John Steuart Curry Portrait Paintings

American, 1897-1946

Born in Dunavant, Kansas on November 14, 1897, John Steuart Curry became the youngest member of the famed "Benton-Wood-Curry trio" of Regional Painters of the early 20th-century American Scene movement. He gained a national reputation for his rural Kansas scenes. The artist focused on people who were down-to-earth, plain spoken, and self-reliant, and who made a living through hard physical labor. Curry executed murals dealing with land settlement and racial justice, and his works reflecting these themes are in the Capitol Building in Kansas, the University of Wisconsin, the United States Department of the Interior, and the United States Department of Justice. The artist quit high school and attended the Kansas City Art Institute and School of Design. He transferred to the Art Institute of Chicago. Curry married Clara Derrick in 1923. He studied in Paris in 1927. He was not impressed by the modernist American painters, many of whom were adopting the 'isms' of French contemporary artists. Curry was determined to paint American subjects without European models and to celebrate patriotism, regional pride, and the common man. He settled in Westport, Connecticut. In 1928, he painted Baptism in Kansas. The painting was heralded nationally as work of a new American genre. It was exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery of Art biennial where it met critical acclaim. In 1931, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney bought it for her museum. Tornado over Kansas was unveiled in 1929 before the stock market crash and provided the city with the romance of man versus nature theme. In 1933, it received second prize at the Carnegie International Exhibit. In 1930, he had his first one-man exhibition at the Whitney Studio Club. His work of the 1930s contains themes of work, family, and land-- demonstrating the peace, struggle, and perseverance that Curry believed was the essence of American life. In 1934 he married Kathleen Shepard. The United States government selected him to paint murals for the Department of Justice and the Department of Interior. He was appointed Artist-in-Residence in the College of Agriculture at the University of Wisconsin in 1936. He was a member of the Art Students' League and won prizes including: Purchase prize, North West Print Maker, fifth annual Exhibition, 1933; second prize, Thirty-first International Exhibition, Carnegie Institute, 1933; gold medal, PAFA, 1941; prize, Artists for Victory Exhibition, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1941. Exhibitions include: “A Celebration of Rural America,” 2007, Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History; “Collective Images: the sketchbooks of John Steuart Curry, 2002, Worcester Art Museum; “Illusions of Eden: Visions of the American Heartland,” 2000, Columbus Museum of Art; “The American Century: Art and Culture 1900-2000,” Whitney Museum of American Art; and “John Steuart Curry: Inventing the Middle West,” 1998, M.H. de Young Memorial Museum. He died in Madison, Wisconsin in 1946.

Artist: John Steuart Curry

John Steuart Curry"Portrait of Kathleen Curry, the Artist's Wife" John Steuart Curry, 1938

$55,000

"Portrait of Kathleen Curry, the Artist's Wife" John Steuart Curry

By John Steuart Curry

Located in New York, NY

John Steuart Curry Portrait of Kathleen Curry, the Artist's Wife, 1938 Signed and titled "Kathleen" lower left Oil on canvas 55 x 34 inches Provenance The artist Kathleen Curry, the...

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1930s American Modern John Steuart Curry Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Arthur Trevethin NowellPortrait of Franklin Atwood Park, VP of Singer Mfg. Co., 1922

$3,600Sale Price|22% Off

H 37.5 in W 32.5 in D 3 in

Portrait of Franklin Atwood Park, VP of Singer Mfg. Co.

Located in Soquel, CA

Portrait of Franklin Atwood Park, VP of Singer Mfg. Co. Stately portrait of Franklin Atwood Park by Arthur Trevethin Nowell (British, 1862-1940). Park is sitting for a classical portrait, wearing a suit with a blue bowtie against a dark background. Of particular note are his glasses and moustache, both rendered with expert detail. Park was the VP and Chairman of the Board for Singer Manufacturing Company and Manager of the Singer Division in Scotland when the portrait was commissioned. We show a digital image of a photographic portrait of Franklin. Signed and dated "A T Nowell. 1922" Includes paper with biographical information on the sitter. Frame size: 37.5"H x 32.5"W Canvas size: 30"H x 25"W Arthur Nowell (British, 1862-1940) was born at Garndiffath, near Pontypool, and was the youngest of six children born to the Rev. John Nowell and his wife Mary...

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1920s American Modern John Steuart Curry Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars

William SchwartzLandscape with Artist. Mid-Century Chicago Modernist Oil Painting.

$9,500

H 20 in W 24 in D 2 in

Landscape with Artist. Mid-Century Chicago Modernist Oil Painting.

Located in Marco Island, FL

Chicago Modernist, William Schwartz, painted this dynamic landscape of an artist painting en plein air. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago shortly after emigrating to the Un...

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Mid-20th Century American Modern John Steuart Curry Portrait Paintings

Materials

Board, Oil, Canvas

Joan TidwellMid-Century Modern Man - Portrait in Oil on Canvas, 1960s

$2,000Sale Price|20% Off

H 22 in W 30 in D 0.75 in

Mid-Century Modern Man - Portrait in Oil on Canvas

Located in Soquel, CA

Subtle and moody portrait of a Pensive man by Joan Tidwell (American, 1930-2002). The sitter in the portrait is a middle-aged man looking slightly downwards, wearing a collared shirt. This piece is completed in a tan and green palette, creating a somber feeling. Of particular note are the confident, thick brushstrokes - each one is well-placed in the modernist style. Similar in some ways to Picasso's portraits. Signed "Joan Tidwell" on verso Unframed. Canvas size: 30"H x 22"W oan Gay Tidwell (American, 1930-2002) was born and raised in Hollywood, CA, where she had some success as a child actor. Later, she graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Washington with a Master's Degree in English Literature and Drama. Tidwell moved to the Bay...

