Skip to main content

Leon Bibel Art

1913-1995

Leon Bibel, a painter, printmaker and sculptor, was born in Poland in 1913 but moved with his family to San Francisco as a child. He trained at the California School of Fine Arts and received a scholarship to study under the German Impressionist Maria Riedelstein. He worked in collaboration with Bernard Zackheim, a student of Diego Rivera, to create frescoes for the San Francisco Jewish Community Center and the University of California Medical School. In 1936, Bibel moved from California to join the Federal Art Project of the New York City Work Projects Administration. He was assigned to the Graphic Art Project and the Easel Project at Harlem Art Center. He also taught at both PS 94 Kings College School and Bronx House in New York City. Bibel’s program in the WPA ended in 1941 and he moved with his wife to South Brunswick, New Jersey, ceasing his artistic pursuits to support his family. He resumed his artistic work in the early 1960s and continued to explore the mediums of painting and sculpture until his death. A constant innovator, Bibel experimented with diverse printmaking mediums. His work is distinguished by its boldly conceived, dramatic composition and passionately executed expressionist renderings. Bibel's parents immigrated from Poland and he remained staunchly pacifist, even throughout WWII. Much of his work during this period focused on the destructiveness of war and the consequent suffering and alienation of humankind. An artist of the people, his work is imbued with a sense of humanity and a concern for social justice and the plight of the working man. Bibel’s numerous exhibitions include the solo exhibition at Newark Museum in 1966, Jersey City Museum in 1967, Hunterdon Art Museum, Rutgers State University and New Jersey State Museum in 1978. He has also exhibited at Rider College, in 1983, Rutgers Hillel Foundation from 1985–86. His work is held in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Newark Museum, the Zimmerli Art Museum of Rutgers, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, the Klutznick Museum and the New Brunswick State Theater, as well as many corporate and private collections.

to
7
1
1
2
1
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
12
11
1
11
8
4
7
5
4
3
3
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
5
3
3
3
3
12
8,777
2,809
1,642
1,318
4
12
Artist: Leon Bibel
'Unemployed Marchers' — American Modernism, WPA
By Leon Bibel
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Leon Bibel, 'Unemployed Marchers', 2-color lithograph, c. 1938, edition 25. Signed, titled, and numbered '2/25' in pencil. A fine, richly-inked impression on off-white, wove paper, w...
Category

1930s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Lithograph

'Archway' — American Modernism, WPA
By Leon Bibel
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Leon Bibel, 'Archway', color serigraph, 1939, edition 25. Signed, dated, titled, and numbered ' /25' in pencil. A rich, painterly impression, with fresh colors, on buff wove paper; ...
Category

1930s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Screen

"Shattered" WPA Mid 20th Century Modernism American Scene Surrealism Figurative
By Leon Bibel
Located in New York, NY
"Shattered" WPA Mid 20th Century Modernism American Scene Surrealism Figurative Estate stamp on the stretcher, verso. Provenance: Estate of the artist. 20 x 24 inches. BIO Leon Bibel continued painting through 1941 and resumed work in both painting and especially wood sculpture by 1960. He worked until his very last day in 1995. His last series of large wood sculptures were modeled on spice boxes, which were miniature buildings...
Category

1930s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Death March — Spanish Civil War, Anti-fascism
By Leon Bibel
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Leon Bibel, 'Untitled (Death March)', brush and ink, c. 1936. Estate stamped, verso. A fine expressionist rendering, on cream wove drawing board, with margins (3/8 to 5/16 inch). Minor toning at the board edges, otherwise in very good condition. Image size 12 5/16 x 9 3/8 inches; sheet size 13 x 10 inches. Matted to museum standards, unframed. One of a series of powerful Anti-fascist brush and ink drawings created by the artist at the commencement of the Spanish Civil War...
Category

1930s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Ink

"Drama Teacher" 1938 WPA Mid 20th Century American Theatre Surrealism Modernism
By Leon Bibel
Located in New York, NY
"Drama Teacher" 1938 WPA Mid 20th Century American Theatre Surrealism Modernism. 30 x 24 inches. Oil on Canvas. Signed land dated ’38 lower left. The photograph in the listing depicts the artist's friend who taught drama and about whom the painting is based Painter, printmaker and sculptor, Leon Bibel was born in San Francisco in 1913. He trained at the California School of Fine Arts and received a scholarship to study under the German Impressionist Maria Riedelstein. He worked in collaboration with Bernard Zackheim, a student of Diego Rivera, to create frescoes for the San Francisco Jewish Community Center and the University of California Medical School. In 1936 Bibel moved from California to join the Federal Art Project at Harlem Art...
Category

