Skip to main content

Morris Katz Paintings

Polish, 1932-2010
Morris Katz (born Moshe Katz on March 5, 1932 in Galicia, Poland, died November 12, 2010 at age 78 in The Bronx, New York) was a Jewish-American painter. He holds two Guinness World Records as the world's fastest painter and the world's most prolific artist. He has also been called the "King of Schlock Art" and the "King of Toilet Paper Art" because of a novel means of painting he developed using a palette knife and toilet tissue instead of a paintbrush. Katz was born in 1932 in Galicia, Poland. At age 13 he studied under Dr. Hans Fokler of the Munich Academy. After World War II, he lived for a while in a displaced persons camp, where he earned a diploma in carpentry, and he has since said that toilet paper is his "diploma in art." He moved to the United States in 1949, when he took a job in carpentry while maintaining a sideline with his art. While working on his unpublished Dictionary of Color in 1956, he decided to try painting with his palette knife instead of his brushes. After some time he also began experimenting with the use of rags; when he ran out of rags he turned to toilet tissue. As of February 2007, over his career he had painted more than 280,000 paintings. Over his long career, he has established himself as a painter, comedian, and television personality. Katz describes his method as "Instant Art," as he has completed entire paintings in as little as 30 seconds. In a 1987 event to benefit the Boy Scouts of America, Katz completed 103 paintings (selling 55 of them on the spot) in 12 hours. He is listed as a human oddity in Ripley's Believe It Or Not because of his ability to paint full works of art in less than five minutes.
to
2
3
2
3
1
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
7
2
1
1
1
1
1
8
1
2
2
2
1
1
9
7
2
2
1
10
781
716
704
691
7
9
Artist: Morris Katz
Red Roses, Late 20th Century Impasto Floral Still-Life, Record Breaking Artist
By Morris Katz
Located in Soquel, CA
Beautiful impasto still life of a vase of red and white roses on a table by Morris Katz (American, 1931-2010). Signed and dated "Morris Katz 1997" lower right. Presented in a gilt...
Category

1990s Contemporary Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

“Landscape”
By Morris Katz
Located in Warren, NJ
This is an MORRIS KATZ Original Oil Painting on board Signed Landscape 24x20. Unframed in good condition signed
Category

20th Century Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

“Windmill”
By Morris Katz
Located in Warren, NJ
Morris Katz Original Painting On Board Watermill. In good condition measures 38x32
Category

20th Century Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

“Ocean scene”
By Morris Katz
Located in Warren, NJ
Morris katz oil painting 1978. In good condition measures 32x28
Category

20th Century Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Oil

“Flying kites on the beach”
By Morris Katz
Located in Warren, NJ
Morris Katz oil painting on board titled flying kites at the beach signed right corner bottom painting size 24 x 20 Frame 30 x 24 painting great condition frame has wear
Category

20th Century Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Oil

Morris Katz painting 2002
By Morris Katz
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Morris Katz Painting 2002: Oil paint on wood board. Unique. 8x10 inches. Very good overall vintage condition. Polish born Morris Katz (1932 – 2010) survived World War II in a Disp...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Wood, Oil

