Valentine Prax Figurative Paintings

"Spirit" a bold and thoughtful cubist oil on canvas was painted in December of 2001 by African American artist William (Bill) Cooper. William Y. Cooper was a writer, painter, muralist, illustrator, and art teacher. He moved to Western New York in 1954 from Birmingham, Alabama, to pursue work, and Buffalo has been his home ever since. In 1975, he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University at Buffalo; he was also a state certified art teacher. Cooper woked primarily in oils and acrylics, but also creates drawings on paper. He has painted several commissioned murals and has had more than fifteen one-man shows in Western New York and Ghana, West Africa, and has participated in more than twenty-five group exhibitions since he began his professional career in 1969. His paintings and drawings address both his African heritage and his experience as an American through symbolism and metaphor. He observes, “I am an Afrocentric artist. My worldview is rooted in an African frame of reference and a deep, abiding sense of the creator from whence I draw my inspiration, strength, and a sense of who I am. The use of symbols allows me to explore literal ideas.” Among Cooper’s published works are two children’s books, 77 Jackson Street, Rear and Nakai and the Red Shoes, and a novel for adults, The Mopane Tree. Cooper founded the Afrocentric Artists’ Collective and ran the organization from 1979 to 1981. In 2013 he was designated a “Living Legacy” artist by the Burchfield Penney Arts Center, the latest in a series of honors which has also included awards from the Arts Council of Buffalo & Erie County, the New York State Council on the Arts, and Alpha Kappa Alpha...

Georges Dayez (French, 1907-1991). “Vendimia” Vintage / Grape Harvest / Wine Harvest , Oil on paper, 20”x 26 1/3, framed 27 1/4 x 33 1/4. Dayez was a...

"Abstracted Letter Sunset" is an abstract painting by Spanish artist Natalia Roman. These color field paintings are inspired by both modernist shapes of ...

Gustavo Úbeda (1930-1994) - Picassian surrealist figure - Oil on tablex. Oil measures 50x40 cm. Frame size 65x55 cm. The painting by Gustavo Úbeda Romero (Herencia, 1930 – Sao Paulo...

In this mid-century modern oil painting, two Chinese male figures in yellow and red clothing are featured predominantly in foreground of an urban landscap...