1930s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Audience" Mid 20th Century American Figurative Theatre Performance Contemporary
By Leon Bibel
Located in New York, NY
"Audience" Mid 20th Century American Figurative Theatre Performance Contemporary Leon Bibel (1912 - 1995) "The Audience," 52 ½ x 41 ¼ inches. Oil on canvas, c. 1963. Signed lower right. Framed. BIO Painter, printmaker and sculptor, Leon Bibel was born in San Francisco in 1913. He trained at the California School of Fine Arts and received a scholarship to study under the German Impressionist Maria Riedelstein. He worked in collaboration with Bernard Zackheim, a student of Diego Rivera, to create frescoes for the San Francisco Jewish Community Center and the University of California Medical School. In 1936 Bibel moved from California to join the Federal Art Project at Harlem Art...
Category

1960s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Balcony" 1938 WPA Print Mid 20th Century American Broadway Theatre Modernism
By Leon Bibel
Located in New York, NY
"Balcony" 1938 WPA Print Mid 20th Century American Broadway Theatre Modernism. Silk screen on paper, 15” x 20". Numbered 15/20 lower left. Pencil si...
Category

1930s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Paper, Screen

War Machine — Spanish Civil War, Anti-fascism
By Leon Bibel
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Leon Bibel, 'Untitled (War Machine)', brush and ink, c. 1936. Estate stamped, verso. A fine expressionist rendering, on cream wove drawing board, with marg...
Category

1930s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Ink

'Food Not Cannon' — WPA Modernist Work of Social Conscience
By Leon Bibel
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Leon Bibel, 'Food Not Cannon', etching, 1937, edition 12 (an early state, probably unique). Signed in pencil. A fine impression, on cream wove paper, with full margins (7/8 to 2 1/8 ...
Category

1930s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Etching

'Clown' — WPA American Expressionism
By Leon Bibel
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Leon Bibel, 'Clown', color serigraph, 1939, edition 20. Signed, dated, titled, and numbered '/20' in pencil. A fine, richly-inked, painterly impression, with fresh colors, on buff la...
Category

1930s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Screen

'Abstract Boats' — American Modernism, WPA
By Leon Bibel
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Leon Bibel, 'Abstract Boats', color serigraph, 1938, edition 12. Signed, dated, and numbered ' /12' in pencil. A fine, painterly impression, with fresh colors, on buff wove paper; t...
Category

1930s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Screen

EUCALYPTUS TREE
By Leon Bibel
Located in Portland, ME
Bibel, Leon (American, born Poland, 1912-1995). EUCALYPTUS TREE. Screenprint, 1938. Edition of 25. Signed, titled, dated and numbered 14/25, all in pencil, and also signed in the mat...
Category

1930s Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Screen

Related Items
A Charming, 1950s Mid-Century Modern Painting, Ballet Dance Class, Studio Scene
By Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
A Charming, 1950s Mid-Century Modern Studio Scene Painting of a Young Girl's Ballet Dance Class by Notable Chicago Artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Artwork size: 18” x 26”, ...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Charles Locke, McCosh Walk, Princeton University
By Charles Locke
Located in New York, NY
This lithograph is signed in pencil under the image at the lower right. Just above that, in the image, are the artist's initials and the date, 1942. This well-known walkway on the P...
Category

1940s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Lithograph

Mary Lightfoot, Street Scene in Taos
Located in New York, NY
Mary Lightfoot was born in Ravenna, Texas. She studied at the College of Industrial Arts in Denton and the North Texas State Teachers College prior to receiving a master of arts degree from Columbia University. Her entire teaching career was with the Dallas Public School system; she summered in Europe...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Lithograph

1970s Abstract Figurative Oil Painting – Modernist City Scene With Couple
Located in Denver, CO
Artist: George Cecil Carter (1908–1993) Medium: Oil on board Size: Image: 16 ⅞ x 9 ⅞ in Framed: 20 ⅝ x 13 ½ x 1 ⅞ in Style: Mid-Century Modern, Abstract Figurative This striking 1950s oil painting by celebrated Colorado abstract expressionist George Cecil Carter presents a modernist portrayal of a couple, believed to depict Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O’Keeffe. Rendered in bold brushstrokes and a rich color palette, the piece showcases Carter’s unique ability to merge abstraction with figurative expression, creating a sense of movement and emotion. Housed in a custom frame, this original mid-century artwork is a must-have for collectors of modernist and abstract figurative art. Provenance: From a private collection in Denver, Colorado. About the Artist – George Cecil Carter Born in Oklahoma in 1908, Carter became a leading figure in Colorado’s abstract expressionist movement, working alongside artists like Al Wynne, Mary Chenoweth...
Category

