Charles Alston Art

American, 1907-1977

Charles Henry Alston (1907-1977; Columbia College 1929, Teachers College 1931) was an influential painter during the Harlem Renaissance and the first African American supervisor for the Works Progress Administration. He supervised the WPA murals created at Harlem Hospital, leading a staff of 35 artists and assistants. Alston was also the first African American to teach at both the Museum of Modern Art and the Art Students League and, in 1969, to have been appointed the painter member of the Art Commission of the City of New York. Alston was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was related to renowned artist Romare Bearden through his mother's second marriage. He attended Columbia University as an undergraduate and graduate student, receiving a B.A. from Columbia College in 1929 and an M.F.A. from Columbia University's Teachers College in 1931. After graduating he worked at the Harlem Arts Workshop, and when the program required more space, he secured an additional facility at 306 W. 141st St. The space, known as "306," became a center for the Harlem art community. The influence of Mexican muralists José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros, who all used murals to inspire people toward social activism, can be seen in Alston’s work. When Diego Rivera was painting his famous mural at Rockefeller Center, which was destroyed because of its political content, Alston frequently visited the Mexican artist, communicating in French, their only common language. Alston’s gift was not limited to painting. He also worked as a sculptor, and his cartoons and illustrations were published in popular magazines such as The New Yorker and Fortune. During World War II, he worked at the Office of War Information and Public Information, creating cartoons and posters to mobilize the black community to join in the American war effort. He also taught at the City University of New York from 1970 to 1977. His work is in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Detroit Institute of Arts. Excerpted from Columbia University, "Columbia Celebrates Black History and Culture"

Charles AlstonGnarled Tree - African American Artist, 1930 circa

$15,000

Gnarled Tree - African American Artist

By Charles Alston

Located in Miami, FL

Executed in 1930, this abstract yet representational biomorphic charcoal work by African American Artist Charles Henry Alston prefigures his ...

Category

1930s American Realist Charles Alston Art

Materials

Paper, Charcoal

Charles AlstonRestaurant Scene, Modern Oil Painting on Canvas by Charles Alston, ca 1930

Price Upon Request

Restaurant Scene, Modern Oil Painting on Canvas by Charles Alston

By Charles Alston

Located in Long Island City, NY

An original oil on canvas painting by African American artist, Charles Alston. Completed sometime in the 1930s, "Restaurant Scene" focuses on a crowded ...

Category

1930s Charles Alston Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Frances RinaldoThe Artist's Apartment - Mid-Century Fauvist Interior Scene, Oil on Canvas 48x48, 1968

$2,130Sale Price|40% Off

H 48 in W 48 in D 0.75 in

The Artist's Apartment - Mid-Century Fauvist Interior Scene, Oil on Canvas 48x48

Located in Soquel, CA

The Artist's Apartment Mid-Century Fauvist Interior Scene Original Oil on Canvas Vibrant interior scene by Santa Cruz California artist Frances Rinaldo (American, b. 1943). A bright...

Category

1960s American Modern Charles Alston Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars

Jacques Zucker"Mother & Child" Post-Impressionist Interior Scene Oil Painting on Canvas Framed, 20th Century

$4,250

H 28.25 in W 24.25 in D 2.5 in

"Mother & Child" Post-Impressionist Interior Scene Oil Painting on Canvas Framed

By Jacques Zucker

Located in New York, NY

A charming oil painting depicting an interior scene of a mother and child reading together while sitting on a table round table with a mantel, and a window on the background with the...

Category

20th Century Post-Impressionist Charles Alston Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Erle LoranBlacksmith (Untitled), 1936

$5,500

H 28 in W 30 in D 2 in

Blacksmith (Untitled)

By Erle Loran

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Blacksmith (Untitled), 1936, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, 28 x 30 inches Erle Loran was an influential American painter, art historian, and educator, renowned for h...

Category

1930s American Modern Charles Alston Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Steven J. Levin"The Rembrandt Room" Realist Oil Painting on Canvas, Museum Scene, Framed, 2024

$18,600

H 21 in W 25 in

"The Rembrandt Room" Realist Oil Painting on Canvas, Museum Scene, Framed

By Steven J. Levin

Located in Sag Harbor, NY

"The Rembrandt Room" is a realist oil painting by Steven J. Levin. It depicts three people in a museum gallery. One person is looking at the art, another is seated on a bench, with t...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Realist Charles Alston Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

$1,500

H 22 in W 14.75 in D 1 in

Medieval Architecture Painting with Female Figure by Mystery Artist

Located in New York, NY

Mystery Artist, likely French Untitled, c. 1876 Oil on canvas 18 1/2 x 11 1/4 in. Framed: 22 x 14 3/4 x 1 in. Signed and dated lower right

Category

1870s Barbizon School Charles Alston Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Previously Available Items

Charles Alston"Saturday Night" Local Genre, Figurative, Dance, Harlem Renaissance, Signed, 1938 - 39

Sold

H 18.5 in W 17 in

"Saturday Night" Local Genre, Figurative, Dance, Harlem Renaissance, Signed

By Charles Alston

Located in Detroit, MI

"Saturday Night" is a joyful and colorful rendition of a happy pastime in the style of the Harlem Renaissance – dancing perhaps in a nightclub suggested by the drinks in the foreground. It also appears that it might be a basement speakeasy since the background shows patrons entering and leaving via stairs. This was painted after prohibition, but places operated with alcohol unable or unwilling to purchase a liquor license until well into the early 1970s. Charles Alston...

Category

1930s American Modern Charles Alston Art

Materials

Paper, Watercolor, Graphite

Charles Alston art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Charles Alston art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Charles Alston in canvas, fabric, oil paint and more. Not every interior allows for large Charles Alston art, so small editions measuring 33 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Arthur Osver, Donald S. Vogel, and Mervin Jules.