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Joseph Solman Figurative 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
"Figure Study" Joseph Solman, Blue and Sepia, Pastel Colors Seated Study
"Figure Study" Joseph Solman, Blue and Sepia, Pastel Colors Seated Study

"Figure Study" Joseph Solman, Blue and Sepia, Pastel Colors Seated Study

By Joseph Solman

Located in New York, NY

Joseph Solman Figure Study, circa 1959-60 Signed with initials lower left Gouache on Racing Form newspaper Sight 9 x 7 inches Provenance Private Collection, Montecito, California Pr...

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1950s Modern Joseph Solman Figurative Paintings

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Portrait of a Seated Woman
Portrait of a Seated Woman

Portrait of a Seated Woman

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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...

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Mid-20th Century American Modern Joseph Solman Figurative Paintings

Materials

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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 Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

American Abstract Color Monotype Painting Tar Cart #2 Joseph Solman WPA Artist
American Abstract Color Monotype Painting Tar Cart #2 Joseph Solman WPA Artist

American Abstract Color Monotype Painting Tar Cart #2 Joseph Solman WPA Artist

By Joseph Solman

Located in Surfside, FL

"Tar Cart #2" by Joseph Solman (American, 1909-2008) Hand signed recto Joseph Solman (January 25, 1909 – April 16, 2008) was a Jewish American painter, a founder of The Ten, a group...

Category

20th Century American Modern Joseph Solman Figurative Paintings

Materials

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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 Figurative Paintings

Materials

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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 Figurative Paintings

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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...

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1960s Expressionist Joseph Solman Figurative Paintings

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"Garage in Provincetown" Joseph Solman, Urban Landscape by Expressionist Artist
"Garage in Provincetown" Joseph Solman, Urban Landscape by Expressionist Artist

"Garage in Provincetown" Joseph Solman, Urban Landscape by Expressionist Artist

By Joseph Solman

Located in New York, NY

Joseph Solman Garage in Provincetown Signed with initials lower right Graphite on paper 8 7/8 x 11 7/8 inches Joseph Solman was born in 1909 in Vitebsk, in what is now Belarus, the...

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20th Century Abstract Expressionist Joseph Solman Figurative Paintings

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Paper, Graphite

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Previously Available Items
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Joseph Solman figurative paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Joseph Solman figurative paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Joseph Solman in oil paint, paint, masonite and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 1960s and is mostly associated with the Expressionist style. Not every interior allows for large Joseph Solman figurative paintings, so small editions measuring 19 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Mark Lavatelli, Hugó Scheiber, and Betsy Podlach. Joseph Solman figurative paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $7,600 and tops out at $14,000, while the average work can sell for $9,000.