Landscape with people fishing
By Morris Katz
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork "Landscape with People Fishing" 1978, is an oil painting on hard board by Polish/American artist Morris Katz, 1932-2010. It is signed and dated at the lower right corner by the artist. The artwork (Hard Board) size is 20 x 24 inches, framed size is 28 x 31.75 inches. Framed in original wooden gold frame, with fabric liner and gold trim. The artwork is in excellent condition, the frame is in very good condition. About the artist: On May 9th, 1988, the New York artist set a new world record by painting a 12- by 16-inch canvas of a child in the snow in just half a minute. (It took an additional eight seconds to frame it.) And that wasn’t the only distinction granted to Katz by the Guinness Book of World Records—his name appeared alongside Pablo Picasso’s under the heading for “Most Prolific Painters.” The Spanish master is estimated to have completed some 13,500 paintings in his life; when Katz died in 2010 at age 78, he was credited with 225,000. Katz’s preposterously productive career began in the small Polish village where he was born in 1932. He started studying under a German painter at age 13, but following World War II he earned a diploma in carpentry instead. In 1949, at the age of 17, he travelled to the United States. It was there that he picked up a paintbrush again, while studying at the Art Students League of New York and showing in the Village. “Soon, I decided I was good enough—compared to others, excellent enough—to make my living as an artist,” he said. It was during those years that he developed the techniques that would eventually land him in the record books. He tossed out his paintbrushes and replaced them with palette knives and toilet paper, which he used to stipple the paint. “Soon I picked up speed,” Katz said. “If you know which way you’re travelling, then you can run.” He made art in bulk, buying up canvases by the thousands and paint by the gallon. He went through some 10,000 rolls of toilet paper per year; he often wore out palette knives. Katz branded his method as “instant art.” Charles Salzberg, writing in New York magazine in 1978, urged readers, “Think of him, if you will, as the McDonald’s of the art world”—fast, cheap, and ubiquitous. He wore a green beret, paint-splattered pants, and a shirt emblazoned with the words “Morris Katz - World’s Most Prolific Artist.” It was a title that came with a price—he worked 18-hour days into his 60s, sometimes from his Greenwich Village studio and other times as a performer at hotels across the Catskills. He would often visit three different hotels in the same day, waking up at 7 a.m. and returning home as late as 1 a.m. His show was as much about the painting as it was the one-liners: “These are the highlights—you can tell because they’re high up on the painting,” he might say. Audiences gobbled up the jokes and the works, often paying less than $50 for a painting. “I give them a fresh painting like a fresh bagel,” he said. Photographer David M. Spindel first met Katz on assignment. “They’d call him mashugana—that’s the Yiddish word for a little bit crazy,” he told Artsy. The pair soon became friends, and Spindel ended up attending several of the artist’s hotel shows. “There were a lot of people from the hotel who were sitting in the room and he set up his easel and his toilet paper and paints and knocked out paintings one after another,” Spindel said. “Just a couple of minutes for each painting, usually. If he was kibitzing with the people in the audience then it took a lot longer. He was always clowning around.” His act was ready-made for television; he appeared on 60 Minutes, David Letterman, and Oprah, among other programs. And Katz didn’t just make instant art—he taught it as well. In 1987, the New Yorker sent a writer to attend one of his speed-painting classes at the Notre Dame School on West 79th Street. A dozen eager students watched in admiration as he whipped up a mountain landscape, asking for advice on how, exactly, to hold their toilet paper for maximum artistic effect. For those who couldn’t make it to Manhattan for a lesson, he published a book—Paint Good & Fast (1985)—with a title as straightforward as his philosophy on art. “Life goes faster and faster,” he wrote. “The fine arts must keep pace. This art will one day be...
Category

Late 20th Century American Impressionist Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Oil

“Snow scene”
By Morris Katz
Located in Warren, NJ
Morris Katz original oil on board unique colors. Some minor frame wear . Measures 17x15
Category

20th Century Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Oil

Morris Katz Set of Three of Original Seascape Oil Paintings C.2001
By Morris Katz
Located in San Francisco, CA
Morris Katz (Ukraine / New York 1931-2010) Set of Three of Original Seascape Oil Paintings c.2001 A nice collection of original oil paintings by Morris Katz. Seagulls flying over crashing waves. Each painting measures 5" x 7" One frame measures 7" x 9" The other two frames measure 8" x 10" Signed, dated and framed by Morris Katz Very good vintage condition Offered as a matching trio only Morris Katz (born Moshe Katz on March 5, 1932 – November 12, 2010) was a Polish-American painter. He holds two Guinness World Records as the world's fastest painter and the world's most prolific artist. He has also been called the "King of Schlock Art" and the "King of Toilet Paper Art" because of a novel means of painting he developed using a palette knife and toilet tissue...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Oil

Related Items
Tulips and Table - small, blue, pink, green, floral, figurative still life oil
By Jennifer Hornyak
Located in Bloomfield, ON
A vase of pink tulips set against a deep pink tablecloth and a bright turquoise chair against a midnight blue wall is the subject of this delightful oi...
Category

2010s Contemporary Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Tulips from the garden, Still life realism, Oil Painting, Contemporary , Flowers
Located in AIX-EN-PROVENCE, FR
Work : Original Oil Painting, Unique Work. Ready to Hang. Medium : Oil painting on Linen Canvas. Artist : Gabriel Riesnert Subject : Tulipes du jardin dans un verre en cuivre (Title...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Linen, Oil

English 19th century figure scene with fisherman helping ladies on to a boat
Located in Woodbury, CT
Outstanding quality Victorian Genre scene of some fishermen helping some high-class ladies on to their small boat. The style is a type of the High-end Victorian Genre scene. Painters like Tissot, Millais, the Pre-Raphaelites, and other genre painters all painted in this high-quality style. The painting is signed and dated lower left and is an oil on canvas, but alas the signature is not obvious enough to know the painter. The history of the painting is that it came from an English private collection of paintings...
Category

1860s Victorian Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Oil

Wine Bottles and Fruit on Table
By Zygmund Jankowski
Located in Gloucester, MA
Zygmund Jankowski (1925–2009) painted traditional subjects with exuberant irreverence for traditional rules of color, composition, and perspective. He disparaged imitation and deligh...
Category

