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Anton Refregier Art

American, 1905-1979

Anton Refregier was a painter and muralist active in Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project commissions, and in teaching art. He was a Russian immigrant to the United States. He is known, among other works, for his mural The History of California located in the Rincon Center, in downtown San Francisco, California. It depicts the state's history across 27 panels that he painted from 1940–48. The style of this historic mural had many of Refregier's key characteristics. The palette was composed of yellows, browns, and grays, punctuated by red in certain areas to evoke emotion. Earthy tones and the lack of bright colors remind viewers of the struggles and hardships he is depicting. Refregier also uses white to represent virtue in those inspired by a cause. His style is very flat and one-dimensional. Refregier uses solid blocks of color to denote shadows, along with depth and shade. His painting style appears to be very rudimentary and simple, but complex because of the way he uses color to evoke emotion and powerful images to tell a story. Refregier died in 1979 while in Moscow. Refregier was working on a mural for a medical center in his home city. The same year, his Rincon Mural was placed under the protection of the National Register of Historic Places.

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Artist: Anton Refregier
DISCOVERY OF GOLD - Very Large Serigraph - WPA Artist - California Murals
DISCOVERY OF GOLD - Very Large Serigraph - WPA Artist - California Murals

DISCOVERY OF GOLD - Very Large Serigraph - WPA Artist - California Murals

By Anton Refregier

Located in Santa Monica, CA

ANTON REFREGIER (1905 – 1979) DISCOVERY OF GOLD, 1949. Color serigraph. Signed and numbered in pencil, edition of 90. Image 23 ¼ x 21 ¾" Large sheet, 29 3/4 x 25 ¼”. Printed title...

Category

1940s American Modern Anton Refregier Art

Materials

Screen

original lithograph

original lithograph

By Anton Refregier

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original lithograph. This lithograph is from the rare 1950 "Improvisations" portfolio, published by the Artists Equity Association of New York on the occasion of the 1950 Spr...

Category

1950s Anton Refregier Art

Materials

Lithograph

original lithograph

original lithograph

By Anton Refregier

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original lithograph. This lithograph was printed in 1957 for the "Improvisations" portfolio, published by the Artists Equity Association of New York on the occasion of the 19...

Category

1950s Anton Refregier Art

Materials

Lithograph

WPA Mural Study Mid-Century Modern American Scene Social Realism Workers
WPA Mural Study Mid-Century Modern American Scene Social Realism Workers

WPA Mural Study Mid-Century Modern American Scene Social Realism Workers

By Anton Refregier

Located in New York, NY

WPA Mural Study Mid-Century Modern American Scene Social Realism Workers Anton Refregier (1905-1979) Mural Study, Untitled 7 ¾ x 22 inches (sight) Gouache, pencil, and charcoal on board, c. 1940s Unsigned Provenance: Estate of Seymour Fogel, noted verso Thomas McCormick Gallery...

Category

1940s American Modern Anton Refregier Art

Materials

Charcoal, Gouache, Board, Pencil

Picnic, Modern Figurative Oil Painting by Anton Refregier
Picnic, Modern Figurative Oil Painting by Anton Refregier

Picnic, Modern Figurative Oil Painting by Anton Refregier

By Anton Refregier

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Anton Refregier Title: Picnic Year: 1959 Medium: Oil on Masonite, signed and dated l.r. Size: 24 x 44 inches (61 x 112 cm) Frame: 31.5 x 51.5 inches

Category

1950s American Modern Anton Refregier Art

Materials

Oil

original lithograph

original lithograph

By Anton Refregier

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original lithograph. This lithograph was printed for the inside back cover of the 1956 "Improvisations" portfolio, published by the Artists Equity Association of New York on ...

Category

1950s Anton Refregier Art

Materials

Lithograph

original lithograph

original lithograph

By Anton Refregier

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original lithograph. This lithograph was printed in 1955 for the "Improvisations" portfolio, and published by the Artists Equity Association of New York in an edition of 2000...

Category

1950s Anton Refregier Art

Materials

Lithograph

original lithograph

original lithograph

By Anton Refregier

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original lithograph. This lithograph is from the rare 1953 "Improvisations" portfolio, published by the Artists Equity Association of New York on the occasion of the 1953 Spr...

Category

1950s Anton Refregier Art

Materials

Lithograph

“Girl in the Grass”
“Girl in the Grass”

“Girl in the Grass”

By Anton Refregier

Located in Southampton, NY

Original oil on canvas painting by Anton Refregier of a young girl resting in the grass. Signed upper right and dated 1962. Condition is very good. The painting is in its original oa...

Category

1960s American Modern Anton Refregier Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

original lithograph

original lithograph

By Anton Refregier

Located in Henderson, NV

Medium: original lithograph. This lithograph was printed in 1956 for the "Improvisations" portfolio, published by the Artists Equity Association of New York on the occasion of the 19...

Category

1950s Anton Refregier Art

Materials

Lithograph

Costume Drawing Mid-Century Modern American Scene Social Realism Russian Theatre
Costume Drawing Mid-Century Modern American Scene Social Realism Russian Theatre

Costume Drawing Mid-Century Modern American Scene Social Realism Russian Theatre

By Anton Refregier

Located in New York, NY

Costume Drawing Mid-Century Modern American Scene Social Realism Russian Theatre Anton Refregier (1905-1979 Costume, 1931 Pencil, crayon, and silver paint on paper 17 x 13 ¾ inches...