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1960s American Modern John Steuart Curry Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Anna Elkan Meltzer“The Big City, 1948” Grand Central Station NYC Manhattan Female WPA Modernist, 1948

$12,000

H 33.38 in W 28.38 in D 2.5 in

“The Big City, 1948” Grand Central Station NYC Manhattan Female WPA Modernist

Located in Yardley, PA

“The Big City, 1948” by Anna Elkan Meltzer (American, 1896-1974) One of Meltzer’s finest works, this painting encapsulates the organized chaos of Grand Central Terminal in NYC in th...

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1940s American Modern John Steuart Curry Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Leroy FosterMid-Century Painting of Party by African-American from Detroit., 1954

$22,000

H 35 in W 44 in D 2 in

Mid-Century Painting of Party by African-American from Detroit.

Located in Marco Island, FL

The scale of this dynamic party painting by Leroy Foster (1925-1993) makes you feel like you are in the room with a cocktail in hand. He was an accomplished muralist, so it is no s...

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1950s American Modern John Steuart Curry Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

William SchwartzOn the Beach. Woman Reading. Mid-Century Chicago Modernist Oil Painting.

$6,500

H 21.88 in W 17.38 in D 2 in

On the Beach. Woman Reading. Mid-Century Chicago Modernist Oil Painting.

Located in Marco Island, FL

Chicago Modernist, William Schwartz, painted this intimate painting of a woman reading titled On the Beach. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago shortly after emigrating to th...

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Mid-20th Century American Modern John Steuart Curry Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Theodore Fried"The Champ, 1942" Joe Louis "Brown Bomber" Boxer Portrait Ex-Museum Oil Signed, 1942

$6,500

H 32 in W 32 in D 2.75 in

"The Champ, 1942" Joe Louis "Brown Bomber" Boxer Portrait Ex-Museum Oil Signed

Located in Yardley, PA

“The Champ, 1942” by Theodore Fried (1902-1980) This important portrait by Hungarian-American artist Theodore Fried depicts the legendary boxer Joe Louis aka “The Brown Bomber” and ...

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1940s American Modern John Steuart Curry Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Francis ChapinA Charming, 1950s Mid-Century Modern Portrait, "Young Girl in Blue", Circa 1950

$850

H 20.75 in W 16.75 in D 1 in

A Charming, 1950s Mid-Century Modern Portrait, "Young Girl in Blue"

By Francis Chapin

Located in Chicago, IL

A Charming, 1950s Mid-Century Modern Studio Portrait, "Young Girl in Blue" by Notable Chicago Artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Artwork size: 20 x 16 inches, oil on canvas. ...

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Mid-20th Century American Modern John Steuart Curry Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Francis ChapinA Wonderful 1950s Mid-Century Modern Portrait of a Young Woman Seated at a Table, Circa 1950

$1,800

H 19 in W 21 in D 2 in

A Wonderful 1950s Mid-Century Modern Portrait of a Young Woman Seated at a Table

By Francis Chapin

Located in Chicago, IL

A wonderful 1950s Mid-Century Modern portrait of a young woman seated at a table by famed Chicago artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Great color palette and expressive, contemp...

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Mid-20th Century American Modern John Steuart Curry Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Hayes Lyon1945 Portrait of Bessy Lyon by Hayes Lyon, Mid-Century American Oil Painting, 1945

$1,550Sale Price|51% Off

H 35.25 in W 29.25 in D 1.75 in

1945 Portrait of Bessy Lyon by Hayes Lyon, Mid-Century American Oil Painting

By Hayes Lyon

Located in Denver, CO

This captivating 1945 oil portrait by renowned American artist Hayes Lyon beautifully depicts Bessy Lyon, the artist’s wife, in a warm and intimate composition. Rendered with soft ye...

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1940s American Modern John Steuart Curry Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

John PeersCrying Clown Portrait in Oil on Canvas, c. 1970

$600Sale Price|20% Off

H 20 in W 20 in D 1.5 in

Crying Clown Portrait in Oil on Canvas

Located in Soquel, CA

Crying Clown Portrait in Oil on Canvas Portrait of a sad clown by San Francisco artist John Peers (American, 1922-2009). This portrait is closely fra...

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1970s American Modern John Steuart Curry Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Zoltan SepeshySide Show Barker - Original Modernist American Fair Scene Oil Painting, 1938

$36,000

H 32 in W 37 in D 3 in

Side Show Barker - Original Modernist American Fair Scene Oil Painting

Located in Marco Island, FL

From the Michael Hall Collection, this is a great American scene showing the excitement of the fair. It depicts a time when men wore coats and ties and women had hats at the fair be...

Category

1930s American Modern John Steuart Curry Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

John Steuart Curry portrait paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic John Steuart Curry portrait paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by John Steuart Curry in canvas, fabric, oil paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 1930s and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large John Steuart Curry portrait paintings, so small editions measuring 46 inches across are available. John Steuart Curry portrait paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $55,000 and tops out at $55,000, while the average work can sell for $55,000.