William Sommer Art
American, 1867-1949
William Sommer is seen as a key person in bringing European modernism to Northeast Ohio. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, and in his youth apprenticed for seven years to a lithographer.
He briefly studied at an art academy in Germany and then worked as a lithographer in New York before moving to Cleveland, where he was awarded a major contract with the Otis Lithography Company. There he became friends with sculptor and painter William Zorach, and the two, determined to be fine artists, began painting together on weekends. They also became intrigued by avant-garde movements, especially after Zorach's trip to Paris in 1910.
In 1911, Sommer co-founded a group in Cleveland called the Kokoon Club, a mixed group of commercial artists and radical modernists who sought the freedom to pursue their independent tendencies. They converted a tailor's shop into a studio and held exhibitions and lectures and organized an annual masked ball that became the focus of Cleveland's bohemian life.
In 1913, he and his colleagues began painting at Brandywine, about 30 miles south of Cleveland and made a school house into a studio. They devoted increasing time to watercolor painting because they could work spontaneously and it would dry quickly. Rejecting the conventional ideas of beauty, they strove for the expression of emotion and spontaneity and fantasy. One of Sommer's most successful students was Charles Burchfield.
As he was perfecting his mature style, he had financial difficulties because he made his living from commercial lithography, which was becoming obsolete, and the Depression was hitting the nation causing him to lose his job. He became a WPA artist, doing murals in northeastern Ohio.
After his death at age 82, he was largely forgotten until 1980 when Hilton Kramer, a "New York Times" critic, praised his work. In May to July, 1994, the Ohio Arts Council held a retrospective of his work at the Riffe Gallery in Columbus. His work is found in many public collections including the National Museum of American Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.to
16
16
8
7
6
5
2
untitled (Still Life with Apples and Vase of Flowers)
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
[recto];untitled (Sketches for Still
Unsigned
9 1/2 x 12 inches (24.2 x 30.6 cm.)
Category
20th Century William Sommer Art
Materials
Graphite
Tyrannus, Early 20th Century painting of a dog, Cleveland School Artist
By William Sommer
Located in Beachwood, OH
William Sommer (American, 1867-1949)
Tyrannus, c. 1935
Watercolor and pen and ink on paper
Signed lower right
7.5 x 9.5 inches
16 x 18 inches, framed
William Sommer is seen as a ke...
Category
1930s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Ink, Watercolor, Pen
Cows in a Field, Early 20th Century American Modernist Landscape Watercolor
By William Sommer
Located in Beachwood, OH
William Sommer (American, 1867-1949)
Cows in a Field
Watercolor on paper
Signed lower left
11.5 x 15.5 inches
17.5 x 21.5 inches, framed
William Sommer is seen as a key person in br...
Category
Early 20th Century American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Watercolor
Mid Century Modernist Watercolor Landscape with Horse, Cleveland School
By William Sommer
Located in Beachwood, OH
William Sommer (American, 1867–1949)
Spring Beauty
Watercolor on paper
Signed lower right
12.5 x 17 inches
18 x 22.75 inches, framed
William Sommer is seen as a key person in bringi...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Watercolor
Still Life with Tromp L'Oeil
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Still Life with Tromp L'Oeil
Graphite and watercolor on a book page.
Signed in ink by the artist lower right corner
(see photo)
Provenance:
Estate of the artist (Estate No. 00916 verso)
Ray Sommer (the artist's son)
Joseph M. Erdelac (No. 18 JME verso)
Book page verso is an illustration of a Durer woodcut...
Category
1920s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Watercolor
Wire Haired Girl and Cat
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Wire Haired Girl and Cat
Pen and ink with watercolor, c. 1930
Signed with the Estate stamp "B"
Provenance: Estate of the Artist
By descent to his son Edward
...
Category
1930s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Watercolor
Standing Nude with Japanese Lanterns
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Standing Nude with Japanese Lanterns
Ink drawing on wove paper, mounted on wove paper support, c. 1916
Signed with the estate stamp B
Provenance: Estate of the Artist
...
Category
1910s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Ink
Head of a Young Woman with Blond Hair
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Head of a Young Woman with Blond Hair
Watercolor on paper mounted on rag paper support, c. 1930
Signed with the Estate Stamp B
Provenance: Estate of the Artist
...
Category
1930s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Watercolor
Girl in Profile
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Girl in Profile
Lithographic crayon and watercolor on thin wove paper, c. 1930
Signed twice in pencil (see photos)
Provenance: Estate of the Artist
Edward Somme...