1980s Contemporary Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Summer 2025" is an animalistic landscape by Lilia Volskaya.
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Summer 2025" is an animalistic landscape by Lilia Volskaya. Let's start with the shape of the canvas, which is a hexagon, which is unusual, isn't it? The canvas is painted black. Th...
Category

2010s Abstract Impressionist Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Lacquer, Canvas, Oil

Summer 2025" is an animalistic landscape by Lilia Volskaya.
Summer 2025" is an animalistic landscape by Lilia Volskaya.
$1,135 Sale Price
20% Off
H 23.63 in W 23.63 in D 0.79 in
Porcelain Red - Lake Landscape Window Flowers Fruit Botanical Still Life, 2024
By Melanie Parke
Located in Kent, CT
In this contemporary painting in oil on canvas, a cheerful interior scene is bright and inviting with a still life arrangement of red poppies, red flowers and pale pink dahlias in a ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Times Square New York City Reflections after the Rain by British Urban Artist
By Angela Wakefield
Located in Preston, GB
Times Square New York City Reflections after the Rain by British Urban Landscape Artist, Angela Wakefield. Entitled “November Rain”, this unique origi...
Category

2010s Contemporary Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Linen, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic

19th century English warship off the Italian, Mediterranean coast, with village
Located in Woodbury, CT
Outstanding 19th century English warship off the Italian, Mediterranean coast, with village, mountains and hills. A very interesting and somewhat unique oil on slate depicting an English ship at anchor in what looks like an Italian or Mediterranean coastline. The piece has influences from John Thomas Serres...
Category

1840s Victorian Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Slate

Moses B Russell 19th Century Still Life
Located in San Francisco, CA
Moses B Russell: 1810-1884. Well listed 19th century American artist. Most known for being a miniature portrait painter, but has similar examples of still lifes as well. His high au...
Category

19th Century Realist Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Oil, Watercolor

Rachele - Oil Paint - 2000
Located in Roma, IT
Oil on canvas realized in 2000. Hand signed, titled and dated on rear. Includes a contemporary wooden frame cm. 53x38. Very good condition except for some very minor losses of color.
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Oil

Rachele - Oil Paint - 2000
Rachele - Oil Paint - 2000
$757 Sale Price
20% Off
H 19.69 in W 13.78 in D 0.4 in
Paule's Table - Yellow Orange Flowers Fruit Blue Dining Room Still Life, 2015
By Melanie Parke
Located in Kent, CT
Contemporary painting in oil on canvas of a bright and inviting interior scene with a botanical still life arrangement of two vases with yellow daffodils and orange tulips, a pair of...
Category

2010s Contemporary Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Still Life with Settee
By Zygmund Jankowski
Located in Gloucester, MA
Zygmund Jankowski (1925–2009) painted traditional subjects with exuberant irreverence for traditional rules of color, composition, and perspective. He disparaged imitation and deligh...
Category

1980s Contemporary Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Previously Available Items
Morris Katz Floral Still Life Oil Painting Palette Knife Technique Gold Frame
By Morris Katz
Located in Palm Coast, FL
This vibrant oil painting by celebrated artist Morris Katz features a striking floral still life rendered with his signature impasto palette knife technique. Bold red and orange peta...
Category

Late 20th Century Realist Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Oil

American Artist Morris Katz Large painting on board, Autumn Landscape, Signed
By Morris Katz
Located in Palm Coast, FL
This is a beautiful vintage original painting on cardboard, depicting a rural autumn landscape. Signed in a lower-right corner Morris Katz. Presented in a solid wood frame with ...
Category

20th Century Impressionist Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Oil

1974 Morris Katz Japanese Landscape
By Morris Katz
Located in San Francisco, CA
Morris Katz: 1932-2010. This has to be the finest Morris Katz painting we have ever owned. It is an oil on masonite measuring 36 inches wide by 24 high. It is unframed. It is signed ...
Category

1970s Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Oil

American Abstract landscape 1971
By Morris Katz
Located in Douglas Manor, NY
3832 Impasto oil on board of an abstract landscape
Category

1970s Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Oil

Morris Katz Pair of Original Outdoor Landscape Oil Paintings C.1991
By Morris Katz
Located in San Francisco, CA
Morris Katz (Ukraine / New York 1931-2010) Pair of original oil paintings on masonite One shows a country landscape with a house - The other a coastal scene with seagull Each painting measures 9" wide x 12" high Each frame measures 10" wide x 13" high The paintings were done in 1991 Very good vintage condition Offered as a pair only Morris Katz (born Moshe Katz on March 5, 1932 – November 12, 2010) was a Polish-American painter. He holds two Guinness World Records as the world's fastest painter and the world's most prolific artist. He has also been called the "King of Schlock Art" and the "King of Toilet Paper Art" because of a novel means of painting he developed using a palette knife and toilet tissue...
Category

