Grace B. Olson Paintings

A Charming, Colorful 1950s Mid-Century Modern Harbor Scene of Martha's Vineyard by Notable Chicago Artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Painted near the artist's longtime studio ...

A charming vintage 1950s painting of Martha's Vineyard, "Oak Bluffs, Mass." by notable Chicago artist Francis Chapin. A bustling view of the picturesque lighthouse and Soldiers Mem...

A Brooding 1930s WPA Era, Modern Social Realist Industrial Scene by Famed Chicago Artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Depicting a gritty nocturne view of industrial rooftops and...

"Strike" American Scene Social Realism 1930s WPA Modern Industrial Landscape Karl Metzler (1909-1995) "Strike" 26 1/4 x 30 1/4 inches Oil and gesso on masonite, c. 1930 Signed and t...

A colorful, blustery painting of sailing off the coast of Martha's Vineyard by famed Chicago Modern artist, Francis Chapin. Painted in the early 1950s, the painting depicts a vibran...

A Vibrant, Colorful 1950s Mid-Century Modern Painting of Martha's Vineyard by Famed Chicago Artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Titled "Breakfast on the Porch at the Vineyard Ho...

A charming, vibrant, early Mexican city street scene by famed Chicago Modern artist Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Depicting a quiet, picturesque view of the rooftops and cathedral...

"Cars, Buildings People" Contemporary Outsider Folk Art African American Urban Purvis Young (1943-2010) Cars, Buildings People 65 x 48 inches Oil o...

A quiet, sunlit, vintage 1930s American Scene city park scene with a fountain by famed Chicago Modern artist Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Depicting a picturesque landscape comple...

New York City scene of two women walking down a sidewalk with a park in the background, in the foreground a man is walking a small dog. American life is captured in this Clyde Sing...

Erik Tryggelin (1878–1962) Sweden Winter Shore, Vadstena, 1940–1950 signed and dated lower right E. Tryggelin inscribed Vadstena 8/12 1940–50 oil on canvas laid on masonite unframe...

A historically significant 1942 American modernist oil painting by Martyl Schweig Langsdorf depicting Victor, Colorado, a high-altitude mining ghost town nestled within the Rocky Mountains. The composition captures the stark beauty and atmospheric stillness of a fading Western settlement, where abandoned structures, rugged terrain, and expansive mountain forms merge into a powerful narrative landscape. Painted in oil on masonite, the work features Schweig’s expressive plein-air brushwork and a richly grounded palette of deep greens, muted golds, earthy browns, and atmospheric grays. The paint handling is both fluid and structured, emphasizing light, elevation, and the emotional weight of the post–Gold Rush landscape rather than strict topographical accuracy. This early American modernist Western painting carries strong narrative presence while remaining visually balanced, making it highly effective in both traditional interiors and more contemporary, curated environments. Created in 1942 during Schweig’s Colorado painting trips with fellow artist Adolph Dehn...

A Unique, Lively 1960s Surrealist Mid-Century Modern Abstract City Scene by Notable Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). Titled "Figures in a City Street", depicting an ab...

A strong modernist oil painting depicted in 1971 by Russian painter Michael Baxte. Mostly known for his abstracted figures on canvas or street scenes, this piece is a wonderful representation of his landscape paintings, with expressive use of color, shape, and form. Later in his career, Baxte explores Expressionism, infusing both European and North American stylistic trends. This piece is from later in his career, but we can feel this underlying style throughout. Art measures 18 x 21.75 inches Michael Posner Baxte was born in 1890 in the small town of Staroselje Belarus, Russia. For the first half of the 19th century it was a center of the Chabad movement of Hasidic Jews, but this group was gone by the middle of the 19th century. By the time the Baxte family immigrated to the United States at the beginning of the 20th century, the Jewish population numbered only on the hundreds. The native language of the Baxte family was Yiddish. It is likely that the death of Michael Baxte’s father triggered the family’s immigration. Three older brothers arrived in New York between 1903 and 1905. Michael and his mother, Rebecca, arrived in 1907. By 1910 Michael, his mother, and brother, Joseph, were living in New Orleans and may have spent some time on a Louisiana plantation. Around 1912, Michael Baxte returned to Europe to study the violin. In 1914 he, his mother, and Joseph moved to New York City. Meanwhile, in Algeria, a talented young woman painter, Violette Mege, was making history. Since for the first time, a woman won the prestigious Beaux Art competition in Algeria. At first, the awards committee denied her the prize but, with French government intervention, Mege eventually prevailed. She won again 3 years later and, in 1916, used the scholarship to visit the United States of America. When Violette came to New York, she met Baxte, who was, by then, an accomplished violinist, teacher, and composer. Baxte’s compositions were performed at the Tokyo Imperial Theater, and in 1922 he was listed in the American Jewish Yearbook as one of the prominent members of the American Jewish community. As a music teacher he encouraged individual expression. Baxte stated, “No pupil should ever be forced into imitation of the teacher. Art is a personal experience, and the teacher’s truest aim must be to awaken this light of personality through the patient light of science.” By 1920 Michael Baxte and Violette Mege were living together in Manhattan. Although they claimed to be living as husband and wife, it seems that their marriage did not become official until 1928. On their “unofficial” honeymoon around 1917, in Algiers, Baxte confided to her his ambition to paint. There and later in New Mexico where the wonderful steeped sunlight approximates the coloring of Algiers, she taught him his heart’s desire. He never had any other teacher. She never had any other pupil. For ten years she devoted all her time, energy, and ambition to teaching, encouraging, inspiring him. Then in 1928, their mutual strivings were rewarded, as his works were being chosen as one of the two winners in the Dudensing National Competition for American Painters. Out of 150 artists from across the country participated in the Dudensing, and Michael Posner Baxte and, Robert Fawcett, were the winners. In his 1924 naturalization application, he indicated that he was sometimes known as “Michael Posner Baxte.” One of the witnesses to his application was Bernard Karfiol, a Jewish American artist. That’s when Michael may...

A vibrant, 1960s Mid-Century Modern painting, "Vermont Landscape, Spruce Tree and Shoreline" by notable Chicago artist Harold Haydon. Painted near the artist's longtime summer studi...