Category
1930s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Watercolor
Nude, arms raised
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Nude
Matchstick and ink drawing heightened with conte crayon
c. 1925
Signed with the Estate Stamp "B"
Provenance: Joseph A. Erdelac (1914 -2005), Cleveland
Acqu...
Category
1920s Art Deco William Sommer Art
Materials
Ink
Female Nude in Profile
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Woman
Pen and ink on paper, c. 1925-1928
Signed in pencil lower left
Exhibited: Akron Art Institute (Akron Art Museum),
William Sommer Retrospective, Oct. 25 to Nov. 29,
1 970
Illu...
Category
1920s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Ink
Nude Woman in Chair
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Nude Woman in Chair
Watercolor, gouache, ink, and pencil on heavy paper, c. 1930-35
Signed with the artist's Estate stamp lower right (see photo)
Note: "Matchstick" ink drawing of fe...
Category
1930s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Watercolor
Female Nude Study
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Female Nude Study
Graphite and crayon on wove paper, c. 1928
Signed with the Estate stamp "B" (see photo)
Provenance: Estate of the Artist
Edward Sommer (his so...
Category
1920s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Crayon
Wire Haired Girl and Cat
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Wire Haired Girl and Cat
Pen and ink with watercolor, c. 1930
Signed with the Estate stamp "B"
Provenance: Estate of the Artist
By descent to his son Edward
...
Category
1930s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Watercolor
Deco Woman
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Deco Woman
Crayon on paper, c. 1920
Signed in ink lower left: "Wm. Sommer" (see photo)
Provenance:
Estate of the artist
Edwin Sommer (the artist’s son)
Jose...
Category
1910s Art Deco William Sommer Art
Materials
Crayon
Standing Female Nude
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Standing Female Nude
Match stick and ink drawing, c. 1925
Signed with the estate stamp B
Sheet size: 21 x 16 inches
Created at the Kakoon Arts Klu...
Category
1920s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Ink
Related Items
"Sea Cliff" Mid Century Modern Coastal Cliff Seascape in Acrylic on Masonite
Located in Soquel, CA
"Sea Cliff" Mid Century Modern Coastal Cliff Seascape in Acrylic on Masonite
Expansive seascape by notable California artist Farren Jensen (American, 19...
Category
1970s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Masonite, Acrylic
$1,500
H 31 in W 27 in D 2 in
Thomas Sidney Cooper RA, Cow & Sheep In A Landscape
By Thomas Sidney Cooper
Located in Cheltenham, GB
This charming mid-19th-century watercolour by British artist Thomas Sidney Cooper RA (1803-1902) depicts two sheep and a cow in a landscape. Cooper was a distinguished British painte...
Category
1850s English School William Sommer Art
Materials
Paper, Watercolor
$1,077
H 23 in W 27 in
Gun from Clue
By A.J. Fries
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original mixed media drawing by American artist A.J. Fries.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist William Sommer Art
Materials
Gouache, Graphite, Paper
Society of Six Street Scene - Figurative Abstract
By Bernard Von Eichman
Located in Soquel, CA
Stunning New York City urban modernist watercolor titled "Summer Afternoon Stroll" by Society of Six artist Bernard Von Eichman (American, 1899-1990), 1...
Category
1930s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Archival Paper, Watercolor
$7,595
H 28 in W 22 in D 0.25 in
"Tugboat in New York Harbor" Ernest Fiene, Modernist, Cerulean Waterscape
By Ernest Fiene
Located in New York, NY
Ernest Fiene
Tugboat in New York Harbor
Signed lower right
Oil on canvas
24 1/2 x 34 1/2 inches
Ernest Fiene was born in Elberfeld, Germany in 1894. As a teenager, Fiene immigrated...
Category
1930s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
$9,500
H 32 in W 42.5 in
African Mama - Vintage Illustration in Ink and Watercolor
By Irene Pattinson
Located in Soquel, CA
African Mama - Vintage Illustration in Ink and Watercolor
A charming illustration, by Irene Pattinson (American, 1909-1999), shows a woman with a...
Category
1950s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Paper, India Ink, Watercolor, Pen
$636 Sale Price
20% Off
H 13 in W 10 in D 0.25 in
Blanche Grambs, (Young Bird with Ferns)
Located in New York, NY
Blanche Grambs, whose career started with the WPA, was an extremely skilled draftsperson.
