William Gropper Prints and Multiples

Hand signed in pencil and numbered with Roman numerals 8/24. A very small edition. Old Lower East Side of New York or East European Shtetl. Jewish Shtetl Hasidic Klezmer Musicians. ...

Hand signed in pencil and numbered with Roman numerals 8/24. A very small edition. Old Lower East Side of New York or East European Shtetl. Jewish Shtetl Klezmer Musicians. humorous...

Hand signed in pencil and numbered with Roman numerals 8/24. A very small edition. Old Lower East Side of New York or East European Shtetl. Yenta gossips in the kitchen peeling. hum...

Hand signed in pencil and numbered with Roman numerals 8/24. A very small edition. Old Lower East Side of New York or East European Shtetl. Jewish Shtetl Peddler Merchant. humorous ...

Hand signed in pencil and numbered with Roman numerals 8/24. A very small edition. Old Lower East Side of New York or East European Shtetl. Jewish Shtetl Peddler Merchant. humorous ...

Hand signed in pencil and numbered with Roman numerals 8/24. A very small edition. Old Lower East Side of New York or East European Shtetl. Jewish Shtetl Peddler Merchant. humorous ...

Hand signed in pencil and numbered with Roman numerals 8/24. A very small edition. Old Lower East Side of New York or East European Shtetl. Jewish Shtetl Peddler Merchant. humorous ...

Hand signed in pencil and numbered with Roman numerals 8/24. A very small edition. Old Lower East Side of New York or East European Shtetl. Orthodox Jewish Rabbi having a glass of t...

Hand signed in pencil and numbered with Roman numerals 8/24. A very small edition. Old Lower East Side of New York or East European Shtetl. Orthodox Jewish Rabbi having a glass of t...

This artwork titled "The Horsemen" 1935, is an original lithograph on paper by noted American artist William Gropper, 1897-1977. It is hand signed in pencil by the artist. The artwor...

This artwork titled "Liberated Village" c. 1940, is an original lithograph on paper by noted American artist William Gropper, 1897-1977. It is hans signed and titled in pencil by the artist. The artwork (image) size is 12 x 16.5 inches, framed size is 20.25 x 24.25 inches. Custom framed in a black metal frame, with off white matting. It is in excellent condition. An example of this particular artwork is held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. About the artist: William Gropper was born in New York City's Lower East Side in 1897. He was the first of six children to parents who earned small wages working in sweatshops. At the age of fourteen, Gropper left school to help support his family. While carrying bolts of cloth for his deliveries, Gropper began to draw on scraps of paper, sidewalks, and walls. A passerby saw some of these drawings and invited Gropper to attend a life-drawing class at the Ferrer School. He studied there for three years from 1912 to 1915, attending classes taught by Robert Henri and George Bellows. From 1915 to 1918 Gropper attended the New York School of Fine and Applied Art part-time on scholarship. Gropper also won a scholarship to the National Academy of Design, but remained as a student for only a short time; the rigid and systematic institution conflicted with Gropper's belief in the personal nature of art. At the New York School of Fine and Applied Art, Gropper earned several prizes. One of these prizes was for his cartoons, which led him to be hired by the New York Tribune in 1917 to sketch for their features. A few years later through freelance work, his cartoons and drawings appeared in other newspapers and magazines, such as The Liberator, The New Masses...

