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Tom Lovell Figurative Paintings

American, 1909-1997

“A storyteller with a brush, a custodian of the past” is how illustrator Tom Lovell once described himself. Lovell is regarded as one of the 20th century’s leading Western artists, with his work including figurative paintings of important historical events, portraits of homespun American life and thought-provoking illustrations for publications such as Life, National Geographic and The Saturday Evening Post.

Born in 1909 in New York City, Lovell spent his childhood in Nutley, New Jersey, where he developed a keen interest in art and Native American culture. He often visited New York’s American Museum of Natural History, where he would sketch Native American clothing, weapons and artifacts. 

Lovell studied art at Syracuse University, where he roomed with future well-known illustrator Harry Anderson. While there, he began his illustration career by selling his work to pulp magazines. Later, he illustrated for publications such as The American, Cosmopolitan and Women’s Home Companion.

During World War II, Lovell enlisted with the Marine Corps Reserve and created illustrations for the Marine Corps’s Leatherneck magazine and the Marine Corps Gazette. He also completed several large paintings chronicling historical military events; they are now displayed at the Marine Corps headquarters in Washington, DC.

After the war, Lovell continued illustrating for magazines like Collier’s, Redbook, Ladies’ Home Journal and McCall’s, which featured “Day of Yellow Flowers,” one of his better-known illustrations. He contributed a series of historical works, including his famous Civil War painting “Surrender at Appomattox,” to National Geographic.

Throughout the 1960s, he was increasingly fascinated with the American Southwest. In 1975, Lovell and his family moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he found inspiration for his landscapes that depict Native American and Old West culture. 

Lovell received numerous accolades throughout his career. In 1974, the Society of Illustrators named him a Hall of Fame Laureate. In 1992, the National Academy of Western Art and National Cowboy Museum honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Lovell is the only artist to have won the National Cowboy Museum’s invitational Prix de West exhibition twice.

Lovell died in 1997. His illustrations and paintings continue to be prized by Western art and Americana collectors.

On 1stDibs, discover a range of Tom Lovell’s paintings.

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Artist: Tom Lovell
Artist Muse
Artist Muse

Artist Muse

By Tom Lovell

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right

Category

20th Century Tom Lovell Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Below Deck
Below Deck

Below Deck

By Tom Lovell

Located in Miami, FL

Charles Martignette Heritage Auctions, This is a Wonderfully rendered work with high level of detail and color saturation. Norman Rockwellesqu...

Category

1950s Realist Tom Lovell Figurative Paintings

Materials

Gouache

“Suddenly he was the lover she’d sent away so long ago.”
“Suddenly he was the lover she’d sent away so long ago.”

“Suddenly he was the lover she’d sent away so long ago.”

By Tom Lovell

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Magazine story illustration for “Wherever You Walk” by Mary Thayer Muller for Cosmopolitan, published February 1956, page 26. The romantic story is introduced by the magazine as fol...

Category

20th Century Tom Lovell Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paint

Attorney at Sea
Attorney at Sea

Attorney at Sea

By Tom Lovell

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed TOM/LOVELL (lower left); also titled Attorney/at Sea (on the reverse)

Category

20th Century Tom Lovell Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

“A Date for the Baby Sitter” Magazine story illustration for Good Housekeeping
“A Date for the Baby Sitter” Magazine story illustration for Good Housekeeping

“A Date for the Baby Sitter” Magazine story illustration for Good Housekeeping

By Tom Lovell

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Story illustration for “A Date for the Baby Sitter” by Eileen Herbert Jordan for Good Housekeeping, published December 1958, illustrated pages 58-59 The full caption reads: “Thus Peggy went forth—sailed might be the better word—escorted by part of the Navy.” The snowy scene features a woman and two sailors leaving the house at Christmas time. Exhibited: The Triumph of Winter, National Arts Club, New York, December 16, 2013- January 5, 2014 Date: 1958 Medium: Oil on Board Dimensions: 23.20" x 33.50" Signature: Signed Lower Left A Native American finding a Raggedy Ann doll...

