J. Graham Kaye Art

A strong modernist oil painting depicted in 1969 by Russian painter Michael Baxte. Mostly known for his abstracted figures on canvas or street scenes, this piece is a wonderful representation of his bold still life 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 21.75 x 18 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...

Artist: William Harnden, American (1920 - 1983) Title: Concert Medium: Oil on Masonite, signed Image Size: 15.5 x 20 inches Frame Size: 22.5 x 27 inches

A Fabulous 1960s Mid-Century Modern Painting of an Embracing Couple, Lovers, by noted Chicago Artist, Rudolph Pen. A wonderful example of the artist's uniquely expressive, abstract...

A dramatic painting of a seaside town done in bright colors. The abstract American scene style captures the moody sky, and the reflection of water captures the viewer's attention. ...

An Exceptional Mid-Century Modern Oil Painting of a Reclining Nude Female Model by Noted Chicago Artist, Rudolph T. Pen. This alluring studio scene, painted in the 1960s, exemplifi...

Uprising - a huge and incredibly powerful and topical painting by Jamaican master painter Barrington Watson (1931-2016). It depicts the 1865 Moran...

Work on paper Gilded wooden frame with glass window 66 x 71 x 2.5 cm This painting depicts a magnificent coastal view of a rocky beach, incorporating a fascinating play of texture...

A nude portrait of a demure young lady seated on an antique couch in a library setting by Margaret Wherry Ziegler (American, 1909-1989). Signed with monogram "MWZ" top right, and on verso. Unframed. Image, 24"H x 12"L. Ziegler studied at Cincinnati Art Academy, Minneapolis Art...

Posing Nude by Mikhail Turovsky, Russian (1933) Date: 2001 Oil on Masonite, signed lower left Size: 48 x 30.5 in. (121.92 x 77.47 cm)

French Landscape by Louise Alix, French 1950's Impressionist gouache on artist paper painting: 12 x 13 inches provenance: from a large private collection of this artists work in Nor...

The Duke of Buccleuch’s hunt was founded in 1827 and was once a famous event in Scotland but has now since died down because of the fox hunting bans around the area. Now the hunt has...

Hollywood regency portrait painting of a young woman by Francis Kughler (American 1901-1970). Oil on canvas board. Circa 1932. Unframed. Born in New York City in 1901, Francis Vandeveer Kughler attended Cooper Union, the Mechanics' Institute, and the National Academy of Design School of Art where he met Charlotte Livingston, an artist, whom he was later to marry. During this period he was the winner of a Tiffany scholarship, which provided him a summer of landscape painting at the Louis Comfort Tiffany estate at Oyster Bay, L.I. In the 1940s, Kughler became the President of the Salmagundi Club, a well-known art club in Washington Square in New York City.Well-known as a muralist, society portrait painter and lithographer, he was a prolific painter who made cityscapes, landscapes, and nudes. He and his wife, Charlotte Livingston, lived and worked in Bronx, New York. mid century modern wpa impressionist...