As a politically passionate, unconventional figure in the art world, William Gropper tested the limits of expression through his cartoons, murals, and oil paintings. With a preference for theme over aesthetic, Gropper believed that art should reflect the human condition and experience. Visual art became the means by which Gropper communicated his concern for labor and economic issues, making him an ideal representative of Social-Realism. Throughout his life, he would be called a radical (even being subpoenaed by Congress for communism) and would tirelessly create socially relevant art for the public. Born to Harry and Jenny Gropper in 1897, William was raised in New York City's Lower East Side. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Romania and Ukraine, and young William grew up in relative poverty, watching his family struggle to achieve that sought-after American dream. His father, a bright and college-educated man, was unable to find employment that worthy of his intellect. His mother, meanwhile, worked as a seamstress from home. Coupled with the devastating loss of an aunt to the infamous Triangle Factory fire of 1911, significant childhood factors created the foundation that led to Gropper’s exploration of the American experience. Early on, Gropper displayed an extraordinary, natural skill for art. By 1912, he was already studying under the instruction of George Bellows and Robert Henri at the Ferrer School in Greenwich Village. During his time at school, Gropper was also awarded a prestigious scholarship to study at the National Academy of Design. However, he refused to fit into convention and was swiftly expelled from the Academy. After his expulsion, Gropper returned home to help financially by assisting his mother and taking a shop position. However, he didn't abandon art academia and soon presented a portfolio to the New York School of Fine Art which earned him a scholarship for study. Gropper obtained his first significant job as a cartoonist for the New York Tribune in 1917. While working as a staff cartoonist for the Tribune, he also contributed drawings to publications like Vanity Fair, New Masses, The Nation, and Freiheit. His interest in the welfare of the American worker, class inequality, and social injustice was central in his work. After publishing the graphic novel Alley Oop in 1930, Gropper's illustration career extended well into the decade. However, he was never exempt from controversy, and his 1935 Vanity Fair cartoon; prompted anger from the Japanese government. As an involved labor organizer and activist, Gropper continued to bring attention to his radical reputation with visits to the Soviet Union and Poland. However, his concern with European politics and U.S. social causes didn't slow down his artistic career, and by the late 1930s, he had produced significant murals for American cities like Washington D.C. His 1938 mural Construction of a Dam was commissioned for the Department of the Interior and represents the Social-Realism style that depicts experiences of the worker and everyday societal life. Measuring at a staggering 27ft by 87ft, the piece portrays muscular, robust American laborers scaling rocky hillsides, building infrastructure, and operating heavy machinery. The mural feels undeniably American with golden scenery, denim blues, and steely gray colors. Gropper fits perfectly into Social-Realism because the style exhibits an illustrative flair with strong lines and simple, bold hues. The inspiration for Construction of a Dam sprang from his 1937 travels to the poverty-stricken Dust Bowl area. The trip was sponsored by a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, and his drawings of the Grand Coulee and Boulder Dams...

Gropper, Will1am (American, 1897-1977). THE NEW BILL. Lithograph, c. 1941. 11 3/4 x 16 inches (image), 14 x 19 inches (sheet).Titled and signed in pencil. In excellent condition.

Hand signed in pencil and numbered. A very small edition. Old Lower East Side of New York or East European Shtetl. Jewish Shtetl Hasidic Klezmer Musicians. humorous Yiddish Chassidic art. The New-York born artist William Gropper was a painter and cartoonist who, with caricature style, focused on social concerns, and was actively engaged in support of the organized labor movement throughout his career. This original color lithograph print is done in the iconic style of the artist's oeuvre. Born to Harry and Jenny Gropper in 1897, William was raised in New York City's Lower East Side. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Romania and Ukraine, and young William grew up in relative poverty, watching his family struggle to achieve that sought-after American dream. His father, a bright and college-educated man, was unable to find employment that worthy of his intellect. His mother, meanwhile, worked as a seamstress from home. Coupled with the devastating loss of an aunt to the infamous Triangle Factory fire of 1911, significant childhood factors created the foundation that led to Gropper’s exploration of the American experience. Early on, Gropper displayed an extraordinary, natural skill for art. By 1912, he was already studying under the instruction of George Bellows and Robert Henri at the Ferrer School in Greenwich Village. During his time at school, Gropper was also awarded a prestigious scholarship to study at the National Academy of Design. However, he refused to fit into convention and was swiftly expelled from the Academy. After his expulsion, Gropper returned home to help financially by assisting his mother and taking a shop position. However, he didn't abandon art academia and soon presented a portfolio to the New York School of Fine Art which earned him a scholarship for study. Gropper obtained his first significant job as a cartoonist for the New York Tribune in 1917. While working as a staff cartoonist for the Tribune, he also contributed drawings to publications like Vanity Fair, New Masses, The Nation, and Freiheit. His interest in the welfare of the American worker, class inequality, and social injustice was central in his work. After publishing the graphic novel Alley Oop in 1930, Gropper's illustration career extended well into the decade. However, he was never exempt from controversy, and his 1935 Vanity Fair cartoon; prompted anger from the Japanese government. As an involved labor organizer and Social Realist activist, Gropper continued to bring attention to his radical reputation with visits to the Soviet Union and Poland. However, his concern with European politics and U.S. social causes didn't slow down his artistic career, and by the late 1930s, he had produced significant murals for American cities like Washington D.C. His 1938 mural Construction of a Dam was commissioned for the Department of the Interior and represents the Social-Realism style that depicts experiences of the worker and everyday societal life. Measuring at a staggering 27ft by 87ft, the piece portrays muscular, robust American laborers scaling rocky hillsides, building infrastructure, and operating heavy machinery. The mural feels undeniably American with golden scenery, denim blues, and steely gray colors. Gropper fits perfectly into Social-Realism because the style exhibits an illustrative flair with strong lines and simple, bold hues. The inspiration for Construction of a Dam sprang from his 1937 travels to the poverty-stricken Dust Bowl area. The trip was sponsored by a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, and his drawings of the Grand Coulee and Boulder Dams...

An early serigraph (screen print) by William Gropper. There's a harpist to provide the music and a choir master conducting. The seated members of the group are individually drawn as ...