Skip to main content

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.
(Biography provided by WOLFS)
to
5
5
5
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
4
1
4
4
4
2
2
1
5
1
4
15
671
326
198
132
4
4
1
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

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

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 d...
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

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

Related Items
Untitled (Young Man Reading Beside his Dog)
By Harold Haydon
Located in Chicago, IL
A watercolor of a man reading beside his dog by artist Harold Haydon. Provenance: Estate of the Artist. Estate stamped on reverse. Harold Emerson Haydon was born in Fort William,...
Category

1950s American Modern William Sommer Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

L V Guirand de Scevola (1871-1950) A young naked woman standing , Signed pastel
By Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scévola
Located in Paris, FR
Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scevola (1871-1950) A young naked woman standing Pastel on paper Signed lower right and dedicated, "à JM Fournol (?)" 63 x 40 cm In fairly good condition:...
Category

1920s Art Deco William Sommer Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel

L V Guirand de Scevola (1871-1950) A Man writing at his desk , Signed pastel
By Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scévola
Located in Paris, FR
Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scevola (1871-1950) A Man writing at his desk, 18th century interior scene Pastel on paper Signed upper right 20.5 x 15.8 cm Framed under glass : 37 x 31.5 cm It is known that Guirand de Scevola was very interested in the Palace of Versailles and its Old Regime atmosphere, that he often painted it and that he participated in the Versailles Revival movement at the beginning of the century. This probably led him to paint scenes in the 18th century style, for which he was particularly well known and which are still sought after. What is striking is the modernity of the execution of our pastel, which obviously contrasts with its subject in the style of the 18th century. Guirand de Scevoal is a great colourist and he proves it here with eclat, by building up his composition with white pastel highlights, contrasting with brown and black. There is something of the northern painters in this treatment of light. All this, as always with him, is very subtle. The light radiating from the window is almost an abstract notation, but it gives meaning to this interior scene. Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scévola ( 1871 – 1950) was a French painter. He was student of Fernand Cormon and Pierre Dupuis...
Category

1920s Art Deco William Sommer Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel

Fisherman's Island, Boothbay, Maine, early 20th century landscape watercolor
By Frank Wilcox
Located in Beachwood, OH
Frank Nelson Wilcox (American, 1887-1964) Fisherman's Island, Boothbay, Maine, c. 1925 Watercolor on paper Signed lower left 15 x 20 inches 20.75 x 25.75 inches, framed Frank Nelson Wilcox (October 3, 1887 – April 17, 1964) was a modernist American artist and a master of watercolor. Wilcox is described as the "Dean of Cleveland School painters," though some sources give this appellation to Henry Keller or Frederick Gottwald. Wilcox was born on October 3, 1887 to Frank Nelson Wilcox, Sr. and Jessie Fremont Snow Wilcox at 61 Linwood Street in Cleveland, Ohio. His father, a prominent lawyer, died at home in 1904 shortly before Wilcox' 17th birthday. His brother, lawyer and publisher Owen N. Wilcox, was president of the Gates Legal Publishing Company or The Gates Press. His sister Ruth Wilcox...
Category

1920s American Modern William Sommer Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

[untitled] Street Scene with Fruit Vendor.
By Emilio Sanchez
Located in New York, NY
Emilio Sanchez (1921-1999) created [untitled] “STREET SCENE WITH FRUIT VENDOR” in circa 1950. This unsigned watercolor and came to us directly from the Sanchez estate. It is stamped on the verso "Estate of Emilio Sanchez." This piece is in good to very good condition and painted to the paper's edge. The paper size is 14.88 x 15.25 inches (37.6 x 38.6 cm). “Best known for his architectural paintings and lithographs, Emilio Sanchez (1921-1999) explored the effects of light and shadow to emphasize the abstract geometry of his subjects. His artwork encompasses his Cuban heritage...
Category

1950s American Modern William Sommer Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Graphite

BYE BYE BIRDIE Original 1960 Broadway Musical Costume Drawing Tony Award Elvis
Located in New York, NY
BYE BYE BIRDIE Original 1960 Broadway Musical Costume Drawing Tony Award Elvis. Miles White (1915 – 2000) BYE BYE BIRDIE 11 x 8 inches Mixed Media on...
Category

1960s American Modern William Sommer Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Gouache, Pencil

Dans La Loge
By Dimitri Bouchene
Located in London, GB
Pastel on paper, signed (lower left), 63cm x 49cm (framed 75cm x 60cm). Bouchéne was a Russian artist and costume and set designer for theatre, opera and ballet. Primarily working ...
Category

1920s Art Deco William Sommer Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel, Paper

Dans La Loge
Dans La Loge
H 29.53 in W 23.63 in D 0.79 in
Final Study for Atalanta, Girl with Apple
By Will Barnet
Located in Greenwich, CT
Will Barnet is one of America's best loved and known artists of the Post War era. He is highly distinctive for his figurative and narrative work and in some ways he is the Edgar All...
Category

1970s American Modern William Sommer Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Graphite, Color Pencil, Vellum

Chita Rivera BYE BYE BIRDIE Original 1960 Broadway Costume Drawing Tony Awards
Located in New York, NY
Chita Rivera BYE BYE BIRDIE Original 1960 Broadway Costume Drawing Tony Awards Miles White (1915 – 2000) ChITA RIVERA in BYE BYE BIRDIE 11 x 8 inches M...
Category

1960s American Modern William Sommer Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Gouache, Pencil

"The Knockout" Boxing Sports American Watercolor WPA Mid-Century Modern 30s/40s
By Robert Riggs
Located in New York, NY
"The Knockout" Boxing Sports American Watercolor WPA Mid-Century Modern 30s/40s. Known for his paintings of prize-fighting and circus-genre scenes and lithography of gigantic size c...
Category

1930s American Modern William Sommer Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Self Portrait
By Lester Johnson
Located in New York, NY
Lester Johnson Self Portrait 1969 drawn with ink, crayon, and spray enamel on paper. Measuring 14 by 11 inches, this drawing was recently professionally framed.
Category

1960s Expressionist William Sommer Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Enamel

"Good Health Week" American Scene Modern Social Realism Double Sided WPA Era
By Jo Cain
Located in New York, NY
"Good Health Week" American Scene Modern Social Realism Double Sided WPA Era Jo Cain (1904 - 2003) Good Health Week – double sided 13 3/4 x 20 1/2 in...
Category

1930s American Modern William Sommer Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Gouache, Paper, Ink

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.

Recently Viewed

View All