William Sommer Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
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
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Artist: William Sommer
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 Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
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 Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
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 Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
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 Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
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 Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Crayon
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William Sommer figurative drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic William Sommer figurative drawings and watercolors available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by William Sommer in paint, watercolor, crayon 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 figurative drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 8 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Raphael Soyer, Harold Haydon, and William Gropper. William Sommer figurative drawings and watercolors prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,500 and tops out at $4,500, while the average work can sell for $3,150.