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Joseph Solman Art

American, 1909-1908
Brought to America from Russia as a child in 1912, Joseph Solman was a prodigious draftsman and knew, in his earliest teens, that he would be an artist. He went straight from high school to the National Academy of Design, though he says he learned more by sketching in the subway on the way back from school late at night: people “pose perfectly when they’re asleep.” In 1929, Solman saw the inaugural show at the Museum of Modern Art featuring Seurat, Gauguin, Van Gogh, and Cezanne. It changed his life – and his art. Joseph Solman was, with Mark Rothko, the unofficial co-leader of The Ten, a group of expressionist painters who exhibited as the “Whitney Dissenters” at the Mercury Galleries in New York in 1938. A champion of modernism, Solman was elected an editor of Art Front Magazine when its other editors, art historian Meyer Shapiro and critic Harold Rosenberg, were still partial to Social Realism In 1964, The Times, discussing his well-known subway gouaches (done while commuting to his some-time job as a racetrack pari-mutuel clerk), called him a “Pari-Mutuel Picasso.” In 1985, on the occasion of a 50-year retrospective, The Washington Post wrote: “It appears to have dawned, at last, on many collectors that this is art that has already stood the acid test of time.” We had the pleasure of the meeting the artist a few times at his home which was over the original Second Avenue Deli in the East Village.
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Artist: Joseph Solman
Joseph Solman, "Girl Reading" Expressionist Interior Figure Painting
Joseph Solman, "Girl Reading" Expressionist Interior Figure Painting

Joseph Solman, "Girl Reading" Expressionist Interior Figure Painting

By Joseph Solman

Located in Rockport, MA

Painting size without frame: 8"x12" Painting size with frame: 12"x16" Painting is signed lower left corner. An expressive interior portrait by renowned American modernist Joseph So...

Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Joseph Solman Art

Materials

Oil, Board

The Red Beard

The Red Beard

By Joseph Solman

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Joseph Solman, American (1909 - 2008) Title: The Red Beard Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed Size: 20.25 x 12 inches Frame Size: 30 x 22 inches

Category

1960s Color-Field Joseph Solman Art

Materials

Oil

NYC Street & Interior Scene 1940’s American Scene Modern WPA Still Life Realism
NYC Street & Interior Scene 1940’s American Scene Modern WPA Still Life Realism

NYC Street & Interior Scene 1940’s American Scene Modern WPA Still Life Realism

By Joseph Solman

Located in New York, NY

Joseph Solman 1940’s Oil on Masonite signed JS lower left 20x12 inches image size 26x18 inches with frame Good condition Private collection NYC Painting depicts a fantastic NYC Bri...

Category

1930s American Realist Joseph Solman Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic

Interior Mid 20th Century American Scene Modern WPA Still Life Realism
Interior Mid 20th Century American Scene Modern WPA Still Life Realism

Interior Mid 20th Century American Scene Modern WPA Still Life Realism

By Joseph Solman

Located in New York, NY

Joseph Solman 1930’s Oil on Masonite 19x25 inches image size 25x31 inches with frame overall good condition Signed mid lower left JS Private Collection New York Image depicts a WPA ...

Category

1930s American Realist Joseph Solman Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic

Portrait of a Seated Woman
Portrait of a Seated Woman

Portrait of a Seated Woman

By Joseph Solman

Located in Wiscasett, ME

Oil on canvas, signed with initials center left. Measures 32" x 23.5" including the frame. Provenance: ACA Galleries, NYC Bradbury Art and Antiques, Wiscasset, Maine Brought to...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Joseph Solman Art

Materials

Oil

Marian Begg, Expressionist Oil on Masonite Portrait Painting by Joseph Solman
Marian Begg, Expressionist Oil on Masonite Portrait Painting by Joseph Solman

Marian Begg, Expressionist Oil on Masonite Portrait Painting by Joseph Solman

By Joseph Solman

Located in Long Island City, NY

In the mid-1960s Joseph Solman (American, 1909 - 2008) was commissioned to create portraits of the Begg family. This is a portrait of Marian Begg, the mother in the mid-century nuclear family...

Category

1960s Expressionist Joseph Solman Art

Materials

Oil, Masonite

Oil Painting Interior Scene Chair w Chinese Rug Joseph Solman American Art WPA
Oil Painting Interior Scene Chair w Chinese Rug Joseph Solman American Art WPA

Oil Painting Interior Scene Chair w Chinese Rug Joseph Solman American Art WPA

By Joseph Solman

Located in Surfside, FL

Joseph Solman (1909-2008), Chair with Chinese Rug, oil paint on masonite, initialed JS on recto, titled and signed "J.S." verso, Dimensions 14" x 10" Framed to 21 X 17 Provenance...