Her birds are masterful. This charming piece places the yooun...
Category
1970s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Pencil
Artists Sketching, California, 1940s Large Modernist Gouache Painting, Landscape
By Frederick Shane
Located in Denver, CO
This original 1940s American Modernist gouache painting, "Artists Sketching (California)," captures a dynamic scene of three artists at work against a majestic mountain backdrop. With expressive brushwork and a rich color palette, the piece embodies Frederick E. Shane’s signature blend of realism and modernist abstraction. Signed, titled, and dated by the artist in the lower margin, this remarkable artwork reflects the era’s Regionalist influence and the artist’s keen eye for capturing creative moments in the natural landscape.
The painting is professionally housed in a custom archival frame, ensuring long-term preservation. Frame dimensions: 25.5 x 37.5 x 1.5 inches. Image size: 20.25 x 29.75 inches.
Provenance: Estate of the Artist, Frederick Shane
About the Artist: Frederick E. Shane (1906-1992)
A celebrated Missouri Regionalist painter and printmaker, Frederick E. Shane was known for his compelling genre scenes, landscapes, seascapes, and portraits in a variety of media, including oil, watercolor, gouache, tempera, and lithography. While fundamentally a realist, Shane often incorporated elements of abstraction, expressionism, and surrealism, adding depth and emotion to his compositions.
During the summers of 1925-26, Shane studied under Randall Davey at the Broadmoor Academy in Colorado Springs, an institution founded in 1919 by philanthropists Spencer and Julie Penrose. Shane remained closely connected to the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, the Academy’s successor, throughout the 1940s and early 1950s, participating in Artists West of the Mississippi exhibitions and forming lasting friendships with key figures like Boardman Robinson and Adolph Dehn...
Category
1940s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Gouache
$3,000 Sale Price
61% Off
H 25.5 in W 37.5 in D 1.5 in
San Francisco Cable Car WPA Artist Adolf Dehn Modernist Art Gouache Oil Painting
By Adolf Dehn
Located in Surfside, FL
ADOLF ARTHUR DEHN (American, 1895-1969)
San Francisco Bay Area street scene, with Trolley, Streetcar, Cable Car with bay and Alcatraz Island in background.
Hand signed LRC.
Sight 19" x 15", overall 23" x 19".
Adolf Dehn (November 22, 1895 – May 19, 1968) was an American artist known mainly as a lithographer. Throughout his artistic career, he participated in and helped define some important movements in American art, including regionalism, social realism, and caricature. A two-time recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, he was known for both his technical skills and his high-spirited, droll depictions of human foibles.
Adolph Dehn was born in 1895 in Waterville, Minnesota. He began creating artwork at the age of six, and by the time of his death had created nearly 650 images.
Dehn went to the Minneapolis School of Art (known today as the Minneapolis College of Art and Design), where he met and became a close friend of Wanda Gag. In 1917 he and Gág were two of only a dozen students in the country to earn a scholarship to the Art Students League of New York. He was drafted to serve in World War I in 1918, but declared himself a conscientious objector and spent four months in a guardhouse detention camp in Spartanburg, SC and then worked for eight months as a painting teacher at an arm rehabilitation hospital in Asheville, NC. Later, Dehn returned to the Art Students League for another year of study and created his first lithograph, The Harvest.
In 1921 Dehn's lithographs were featured in his first exhibition at Weyhe Gallery in New York City. From 1920 to 1921 in Manhattan, he was connected to New York's politically left-leaning activists. In 1921, he went to Europe. In Paris and Vienna he belonged to a group of expatriate intellectuals and artists, including Andrée Ruellan, Gertrude Stein, and ee cummings...
Category
1930s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Gouache, Oil
1930s WPA Era Watercolor Painting of Horses in a Southwest Landscape
By Lloyd Moylan
Located in Denver, CO
Immerse yourself in the beauty of the American Southwest with this stunning vintage painting by renowned artist Lloyd Moylan (1893–1963). This masterful watercolor and gouache on pap...
Category
1930s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Watercolor, Gouache
$1,850
H 27.5 in W 37.5 in D 1.75 in
African American Woman artist Mailou Jones Cezannian Cote d'Azur cubist village
Located in Norwich, GB
If you are interested in African American Art and in Women in the Arts, I will certainly not need to introduce Lois Mailou Jones (1905-1988). Often associated with the Harlem Renaissance, her
work can be found in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Muscarelle Museum of Art, and The Phillips Collection. I am proud to present an original watercolour painting by the artist which dates from the late 1940s or early 1950s.