Dick Beer (b. London 1893 - d. Stockholm 1938) Portrait of Gabriele Varese (in Italian uniform), 1919 oil on canvas mounted on panel 116 x 90 cm stamp signature Exhibited: Solo exhibition, Stockholm, Nov-Dec 1917; The Royal Academy Stockholm 1973; Åmells Konsthandel – En internationell kubist, Stockholm & London 2008 Hälsinglands Museum 2011 Millesgården – Dick Beer – Impressionist & Kubist, 2012 Provenance: Within the family Beer until today Dick Beer was born in 1893 in London as Richard Beer, the youngest of five brothers. His father, John Beer (1853-1906), was a watercolourist who was born in Stockholm and had left Sweden at the age of 17. John Beer instructed his sons in drawing and painting, among other things. A number of sketchbooks bear testimony to the boys’ talent. Dick Beer’s parents died in 1906 and 1907. Barely 15 years old, Beer arrived in Sweden as an orphan. First he lived with relatives and finally he ended up at Reverend Laurell in Västergötland. Dick Beer began his artistic studies at the Althin School of Painting in Stockholm in 1908 and continued at the Royal Academy of Arts in the autumn of 1910, but in September 1912 he broke off his studies and travelled to Paris. He rented a studio and enrolled at the Colarossi and Grande Chaumière academies. In the summer of 1913, Dick Beer travelled to Pont-Aven in Bretagne in order to paint. In September the same year, he held his first solo exhibition in Stockholm which he gave the French title Exposition des tableaux de Bretagne et autour de Paris. The exhibition proved a success. Many of the paintings were executed in a light palette in a style inspired by the impressionists. In 1914, Dick Beer undertook an extensive study trip to Italy, Tunis, Morocco and Spain, which resulted in canvases overflowing with colours and light. When the French army mobilised, he volunteered and was enlisted in the French Foreign Legion. In 1915 Dick Beer sustained severe head injuries in a grenade attack, which resulted in deafness and a nervous condition that would plague him for the rest of his life. Two of his brothers died the following year, fighting for the English army. Dick Beer was hospitalised and convalesced at Château de Rochefort. Here he started painting again, in an impressionist style, a painting dominated by blue and green hues. In 1918, Dick Beer married Ruth Öhrling, a dentist, and their son John was born later in the year. During this time, Beer began experimenting with cubist painting and created several large compositions, including the painting “The Arab Café”. In the years that followed, Dick Beer was based in Paris, where he often moved house. He was instructed by André Lhote, who encouraged his students to work freely in the studio and provided them with individual critique. Beer often travelled to Bretagne or Provence. His artist friends came from all over Europe and included Amedeo Modigliani. Dick Beer exhibited fairly regularly in Paris between 1919 and 1934 and made a name for himself in French artist circles. In the summers, Ruth regularly rented a house in the countryside, often at Lake Mälaren. She kept a large house with many models and friends and there was a lot of painting and discussions. In 1933, the couple divorced but Ruth still loved Dick and continued to support him financially for the rest of his life. Dick Beer also exhibited in Sweden, albeit irregularly due to his failing health. In the 1920s and 1930s, Beer continued to pursue an expressionist painting with intense colours and unexpected perspectives, but eventually he veered towards more naturalistic forms, including a large number of nudes. He also painted several portraits of artists, politicians and writers. In 1938, Dick Beer sojourned in Arles. The budding photographer Christer Strömholm...

Mid century modern figural abstract painting with a touch of cubism. Original oil on canvas. Dimensions 35 1/2" x 23 1/2". Frame dimensions 41" x 29". Very good vintage conditi...

FRANCISCO BORES Spanish, 1898 - 1972 LES FUMEURS signed & dated "Borès 35" (lower right) titled in pencil "Les Fumeurs", unfinished sketch (head), signed & dated "Bores 36" (on the reverse) oil on cardboard 10-5/8 x 13-3/4 inches (27 x 35 cm.) framed: 15-1/2 x 18-1/2 inches (39.5 x 47 cm.) NOTE: THIS WORK IS ACCOMPANIED BY A CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY ISSUED BY “ARCHIVO FRANCISCO BORES”. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Francisco Bores, Reasoned Catalogue, Volume I - Painting 1917-1944, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, 2003, n° 1935 / 49, reproduced in color p. 281 PROVENANCE Carmen Bores Collection, Francisco Bores daughter Francisco Bores López (Madrid, May 5, 1898 - Paris, May 10, 1972) was a Spanish painter of the so-called New School of Paris. His artistic training originated both in the Cecilio Pla painting academy, where he met Pancho Cossío, Manuel Ángeles Ortiz...

Belgian artist Miette Braive(1916-2000), was classically trained in Belgium, before moving to Paris to pursue her art career as first a student and then a contemporary of the French ...

Measures 22" x 18" and framed 27" x 24" x 3". About this artist: Born in Galatz, Romania, John Barber became a modernist painter of figures and scenes of...

Elisabeth DUJARRIC de LA RIVIÈRE (Jouy-en-Josas 1930 - Excideuil 2005) Self-portrait with apple Oil on canvas H. 100 cm ; L. 73 cm Sig...

We are proud to present a series of early original mixed media works on paper, just released from the private collection one of the contemporary masters of Belgian avant-garde painting, Belgian/American artist Jessica Rice (1941-2016.) "Midi", is an original mixed media painting on artists paper, signed, dated 1989, with an image dimension of 20 x 30 inches, excellent original condition. The painting has been custom framed set into a antiqued silver art...