Late 19th Century Expressionist Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Oil

Morris Katz Set of Three Natural Landscape Oil Paintings C.2001
By Morris Katz
Located in San Francisco, CA
Morris Katz (Ukraine / New York 1931-2010) Set of Three of Original Natural Landscape Oil Paintings c.2001 A nice collection of original oil paintings by Morris Katz. Trees and Flowers Each painting measures approximately 5" x 7" Signed, dated and framed by Morris Katz Very good vintage condition Offered as a matching trio only Morris Katz (born Moshe Katz on March 5, 1932 – November 12, 2010) was a Polish-American painter. He holds two Guinness World Records as the world's fastest painter and the world's most prolific artist. He has also been called the "King of Schlock Art" and the "King of Toilet Paper Art" because of a novel means of painting he developed using a palette knife and toilet tissue...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Oil

Morris Katz "Winter Ski Trip" Pair of Original Oil Paintings C.2001
By Morris Katz
Located in San Francisco, CA
Morris Katz (Ukraine / New York 1931-2010) Pair of original Winter ski trip oil paintings Skiers riding the slopes through the trees! Each painting measures 7" wide x 5" high Each oak frame measures 9" wide x 7" high The paintings were done in 2001 Very good vintage condition Offered as a pair only Morris Katz (born Moshe Katz on March 5, 1932 – November 12, 2010) was a Polish-American painter. He holds two Guinness World Records as the world's fastest painter and the world's most prolific artist. He has also been called the "King of Schlock Art" and the "King of Toilet Paper Art" because of a novel means of painting he developed using a palette knife and toilet tissue...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Oil

Morris Katz Pair of "Fall Colors on the Coast" Oil Paintings C.1991
By Morris Katz
Located in San Francisco, CA
Morris Katz (Ukraine / New York 1931-2010) Pair of original coastal forest with Fall colors landscape oil paintings Each painting measures 9" wide x 12" high Each oak frame measures 10" wide x 13" high The paintings were done in 1991 Very good vintage condition Offered as a pair only Morris Katz (born Moshe Katz on March 5, 1932 – November 12, 2010) was a Polish-American painter. He holds two Guinness World Records as the world's fastest painter and the world's most prolific artist. He has also been called the "King of Schlock Art" and the "King of Toilet Paper Art" because of a novel means of painting he developed using a palette knife and toilet tissue...
Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Morris Katz Pair of "Forested Landscape" Oil Paintings C.1991
By Morris Katz
Located in San Francisco, CA
Morris Katz (Ukraine / New York 1931-2010) Pair of original forested landscape oil paintings Each painting measures 9" wide x 12" high ...
Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Morris Katz Pair of Original Outdoor Landscape Oil Paintings C.1991
By Morris Katz
Located in San Francisco, CA
Morris Katz (Ukraine / New York 1931-2010) Pair of original oil paintings on masonite One shows a seagull flying over crashing waves, the other trees by a lake Each painting measures 9" wide x 12" high Each oak frame measures 10" wide x 13" high The paintings were done in 1991 Very good vintage condition - One painting (the seagull) shows a minor fleck of paint loss at the extreme upper edge. (see pics) Offered as a pair only Morris Katz (born Moshe Katz on March 5, 1932 – November 12, 2010) was a Polish-American painter. He holds two Guinness World Records as the world's fastest painter and the world's most prolific artist. He has also been called the "King of Schlock Art" and the "King of Toilet Paper Art" because of a novel means of painting he developed using a palette knife and toilet tissue...
Category

Late 20th Century Morris Katz Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Cityscape Painting
By Morris Katz
Located in Douglas Manor, NY
#5-2937 Cityscape ,abstract painting,acrylic on artist board displayed in a silver- wood frame ,signed on verso Morris Katz. Image size 11.5 H x 15.5 W Age wear on the frame
Category

1970s Morris Katz Paintings

Cityscape Painting
Cityscape Painting
H 17.075 in W 21.05 in

Morris Katz paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Morris Katz paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Morris Katz in oil paint, paint, wood 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 Morris Katz paintings, so small editions measuring 8 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Helena Malarewicz-Krajewska, Duane Albert Armstrong, and Barbara Wilson. Morris Katz paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $400 and tops out at $1,516, while the average work can sell for $545.

Recently Viewed

View All