Jones was born in Boston, Massachusetts to a father who became the first African-American to earn a law degree from Suffolk Law School. Jones's parents encouraged her to draw and paint using watercolors during her childhood. She held her first solo exhibition at the age of seventeen in Martha's Vineyard.
He career began in the 1930s and she continued to produce art work until her death in 1998 at the age of 92. Her style shifted and evolved multiple times in response to influences in her life, especially her extensive travels. She felt that her greatest contribution to the art world was "proof of the talent of black artists". Her work echoes her pride in her African roots and American ancestry.
In 1937, Jones received a fellowship to study in Paris at the Académie Julian, bringing her to France for the first time. The French were appreciative of her paintings and talent and Loïs Mailou Jones was thrilled at the country’s racial tolerance, so different from her reality in the United States.
She summered in France annually from 1945 to 1953, sharing studio with her lifelong friend Celine Marie Tabary in Cabris, France.
It was during one of these sojourns that the lovely work presented here was created.
Our painting depicts the village of Tourettes sur Loup, just north of Nice, in the Provence Cote d'Azur region, about 14 miles from Cabris.
Please note its similarities with her painting "Arreau, Hautes-Pyrénées" in the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
Her portrayal of the picturesque village nestled in a valley evokes landscape paintings by Paul Cézanne, a stylistic influence she acknowledged.
Over the course of the following 10 years, Jones exhibited at the Phillips Collection, Seattle Art Museum, National Academy of Design, the Barnett-Aden Gallery, Pennsylvania's Lincoln University, Howard University, galleries in New York, and the Corcoran Gallery of Art. In 1952, the book Loïs Mailou Jones: Peintures 1937–1951 was published, reproducing more than one hundred of her art pieces completed in France.At the Barnett-Aden Gallery, Jones exhibited with a group of prominent black artists, such as Jacob Lawrence and Alma Thomas. These artists and others were known as the "Little Paris...
Category
Mid-19th Century American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Watercolor, Gouache, Handmade Paper
$6,800
H 29.93 in W 25.79 in D 1.19 in
Golf Bags, Caddy with Golf Bag on His Back
By Frederick Conway
Located in Missouri, MO
Framed Size: approx 17 3/4 x 20 3/4 inches
Fred Conway (1900-1973)
"Golf Bags, Caddy with Golf Bag on His Back"
Pen/Ink/Watercolor on Paper
Site Size: approx. 10 x 13 inches
Framed Size: approx. 17 3/4 x 20 3/4 inches
A member of the faculty of the Washington University Art School from 1929 to 1970, Frederick Conway...
Category
1960s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Pen
Previously Available Items
Flapper in a Black Hat
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Flapper in a Black Hat
Ink and watercolor on paper, mounted to support paper, c. 1915
Signed with the artist's Estate Stamp B lower right (see photo)
Condition: colors very fresh and...
Category
1920s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Watercolor
Head of a Man (recto) Sketch of a Man's Head (verso)
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Head of a Man (recto)
Sketch of a Man's Head (verso)
Ink and black conte crayon, c. 1920
Signed with Estate Stamp "B" lower right
Professionally repaired voids along top edge, all fo...
Category
1920s American Modern William Sommer Art
Materials
Chalk
Self Portrait
By William Sommer
Located in Greenwich, CT
Cubist infleunced self-portrait of William Sommer .
Great execution and economy of means , proof of the artist's talent.
As one of the first artists in Ohio to embrace early mo...
Category
1930s Cubist William Sommer Art
Materials
Ink, Watercolor
Untitled (Sailor, boats, dock, and waves)
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Signed with estate stamp B
Category
1920s William Sommer Art
Materials
Chalk, Graphite
Still Life (with pipe, apple, sugar bowl and cup and saucer)
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Signed with estate stamp C
Provenance:
Joseph M. Erdelac, Cleveland, Inv. # M.J.M.E. 29
Category
1920s William Sommer Art
Materials
Graphite, Watercolor
Dancing Nudes
By William Sommer
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Signed with Estate Stamp B
Category
1910s William Sommer Art
William Sommer art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic William Sommer art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of orange and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by William Sommer in paint, watercolor, ink 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 William Sommer art, so small editions measuring 8 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Virginia Dehn, Leon Kelly, and Jan Matulka. William Sommer art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $550 and tops out at $10,000, while the average work can sell for $2,750.