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 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...

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1970s Abstract Expressionist Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

Materials

Mixed Media

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...

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1980s Abstract Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

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Mixed Media

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

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Acrylic, Watercolor, Archival Paper

Malgosia KiernozyckaSweet Emotions Mixed Media on Paper, 2017

$1,500

H 19.6 in W 28 in

Sweet Emotions Mixed Media on Paper

By Malgosia Kiernozycka

Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL

Sweet Emotions Mixed media acrylic, watercolor, ink marker, pastel on archival. Malgosia Kiernozycka was born in Wroclaw, Poland. She graduated high school at the School of Fine Art...

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2010s Abstract Expressionist Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

Materials

Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Pastel

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

Dale Chihuly"Macchia Series Drawing" Boisterous Abstract Action Painting in Blue Green Gold

$15,000

H 42 in W 30 in

"Macchia Series Drawing" Boisterous Abstract Action Painting in Blue Green Gold

By Dale Chihuly

Located in Austin, TX

Page Size: 42 x 30 in. Frame Size: 48 x 36 in. Signed, bottom center. This energetic composition captures the raw, kinetic energy that defines Dale Chihuly's celebrated Macchia seri...

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Early 2000s Abstract Expressionist Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

Materials

Acrylic, Archival Paper

Stanley William HayterStanley Hayter - Meduse, scarce abstract expressionist etching, Signed/N Framed, 1958

$7,500

H 21.5 in W 24 in D 1.5 in

Stanley Hayter - Meduse, scarce abstract expressionist etching, Signed/N Framed

By Stanley William Hayter

Located in New York, NY

Stanley WIlliam (Bill) Hayter Meduse, 1958 High Viscosity Etching & Engraving Pencil signed, titled and numbered from the edition of 50 (10/50) on the front Catalogue Raisonne Bl...

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Mid-20th Century Abstract Expressionist Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

Materials

Mixed Media, Etching, Aquatint

Gail Lehman"Village" - Bright Colorful Textural Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media Artwork, 2022

$11,000

H 40 in W 60 in D 1.5 in

"Village" - Bright Colorful Textural Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media Artwork

By Gail Lehman

Located in Carmel, CA

Gail Lehman (American, born 1950) "Village" 2022 Acrylic paint, Gesso, Canvas, Stretcher Bars The artist signed the bottom right of the painting. Within this captivating composition...

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2010s Abstract Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Gesso, Stretcher Bars, Mixed Media

Samantha Millington"Jester". Contemporary Figurative Art, 2026

$1,157

H 18 in W 14 in

"Jester". Contemporary Figurative Art

By Samantha Millington

Located in Brecon, Powys

Samantha Millington’s unique style of figurative art pops and zings from the canvas while also nodding in the direction of cubism and goddess figures from pre-history. Both thoughtfu...

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2010s Abstract Expressionist Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

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Mixed Media

Nam June PaikNam June Paik -Plate Six from Novecento, Mixed media with chalk pastel, Signed/N, 1992

$10,000

H 13.3 in W 18 in

Nam June Paik -Plate Six from Novecento, Mixed media with chalk pastel, Signed/N

By Nam June Paik

Located in New York, NY

Nam June Paik Untitled, Plate Six from Novecento, 1992 Mixed Media: Color offset lithograph with unique chalk pastel drawing 13 3/10 × 18 inches Hand signed, Edition 104/130 Pencil n...

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1990s Abstract Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

Materials

Chalk, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Graphite, Lithograph, Offset

Rose MadoneABSTRACT Contemporary Artist French Rose Madone New Artwork forms earth colors, 2025

$8,964

H 63.78 in W 51.19 in D 1.58 in

ABSTRACT Contemporary Artist French Rose Madone New Artwork forms earth colors

By Rose Madone

Located in Barcelona, Barcelona

At Escat Gallery, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of trust and professionalism for our collectors. Every artwork in our collection comes with a Certificate of A...

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2010s Abstract Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Pigment

Paul ShimonUntitled, Modern Mixed Media, 1954, Abstract Expressionism, 1954

$1,200

H 16 in W 19 in

Untitled, Modern Mixed Media, 1954, Abstract Expressionism

By Paul Shimon

Located in Surfside, FL

American artist and composer, a pioneer in abstract Judaica; was influenced by his Sephardic roots and leaves a great collection of work in private collections worldwide. He died in ...

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20th Century Abstract Expressionist Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

Materials

Mixed Media

Hector FrankDiptych Figurative Portraits of a Man and Women, Contemporary Cuban Art, 2022

$7,000

H 24 in W 36 in

Diptych Figurative Portraits of a Man and Women, Contemporary Cuban Art

By Hector Frank

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Diptych of Red and Blue Figurative Portraits of a Man and Women, Contemporary Cuban Art Unique Acrylic and Collage on thick Aches Paper. Both pieces are cur...

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2010s Abstract Expressionist Emerson Woelffer Mixed Media

Materials

Cotton, Acrylic, Archival Paper

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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