Jenne Magafan Paintings
American, 1916-1952
Jenne and Ethel Magafan were identical twins, born in Chicago to a Greek immigrant father and a Polish mother. Due to health concerns about their father, the family moved to Colorado, living first in Colorado Springs and then in Denver. He was a proud supporter of their artistic ambitions but died suddenly in 1932, a heavy blow to both of them. They attended East High School in Denver, where they found a mentor in their art teacher Helen Perry. She had studied at the Art Institute of Chicago but had later abandoned a career as an artist, making her all the more determined to help the Magafan twins succeed artistically. While still in high school, the twins impressed artist Frank Mechau and Helen Perry paid for their lessons with him. He subsequently invited them to apprentice with him at his Redstone studio. In 1936, Jenne won the Carter Memorial Art Scholarship and shared it with her sister so that they both could attend the Broadmoor Art Academy in Colorado Springs. Once they ran out of money, Mechau, now teaching there, hired them as assistants. Through their involvement at the Academy, the twins entered into careers as muralists, working at first with Mechau and then with Peppino Mangravite. In 1939, Jenne was awarded her first commission for a mural at the Albion, Nebraska Post Office. Eventually, she won a total of seven commissions. For the work, she traveled across the country in a station wagon. Her daughter has said of her mother's experience that, “They saved up gas coupons as fuel was rationed and drove cross country on retreads or refurbished old tires”. Their federally sponsored murals could stir up exciting responses from local citizens. Jenne's favorite mural was Cowboy Dance at the Anson, Texas post office, but the local newspaper took offense to a whiskey jug painted in the lower corner, citing that, “Throughout the history of Anson there has never been an open saloon”. Meeting the artists Doris Lee and Arnold Blanch in Los Angeles, the twins learned of the art colony in Woodstock, New York and in 1945 they went to visit. That same year, their work was exhibited at the Los Angeles Museum of Art and the National Academy of Design. Marrying her longtime love, Edward Chavez, Jenne moved to Woodstock along with her sister where, for the first time, the sisters didn't live together. Ethel didn't look favorably upon her brother-in-law's dominating personality and this forced their styles to develop more independently. When Chavez won a Fulbright scholarship, the couple traveled to Italy. During this time, Jenne went to visit her sister in Greece, where Ethel was fulfilling her Fulbright. In 1952, the Magafans and their husbands returned to the States and less than a week after their return Jenne died in Albany Hospital of a cerebral hemorrhage.
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Artist: Jenne Magafan
Church in Leadville, Colorado, 1930s Framed Landscape Watercolor & Ink Painting
By Jenne Magafan
Located in Denver, CO
This rare, original WPA-era painting, Church in Leadville (1938), was created by renowned Colorado and Woodstock modernist artist Jenne Magafan (1916-1952). The watercolor and ink wo...
Category
1930s American Modern Jenne Magafan Paintings
Materials
Archival Ink, Watercolor
Jenne Magafan 1946 “Deserted Street” Oil on Canvas, Colorado/Woodstock Modernist
By Jenne Magafan
Located in Denver, CO
This evocative 1946 oil on canvas painting, titled Deserted Street, was created by Colorado/Woodstock modernist Jenne Magafan (1916–1952). The work depicts a solitary figure wanderin...
Category
1940s American Modern Jenne Magafan Paintings
Materials
Oil
Back Fence with Bird. - Mid-Century - WPA Artist
By Jenne Magafan
Located in Miami, FL
The Mid-Century mindset
As expected, 65 years ago.. people looked at art/painting a little differently.
Back then, many artists were concerned with depicting simple and beautiful t...
Category
1950s Modern Jenne Magafan Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
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Jenne Magafan paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Jenne Magafan paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Jenne Magafan in paint, oil paint, archival ink and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Jenne Magafan paintings, so small editions measuring 22 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Mervin Jules, William Harnden, and Tarmo Pasto. Jenne Magafan paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $5,500 and tops out at $16,250, while the average work can sell for $12,000.