Category

1940s American Modern Anton Refregier Art

Materials

Pencil, Paint, Paper, Crayon

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Previously Available Items
Untitled I (Symbolic Gesture, Dove, Floral, Butterfly)
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Peace
Peace

Peace

By Anton Refregier

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Peace Woodcut printed in orange red ink on japanese paper Signed and titled in pencil lower right (see photo) Titled lower left (see photo) Created along with an illustrated book project Song of Peace, 1950-1959. Condition: Excellent Image: 10 1/2 x 4 7/8" Sheet: 16 1/8 x 7"; Anton Refregier (March 20, 1905 – October 10, 1979) was a painter and muralist active in Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project commissions, and in teaching art. He was a Russian immigrant to the United States. Among his best-known works is his mural series The History of San Francisco, located in the Rincon Center in downtown San Francisco, California. It depicts the city's history across twenty seven panels that he painted from 1940 to 1948. Life and early career Refregier was born in Moscow and emigrated to the United States in 1920. After working various odd jobs in New York City, he earned a scholarship to the Rhode Island School of Design in 1921. After finishing school, Refregier moved back to New York in 1925. To earn a living, Refregier worked for interior decorators, creating replicas of François Boucher and Jean-Honoré Fragonard paintings...

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1950s American Modern Anton Refregier Art

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Woodcut

"Hop Scotch" Mid 20th Century Social Realism WPA Modern American Scene 1950s SF
"Hop Scotch" Mid 20th Century Social Realism WPA Modern American Scene 1950s SF

"Hop Scotch" Mid 20th Century Social Realism WPA Modern American Scene 1950s SF

By Anton Refregier

Located in New York, NY

"Hop Scotch" Mid 20th Century Social Realism WPA Modern American Scene 1950s SF, .30 1/4 x 22 1/4 inches. Signed and dated 1951 lower right. Provenance: ACA Gallery label verso. BIO Anton Refregier was born March 20, 1905 in Moscow, Russia. He immigrated to the United States in 1920. He received his artistic training from the Rhode Island School of Design*, Providence, Rhode Island, 1921-1925; studied abroad with the sculptor Nicolai Vassilief in Paris in 1920; and with Hans Hofmann in Munich, 1927. From 1934 to 1940, Refregier, living in New York City, worked on various WPA Federal Art Projects* as a teacher, supervising artist, and mural supervisor. His most famous work is arguably the mural project at San Francisco's Rincon Center, the costliest and one of the most controversial of all the WPA commissions. It is a multi-scene panorama* that sparked national debate because of its inclusion of controversial events in California history. Refregier found inspiration in tragic events, which is reflected in his Depression Era-WPA work...

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1950s American Realist Anton Refregier Art

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Masonite, Oil

SAN FRANCISCO '34 WATERFRONT STRIKE
SAN FRANCISCO '34 WATERFRONT STRIKE

SAN FRANCISCO '34 WATERFRONT STRIKE

By Anton Refregier

Located in Portland, ME

Refregier, Anton (American, born Russia, 1905-1979). SAN FRANCISCO '34 WATERFRONT STRIKE. Screenprint in colors, 1949. Edition of 75. Signed in ink and numbered 47/75, with the Title...

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1940s Anton Refregier Art

Materials

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“Flowers and Radishes”
“Flowers and Radishes”

“Flowers and Radishes”

By Anton Refregier

Located in Southampton, NY

Original oil pastel on archival paper drawing by Anton Refregier of flowers and radishes in a still life. Signed upper right. Circa 1965. Condition is good. Overall measurements fra...

Category

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LUMBERJACKS Hanging Sculpture Painting Ceramic Mid-Century Woodstock Men Working
LUMBERJACKS Hanging Sculpture Painting Ceramic Mid-Century Woodstock Men Working

LUMBERJACKS Hanging Sculpture Painting Ceramic Mid-Century Woodstock Men Working

By Anton Refregier

Located in New York, NY

LUMBERJACKS Hanging Sculpture Painting Ceramic Mid-Century Woodstock Men Working Anton Refregier (1905-1979) "Lumberjacks," Ceramic embedded plaster on masonite. 26 x 9 inches. Sign...

Category

1950s American Modern Anton Refregier Art

Materials

Ceramic, Plaster, Wood, Masonite

"Coulee Dam Construction" WPA Precisionist Industrial Figurative American Scene
"Coulee Dam Construction" WPA Precisionist Industrial Figurative American Scene

"Coulee Dam Construction" WPA Precisionist Industrial Figurative American Scene

By Anton Refregier

Located in New York, NY

Anton Refregier painting "Coulee Dam Construction, " a WPA era industrial American Scene oil painting, The figurative work is signed on the upper right Born in Moscow, Refregier stu...

Category

1930s American Realist Anton Refregier Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Anton Refregier art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Anton Refregier art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of orange and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Anton Refregier in lithograph, oil paint, paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Anton Refregier art, so small editions measuring 7 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Ruth Gikow, George Biddle, and Jacques Hnizdovsky. Anton Refregier art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $75 and tops out at $13,000, while the average work can sell for $75.

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