1950s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Oil

The Artist's Apartment Mid-Century Fauvist Interior Scene Original Oil on Canvas
Located in Soquel, CA
The Artist's Apartment Mid-Century Fauvist Interior Scene Original Oil on Canvas Vibrant interior scene by Santa Cruz California artist Frances Rinaldo (American, b. 1943). A bright...
Category

1960s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars

"Personage" Heavy Impasto Expressionist Portrait of Lady with a Hat
Located in Soquel, CA
"Personage" Heavy Impasto Expressionist Portrait of Lady with a Hat Abstract expressionist portrait of a woman wearing a hat by California artist Harald "Harry" Dry Schmidt (America...
Category

1970s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars

Day at the Park - Surreal Figurative
Located in Soquel, CA
Bold figurative work by Richard Cronin (American, b. 1952). Two figures are at the edge of the sea, one of which is seated and holding two beach balls. ...
Category

1970s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

'The Doctor's Office', WPA, San Francisco, Chouinard, SFMA, Oakland Museum, SFAA
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, 'Justin Murray' (American, 1912-1987), titled, verso, 'The Doctor's Office' and painted circa 1945. Framed dimensions: 9¼ x 1½ x 21 inches. Born in Minneapolis, ...
Category

1940s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Interior with Figures
By Arthur Osver
Located in Dallas, TX
Arthur Osver studied at Northwestern University and the Art Institute of Chicago. Osver was awarded the Prix de Rome in 1952. He taught at the Brooklyn Museum Art School, Columbia Un...
Category

1930s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Harry Shokler, Island Harbor
By Harry Shokler
Located in New York, NY
Harry Shokler used serigraphy to great advantage in this landscape. It's colorful and detailed. It is signed in the image at the lower left. When printmakers began making serigraphs...
Category

1940s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Screen

John Muench, The Road to Stow
Located in New York, NY
John Muench was a master at drawing on a lithographic stone. He was a New Englander and this is a classic subject both for him and for the area. The...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Lithograph

Missouri American Modernist famous in Europe - abstracted mid century Venice
Located in Norwich, GB
Meet the genuinely exciting modernist William Einstein, who is probably better known in Europe, where numerous publications on his work have been written, than in his native US! Eins...
Category

1950s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Previously Available Items
War Casualty — American Surrealism, Spanish Civil War, Anti-Fascism
By Leon Bibel
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Leon Bibel, 'War Casualty', etching, 1937, edition 6. Signed, dated, titled, and numbered '5/6' in pencil. A fine, richly-inked impression, on cream wove paper, with full margins (1/2 to 1 7/8 inches); slight toning at the sheet edges, otherwise in excellent condition. Very scarce. Image size 7 3/8 x 9 7/8 inches (187 x 251 mm); sheet size 10 5/8 x 11 3/8 inches (270 x 289 mm). Archivally matted to museum standards, unframed. Created at the time of the Spanish Civil War and the rise of Hitler in Germany, this work stands as one of the most powerful surrealist/modernist anti-war images of the Work Progress Administration (WPA) period. ABOUT THE ARTIST Painter, printmaker, and sculptor, Leon Bibel, was born in Poland in 1913 but moved with his family to San Francisco as a child. He trained at the California School of Fine Arts and received a scholarship to study under the German Impressionist Maria Riedelstein. He worked in collaboration with Bernard Zackheim, a student of Diego Rivera, to create frescoes for the San Francisco Jewish Community Center and the University of California Medical School. In 1936 Bibel moved from California to join the Federal Art Project of the New York City WPA. He was assigned to the Graphic Art Project and the Easel Project at Harlem Art...
Category

1930s Surrealist Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Etching

George Washington Bridge
By Leon Bibel
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Leon Bibel, 'G. W. Bridge', lithograph, 1938, edition 10. Signed 'L Bibel', dated, titled, and numbered '/10' in pencil. A superb, finely-nuanced impression, on off-white, wove paper...
Category

1930s American Modern Leon Bibel Art

Materials

Lithograph

Leon Bibel art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Leon Bibel art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Leon Bibel in canvas, fabric, oil paint 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 Leon Bibel art, so small editions measuring 10 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Rockwell Kent, Arnold Ronnebeck, and Howard Norton Cook. Leon Bibel art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,400 and tops out at $24,500, while the average work can sell for $5,500.

Artists Similar to Leon Bibel

Recently Viewed

View All