Category

20th Century Modern Joseph Solman Art

Materials

Oil, Board

Provincetown Dock, Modern Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman 1962
Provincetown Dock, Modern Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman 1962

Provincetown Dock, Modern Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman 1962

By Joseph Solman

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Joseph Solman, American (1909 - ) Title: Provincetown Dock Year: 1962 Medium: Gouache on black paper, signed and dated l.c. Size: 9 x 11.5 inches Frame Size: 19 x 22 inches

Category

1960s Color-Field Joseph Solman Art

Materials

Gouache

John Begg Sr., Expressionist Portrait by Joseph Solman
John Begg Sr., Expressionist Portrait by Joseph Solman

John Begg Sr., Expressionist Portrait by Joseph Solman

By Joseph Solman

Located in Long Island City, NY

In the mid-1960s Joseph Solman (American, 1909 - 2008) was commissioned to create portraits of the Begg family. This is a portrait of John Begg Sr., the patriarch of the mid-century ...

Category

1960s Expressionist Joseph Solman Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Monhegan Cove, Impressionist Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman 1937
Monhegan Cove, Impressionist Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman 1937

Monhegan Cove, Impressionist Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman 1937

By Joseph Solman

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Joseph Solman, American (1909 - ) Title: Monhegan Cove Year: 1937 Medium: Gouache on black paper, signed and dated l.c. Size: 8.5 x 12 inches Frame Size: 18 x 22 inches

Category

1930s Color-Field Joseph Solman Art

Materials

Gouache

"Rail Yard" Urban Industrial WPA American Scene Drawing NYC Mid-Century
"Rail Yard" Urban Industrial WPA American Scene Drawing NYC Mid-Century

"Rail Yard" Urban Industrial WPA American Scene Drawing NYC Mid-Century

By Joseph Solman

Located in New York, NY

"Rail Yard" Urban Industrial WPA American Scene Drawing NYC Mid-Century. Initialed "JS" upper right Solman was a pivotal figure in the development of 20th century American art. He ...

Category

1930s American Modern Joseph Solman Art

Materials

Paper, Gouache

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Previously Available Items
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"Call Me Bill, " New York City Subway Rider on Racing Form
"Call Me Bill, " New York City Subway Rider on Racing Form

"Call Me Bill, " New York City Subway Rider on Racing Form

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Located in New York, NY

Joseph Solman (1909 - 2008) Call Me Bill Gouache, watercolor, and pencil on racing form 15 1/4 x 10 inches Initialed lower right: J. S. Joseph Solman was a Jewish-American painter a...

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1960s Abstract Expressionist Joseph Solman Art

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Watercolor, Gouache, Newsprint

Man with Mustache on Subway, Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman
Man with Mustache on Subway, Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman

Man with Mustache on Subway, Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman

By Joseph Solman

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Joseph Solman, American (1909 - 2008) Title: Man with Mustache Year: circa 1965 Medium: Gouache on Racing Form, Signed 'JS' l.l. Size: 14 in. x 8 in. (35.56 cm x 20.32 cm) Fr...

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Reading Lady on Subway, Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman
Reading Lady on Subway, Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman

Reading Lady on Subway, Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman

By Joseph Solman

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Joseph Solman, American (1909 - 2008) Title: Reading Lady on Subway Year: circa 1960 Medium: Gouache on Racing Form, signed 'JS' Size: 15 in. x 10 in. (38.1 cm x 25.4 cm) Fra...

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Located in Surfside, FL

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Old Fire Wagon, Monotype
Old Fire Wagon, Monotype

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H 16.25 in W 18.25 in

Old Fire Wagon, Monotype

By Joseph Solman

Located in Surfside, FL

Joseph Solman (1909-2008), a New York expressionist painter, hovered near the leading edge of the avant garde through most of his career, yet his works never departed entirely from r...

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20th Century Modern Joseph Solman Art

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Modernist Beach Scene, 1976 Monotype
Modernist Beach Scene, 1976 Monotype

Modernist Beach Scene, 1976 Monotype

By Joseph Solman

Located in Surfside, FL

This Scene by Joseph Solman is a monotype that was created by inking an entire surface and then, using brushes or rags, removing ink to create a subtractive image.The inks used may b...

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Joseph Solman art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Joseph Solman art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Joseph Solman in paint, oil paint, gouache 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 Joseph Solman art, so small editions measuring 14 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Michael David, Judith Kruger, and Martin Canin. Joseph Solman art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,200 and tops out at $75,000, while the average work can sell for $7,500.

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