Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

American, 1914-2003

Once dubbed “the Grandfather of L.A. Modernism,” the Chicago-born Emerson Seville Woelffer was active as an innovative painter, collagist, and educator throughout his long and prolific career. A pioneering Abstract Expressionist, Woelffer’s brightly colored work with jagged forms reveals Cubist and Surrealist influences. Coming of age in Chicago during the Great Depression, Woelffer appreciated the improvisational nature of jazz music, a sensibility he would later apply to painting through gestural variation, energetic strokes, and a rhythmic use of line. From 1935 to 1938, Woelffer, a high school dropout, studied at the Art Institute of Chicago while employed as a janitor, early evidence of his enduring work ethic. He joined the Works Progress Administration arts program in 1938 as an easel painter, followed by a two-year stint as a topographical draftsman for the United States Air Force. The director of the Chicago Institute of Design, László Moholy-Nagy, invited Woelffer to join the faculty in 1942. His experiences there brought him into contact with the modernist idiom of the day, and his interactions with students caused him to re-examine his own practice. He also exhibited in group shows at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, participated in the Whitney Museum Annual (1949) and won the Pauline Palmer Prize for painting at the Art Institute of Chicago (1948). In 1949 Emerson Woelffer and his wife Dina, a fine art photographer, were invited by Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner to New York before they headed to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Exposure to Pre-Columbian art led Woelffer to incorporate totemic figures and vibrant colors into his abstract paintings. In 1959 Woelffer joined the faculty at the Chouinard Art Institute (later the California Institute of the Arts) in Los Angeles, where he instructed notable emerging artists until 1973 and where he was instrumental in bringing Modernism to LA. Ed Ruscha was one of his students. In 1974, Woelffer was named chair of the art department at the Otis Art Institute (now the Otis School of Art and Design). His tenure lasted until his retirement in 1989, and he was widely admired for his interdisciplinary approach in the classroom. An endowed scholarship fund in his name provides support for promising young artists and designers. Suffering from macular degeneration, Woelffer switched to drawing with white crayon on black paper in his final years of artistic activity. Emerson won a prestigious Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship in 1967 and then went to wprk in Europe. Woelffer’s work is represented in the collections of such distinguished institutions as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art, among others.

Artist: Emerson Woelffer

Emerson WoelfferEmerson Woelffer, Bold Torn-Edge Collage, Signed Abstract Expressionist Work, 1969

$3,240

Emerson Woelffer, Bold Torn-Edge Collage, Signed Abstract Expressionist Work

By Emerson Woelffer

Located in Buffalo, NY

Emerson Woelffer Untitled Abstract Collage, 1989 Mixed media collage on paper Dimensions: 32 x 26 inches (framed) Signed and dated lower right A striking example of Emerson Woelffer...

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1960s Abstract Expressionist Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

Materials

Acrylic, Archival Paper

Emerson WoelfferUntitled, Oil Stick and Collage on paper, Abstract, 1989, Manny Silverman Col, 1989

$6,800

Untitled, Oil Stick and Collage on paper, Abstract, 1989, Manny Silverman Col

By Emerson Woelffer

Located in New York, NY

Once dubbed “the Grandfather of L.A. Modernism,” the Chicago-born Emerson Seville Woelffer was active as an innovative painter, collagist, and educator throughout his long and prolif...

Category

1980s Abstract Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

Materials

Mixed Media

Emerson WoelfferUNTITLED 1977, Paper Collage, 29" x 23" framed orange, green, blue and black, 1977

$4,800

UNTITLED 1977, Paper Collage, 29" x 23" framed orange, green, blue and black

By Emerson Woelffer

Located in New York, NY

Once dubbed “the Grandfather of L.A. Modernism,” the Chicago-born Emerson Seville Woelffer was active as an innovative painter, collagist, and educator throughout his long and prolif...

Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

Materials

Mixed Media

Grant McTavishThe Territory, Glasgow School Abstract Expressionist Mixed Media, 1988

$395Sale Price|30% Off

H 20.08 in W 20.08 in D 0.6 in

The Territory, Glasgow School Abstract Expressionist Mixed Media

Located in Cotignac, FR

A Scottish Glasgow School Abstract Expressionist mixed media painting by Grant McTavish. The work is signed and dated bottom right and is resigned and dedicated to the backboard. The...

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Late 20th Century Abstract Expressionist Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

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Paper, Oil, Acrylic

Michael Pauker"Brescia" Abstract Painting Collage, 2014

$1,150

H 24 in W 18 in D 2 in

"Brescia" Abstract Painting Collage

By Michael Pauker

Located in Soquel, CA

Abstract expressionist painting and collage by Bay Area artist Michael Pauker (American, b.1957). Titled and dated "Brescia 2014" on verso. Unsigned. From a collection of his work. F...

