founded because many artists could not get their work accepted into the mainstream Art Institute shows. Weisenborn is quoted as saying that he harbored feelings of disdain for any jury and that his own paintings were frequently rejected by conservative jurors. He was also involved and helped found other radical artist’s groups such as the Salon des Refuses, Cor Ardens and Neo-Arlimusic. In 1936, he helped found the New York-based American Abstract Artist’s Group. He created the only abstract mural for the 1933 Century of Progress Exhibition in Chicago and also worked for the Federal Arts Project in the Easel Division. His WPA murals can be found in Crane Technical High School and Nettlehorst Elementary School in Chicago, IL. In 1945, Chicago businessman Herman Spertus...
Paper, Graphite
$7,500
H 5.8 in W 4.1 in
Sol Lewitt - Unique drawing Geometric Abstraction on franked card, hand signed
By Sol LeWitt
Located in New York, NY
Sol LeWitt Unique Geometric Abstraction on Postcard, 1982 Original drawing done on postcard from the Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam), mailed, stamped and postmarked (franked) from Spolet...
Ink, Mixed Media, Postcard, Offset
$1,250
H 12 in W 13.75 in
"Factory Along the River" Howard Daum, Modernist Factory Landscape, Industry
Located in New York, NY
Howard Daum Factory Along the River, 1937 Signed and dated lower right Watercolor and pencil on paper 12 x 13 3/4 inches Provenance The artist Ashby Gallery, New York Carl Ashby, Ne...
Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
Sold
H 11.25 in W 8.75 in
Simple pencil abstract sketch American modern art perfect for interior design
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in London, GB
In ‘Untitled’ 1932, Walkowitz crafts a memorable image. Tessellating lines are centred on the page and form geometric shapes. Faint pencil marking reveal the artists forward planning...
Pen, Pencil
Sold
H 6 in W 7.5 in
Beautiful simple abstract pencil sketch American modern art
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in London, GB
This soft and inviting work is the second in a series of abstractions by Walkowitz. Containing a central sequence of wavey lines and a singular circle, it evokes a feelings of joy in...
Pencil
Sold
H 14 in W 16 in
"Abstract Cityscape" NYC Early 20th Century American Scene Social Realism Ashcan
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in New York, NY
"Abstract Cityscape" NYC Early 20th Century American Scene Social Realism Ashcan Abraham Walkowitz (American, 1878-1965) Abstract Cityscape Sight: 6 1/4' x 8 1/2 inches Mixed media...
Paper, Mixed Media
Sold
H 6.75 in W 5.25 in
"Abstraction" American Modernist Geometric Pen/ Ink/Wash/Paper Black White Sepia
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Wellesley, MA
Abraham Walkowitz was a Russian-born American artist who arrived in New York in 1889 and who went to Paris in 1906 where he met the Steins and the leaders of the avant-garde, as well...
Ink, Pen
Sold
H 10.5 in W 6.75 in D 0.01 in
Untitled (Figurative Abstraction of Isadora Duncan #7)
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Abraham Walkowitz, Untitled (Figurative Abstraction of Isadora Duncan #7), pencil, 1918. Signed and dated in pencil, bottom center. A fine, spon...
Pencil
Landscape, France (Abstraction)
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in New York, NY
Watercolor on cream laid paper. Signed by the artist, inscribed "Paris" and dated in lower right in ink. Framed dimension overall 18 x 24 x 1.5 inches.
Watercolor
City Abstraction II
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in London, GB
This intimate abstract work, depicting towering buildings emerging from the smog filled city, is one of many drawings the artist did of New York City in the early 20th century. A den...
Pencil
"Untitled Abstraction"
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Wellesley, MA
Abraham Walkowitz (1878 -1965) NOTE: This drawing is signed 'A.W' lower left in ink. The provenance is Estate of the Artist. Abraham Walkowitz was a Russian-born American artist who arrived in New York in 1889 and who went to Paris in 1906 where he met the Steins and the leaders of the avant-garde, as well as famed dancer Isadora Duncan in Rodin’s studio. The meeting was electric. Isadora became the subject of many now famous watercolors, whose fluid gestures drawn in pen...
Paper, India Ink
Sold
H 6.75 in W 2.63 in D 0.01 in
Abraham Walkowitz Delightful Original Watercolor, circa 1920s, Isadora Duncan
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Original pen and ink with watercolor by American Modernist Abraham Walkowitz (1878-1965) Depicting one of his favorite subjects, Isadora Duncan, the “Mother of Modern Dance.” In exce...
Paper
City Scape
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Provenance: Zabriske Gallery, NYC Jack Rutberg Fine Arts, Los Angeles Modernism Fine Arts, NYC Exhibited: Utah Museum of Fine Arts, 1974 Edwin A. Ulrich Museum of Art, 1975 Abraham...
Charcoal, Watercolor
Modernist Drawing, Portrait of a Man
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Surfside, FL
Abraham Walkowitz (March 28, 1878 - January 27, 1965) was an American painter grouped in with early American Modernists working in the Modernist style. Walkowitz was born in Tyumen, Siberia to Jewish parents. He emigrated with his mother to the United States in his early childhood. He studied at the National Academy of Design in New York City and the Académie Julian in Paris under Jean-Paul Laurens. Walkowitz and his contemporaries later gravitated around photographer Alfred Stieglitz's 291 Gallery, originally titled the Little Galleries...
Paper, Ink
Isadora Duncan
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Isadora Duncan Graphite and wash on paper, c. 1910 Signed in pencil lower right Provenance: Charlotte Berman (1903-2002), noted art collector, friend an...
Graphite