Category

1950s Tom Lovell Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Happy Endings
Happy Endings

Happy Endings

By Tom Lovell

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Medium: Oil on Linen Signature: Signed and Dated Story illustration for "Farewell Without Regret" by Sarah-Elizabeth Rodger for Good Housekeeping, published July 1940, page 58. The...

Category

1940s Tom Lovell Figurative Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

The Crime Scene, Original Magazine Story Illustration
The Crime Scene, Original Magazine Story Illustration

The Crime Scene, Original Magazine Story Illustration

By Tom Lovell

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Illustration for True magazine, presumably published February 1956. Nighttime scene of policemen and bloodhounds investigating a murder on a cobblestone street. Approximate Date: 1956 Medium: Oil on Board Signature: Signed Lower Right Size: 22.70" x 16.20" Tom Lovell Biography: A Native American finding a Raggedy Ann doll...

Category

1950s Tom Lovell Figurative Paintings

Materials

Board, Oil

Gold Mining Camp
Gold Mining Camp

Gold Mining Camp

By Tom Lovell

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right Dimensions: Sight Size 18.75" x 26.00;" Framed 26.00" x 33.00"

Category

20th Century Tom Lovell Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Gondola In Venice, 1947
Gondola In Venice, 1947

Gondola In Venice, 1947

By Tom Lovell

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Medium: Oil on Masonite Signature: Signed Upper Left Original Use: Interior Illustration for The American Magazine Excellent Condition This luminous, expressive oil on masonite wa...

Category

1940s Tom Lovell Figurative Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Bridal White

Bridal White

By Tom Lovell

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed Lower Right and Titled on reverse Dimensions: 28.13" x 25.13" (71.45 cm x 63.83 cm) Literature: Temple Bailey, Bridal White, The American Mag...

Category

1940s Tom Lovell Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Up the Staircase
Up the Staircase

Up the Staircase

By Tom Lovell

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Medium: Oil on Canvas Signature: Signed and Dated Lower Left Dimensions: Sight Size 30.50" x 34.75," Framed 36.00" x 39.50"

Category

1940s Tom Lovell Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Formal Affair
Formal Affair

Formal Affair

By Tom Lovell

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Date: July 1942 Medium: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: 36.00" x 26.00" Signature: Signed Lower Left Illustration for Cosmopolitan magazine. Tom Lovell’s illustrations range from adventur...

Category

1940s Tom Lovell Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Blondin Crossing Niagara
Blondin Crossing Niagara

Blondin Crossing Niagara

By Tom Lovell

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Medium: Oil on Masonite Signature: Signed Lower Left This piece was published as an illustration in True Magazine titled "Blondin Crossing Niagara" in 1953. Born Jean-François Grave...

Category

1950s Tom Lovell Figurative Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

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The Mutiny
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Tom LovellThe Mutiny

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H 22 in W 22 in

The Mutiny

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"You're Not to Tell Anyone"
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"You're Not to Tell Anyone"

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Medium: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: 32.00" x 35.00" Signature: Signed Lower Right Story illustration for “Mrs. Parkington” by Louis Bromfield for Cosmopolitan, published November 1942, pages 56 and 57. The full caption reads: “‘And you’re not to tell anyone where you’re going or that you’re going away together,’ Mrs. Parkington said as she told Janie and Ned her plan.” A Native American finding a Raggedy Ann doll...

Category

Mid-20th Century Tom Lovell Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Saturday Evening Post Story Illustration
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Saturday Evening Post Story Illustration

By Tom Lovell

Located in Fort Washington, PA

Date: 1942 Medium: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: 36.00" x 26.00" Signature: Signed Lower Left Story illustration for Saturday Evening Post magazine, 1942, page 47. A Native American finding a Raggedy Ann doll...

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Canvas, Oil

Tom Lovell figurative paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Tom Lovell figurative paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Tom Lovell in paint, oil paint, fabric and more. Not every interior allows for large Tom Lovell figurative paintings, so small editions measuring 17 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Frank Schoonover, Peter Adams, and Amanda Besl. Tom Lovell figurative paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $11,000 and tops out at $125,000, while the average work can sell for $30,000.