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2010s Abstract Expressionist Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

Materials

Wood, Mixed Media, Oil, Magazine Paper

Lesley Anne Spowart"Friendship Garden" by L. A. Spowart - Vibrant and Pastel Tone Large Abstract, 2021

$9,100Sale Price|30% Off

H 50.5 in W 63.5 in D 1.5 in

"Friendship Garden" by L. A. Spowart - Vibrant and Pastel Tone Large Abstract

Located in Carmel, CA

Lesley Anne Spowart (American, born 1957) "Friendship Garden" 2021 Acrylic Paint, Paper, Mixed Media, Canvas The artist signed the back of the painting. Friendship Garden by Lesley ...

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2010s Abstract Expressionist Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

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Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars

Rebecca Wing Sze LamFoundational Series No 23C, 2026

$2,850

H 5.12 in W 4.34 in D 0.04 in

Foundational Series No 23C

By Rebecca Wing Sze Lam

Located in STRETTON, AU

Collectors’ Note: FS No. 23(C) FS No. 23(C) is the emotional and figurative resolution of Studio Archive No. 86. Where the previous studies established the linguistic soul and the ...

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21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

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Carbon Pencil, Other Medium, Graphite, Color Pencil, Paper, Felt Pen, Ba...

Irving Marcus“Abstract Sailing”, 1973

$1,400Sale Price|36% Off

H 13.5 in W 10.5 in D 1 in

“Abstract Sailing”

By Irving Marcus

Located in Southampton, NY

Mixed media painting consisting of watercolor and acrylic painting on arches paper by the American artist, Irving Marcus. Signed and dated lower right, 1973. Condition is very good....

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1970s Abstract Expressionist Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

Materials

Acrylic, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Conrad Marca-Relli 1Conrad Marca-Relli Composition 2 - 1977, 1977

$1,295

H 22.05 in W 30.32 in D 0.4 in

Conrad Marca-Relli Composition 2 - 1977

By Conrad Marca-Relli 1

Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Conrad Marca-Relli Composition 2 64/75 Mixed media on guarro paper Poligrafa Edition Numbered out of 75 and signed in pencil by the artist Circa 1977 76 x 56 Perfect condition 110...

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1970s Abstract Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

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Mixed Media

Stanley BoxerStanley Boxer Mixed Media Abstract Expressionist Painting on Paper, Gold, 1987

$4,000

H 27.5 in W 21.5 in

Stanley Boxer Mixed Media Abstract Expressionist Painting on Paper, Gold

By Stanley Boxer

Located in Surfside, FL

Abstract, 1987 Hand signed and dated verso Not sure of technique. this might be a monotype or monoprint with hand painting. The handmade paper is cut somewhat irregularly as per the ...

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1980s Abstract Expressionist Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

Materials

Acrylic, Gouache, Archival Paper

Conrad Marca-Relli 1Conrad Marca-Relli Composition Lithography 1977, 1977

$1,295

H 22.05 in W 29.93 in D 0.4 in

Conrad Marca-Relli Composition Lithography 1977

By Conrad Marca-Relli 1

Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Conrad Marca-Relli Composition Lithography Mixed media on guarro paper Poligrafa Edition Numbered out of 75 and signed in pencil by the artist Circa 1977 76 x 56 Perfect condition ...

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1970s Abstract Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

Materials

Mixed Media

Conrad Marca-Relli 1Conrad Marca-Relli Composition 5 - 1977, 1977

$1,295

H 22.05 in W 30.32 in D 0.4 in

Conrad Marca-Relli Composition 5 - 1977

By Conrad Marca-Relli 1

Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Conrad Marca-Relli Composition 5 2/75 Mixed media on guarro paper Poligrafa Edition Numbered out of 75 and signed in pencil by the artist Circa 1977 77 x 56,5 cm Perfect condition ...

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1970s Abstract Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

Materials

Mixed Media

Rebecca Wing Sze LamFoundational Series No 22A, 2026

$2,850

H 5.12 in W 4.34 in D 0.04 in

Foundational Series No 22A

By Rebecca Wing Sze Lam

Located in STRETTON, AU

F.S. No. 22-a (The "Monolith" Edition) F.S. No. 22-a is an intimate, primary foundational study from the Rebecca Wing Sze Lam Atelier. Executed on heavy-weight, acid-neutral indust...

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21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

Materials

Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Ballpoint Pen, Felt Pen, Carbon Pe...

Conrad Marca-Relli 1Conrad Marca-Relli Composition 15 - 1977, 1977

$1,295

H 22.05 in W 30.32 in D 0.4 in

Conrad Marca-Relli Composition 15 - 1977

By Conrad Marca-Relli 1

Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Conrad Marca-Relli Composition 15 62/75 Mixed media on guarro paper Poligrafa Edition Numbered out of 75 and signed in pencil by the artist Circa 1977 Work: 43 x 63 cm With margin: ...

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1970s Abstract Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

Materials

Mixed Media

Fern SamuelsMixed Media Painting Titled: "Where is my princess?"

$2,300

H 26 in W 30 in D 0.05 in

Mixed Media Painting Titled: "Where is my princess?"

By Fern Samuels

Located in West Palm Beach, FL

Fern Samuels received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois, and her Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Art institute of Chicago. She r...

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