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Joseph Solman Paintings

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
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 Paintings

Materials

Oil

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 Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

WPA American Scene Modernism 20th Century NYC Industrial "Cellar with Horseshoe"
WPA American Scene Modernism 20th Century NYC Industrial "Cellar with Horseshoe"

WPA American Scene Modernism 20th Century NYC Industrial "Cellar with Horseshoe"

By Joseph Solman

Located in New York, NY

"Cellar with Horseshoe" WPA American Scene Modernism 20th Century NYC Industrial Joseph Solman (1909-2008) "Cellar with Horseshoe" 16 x 20 inches, c. 1938 Oil on canvas Initialed "...

Category

1930s American Modern Joseph Solman Paintings

Materials

Canvas, 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 Paintings

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 Paintings

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 Paintings

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 Paintings

Materials

Oil, Masonite

John Begg Jr., Expressionist Oil Painting on Masonite by Joseph Solman
John Begg Jr., Expressionist Oil Painting on Masonite by Joseph Solman

John Begg Jr., Expressionist Oil Painting on Masonite 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 Jr., the son of the mid-century nuclear family...

Category

1960s Expressionist Joseph Solman Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

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 Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

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 Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

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Joseph Solman paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Joseph Solman paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Joseph Solman in oil paint, paint, canvas and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Expressionist style. Not every interior allows for large Joseph Solman paintings, so small editions measuring 16 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Betsy Podlach, Daniel Brennan, and Jack Levine. Joseph Solman paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,000 and tops out at $75,000, while the average work can sell for $14,000.