Mid-Century Modern Paintings
MID-CENTURY MODERN STYLE
Organically shaped, clean-lined and elegantly simple are three terms that well describe vintage mid-century modern furniture. The style, which emerged primarily in the years following World War II, is characterized by pieces that were conceived and made in an energetic, optimistic spirit by creators who believed that good design was an essential part of good living.
ORIGINS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
- Emerged during the mid-20th century
- Informed by European modernism, Bauhaus, International style, Scandinavian modernism and Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture
- A heyday of innovation in postwar America
- Experimentation with new ideas, new materials and new forms flourished in Scandinavia, Italy, the former Czechoslovakia and elsewhere in Europe
CHARACTERISTICS OF MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGN
- Simplicity, organic forms, clean lines
- A blend of neutral and bold Pop art colors
- Use of natural and man-made materials — alluring woods such as teak, rosewood and oak; steel, fiberglass and molded plywood
- Light-filled spaces with colorful upholstery
- Glass walls and an emphasis on the outdoors
- Promotion of functionality
MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNERS TO KNOW
- Charles and Ray Eames
- Eero Saarinen
- Milo Baughman
- Florence Knoll
- Harry Bertoia
- Isamu Noguchi
- George Nelson
- Danish modernists Hans Wegner and Arne Jacobsen, whose emphasis on natural materials and craftsmanship influenced American designers and vice versa
ICONIC MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE DESIGNS
- Eames lounge chair
- Nelson daybed
- Florence Knoll sofa
- Egg chair
- Womb chair
- Noguchi coffee table
- Barcelona chair
VINTAGE MID-CENTURY MODERN FURNITURE ON 1STDIBS
The mid-century modern era saw leagues of postwar American architects and designers animated by new ideas and new technology. The lean, functionalist International-style architecture of Le Corbusier and Bauhaus eminences Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius had been promoted in the United States during the 1930s by Philip Johnson and others. New building techniques, such as “post-and-beam” construction, allowed the International-style schemes to be realized on a small scale in open-plan houses with long walls of glass.
Materials developed for wartime use became available for domestic goods and were incorporated into mid-century modern furniture designs. Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen, who had experimented extensively with molded plywood, eagerly embraced fiberglass for pieces such as the La Chaise and the Womb chair, respectively.
Architect, writer and designer George Nelson created with his team shades for the Bubble lamp using a new translucent polymer skin and, as design director at Herman Miller, recruited the Eameses, Alexander Girard and others for projects at the legendary Michigan furniture manufacturer.
Harry Bertoia and Isamu Noguchi devised chairs and tables built of wire mesh and wire struts. Materials were repurposed too: The Danish-born designer Jens Risom created a line of chairs using surplus parachute straps for webbed seats and backrests.
The Risom lounge chair was among the first pieces of furniture commissioned and produced by legendary manufacturer Knoll, a chief influencer in the rise of modern design in the United States, thanks to the work of Florence Knoll, the pioneering architect and designer who made the firm a leader in its field. The seating that Knoll created for office spaces — as well as pieces designed by Florence initially for commercial clients — soon became desirable for the home.
As the demand for casual, uncluttered furnishings grew, more mid-century furniture designers caught the spirit.
Classically oriented creators such as Edward Wormley, house designer for Dunbar Inc., offered such pieces as the sinuous Listen to Me chaise; the British expatriate T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings switched gears, creating items such as the tiered, biomorphic Mesa table. There were Young Turks such as Paul McCobb, who designed holistic groups of sleek, blond wood furniture, and Milo Baughman, who espoused a West Coast aesthetic in minimalist teak dining tables and lushly upholstered chairs and sofas with angular steel frames.
As the collection of vintage mid-century modern chairs, dressers, coffee tables and other furniture for the living room, dining room, bedroom and elsewhere on 1stDibs demonstrates, this period saw one of the most delightful and dramatic flowerings of creativity in design history.
Style: Mid-Century Modern
Color: Gray
Large Abstract Acrylic Painting Signed "R.H. Hoffman 1982"
By R.H. Hoffman
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Abstract acrylic on canvas painting signed by the artist "R.H. Hoffman 1982"
Please confirm item location NY or NJ with dealer.
Category
1980s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint
Moderist Acrylic Painting of Birds
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Midcentury acrylic painting on board with soft soothing palette. Featuring a repeating image in the pop style and executed with brush and air brush techniques. Signed on the back Alv...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint
Square Abstract Modern Painting Artist Signed Herman Hershel Kahan
By Jackson Pollock
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Colorful abstract painting by Herman Kahan. Artist signed and dated.
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Abstract 'Aspen' Gouache on Board by Elizabeth Nachman Erlanger
By Elizabeth Erlanger
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Elizabeth Erlanger (1901-1975) a former student of Hans Hoffman and the former president of the American Society of Contemporary Artists, was an exceptional abstract expressionist. T...
Category
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint
"Acrobats" Original Oil on Canvas, Mary Gardner Preminger, Signed
Located in East Hampton, NY
Mary G. Preminger (1920-1997) the essence of her work reflects a pure harmony and form, essential elements in the body of work that remains intact today. She be...
Category
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Warm and Inviting Mid-Century Oil Painting on Board
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Warm and inviting Mid-Century oil painting on board with a peaceful approach to what must have been the artist's humble slant front desk where he sketched. One of six Robert Blanchar...
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint
Green Olds 442 Muscle Car Original Americana Watercolor
Located in Rio Vista, CA
The magnificent 1972 Oldsmobile 442 convertible green muscle car. Striking Americana painting to commemorate the last Olds 442 American muscle car era in a ...
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Metal
High Oil on Canvas Signed Franco.D
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
High oil on canvas signed Franco.D.
Category
Mid-20th Century European Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint
JORGE FICK ABSTRACT Painting Series - Motel Suitcase 6034
By Jorge Fick
Located in Hawthorne, CA
Born in 1932 and died in 2004 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He specialised in high color abstract paintings. His mentors were: Franz Kline, Jack Tworkov, Phillip Guston, Joseph Fiore...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Paper
Beautiful Mid-Century Framed Artwork
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This wonderful vintage painting features a various combination of three dimensional geometric shapes and elaborate colors. Beautiful and creative work with a signature on the bottom ...
Category
1970s Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
JORGE FICK Acrylic Painting - Motel Suitcase 6121
By Jorge Fick
Located in Hawthorne, CA
An original acrylic on paper painting by Jorge Fick entitled Motel Suitcase 6121, circa 1971, signed by the artist. Jorge Fick was an American painter who is known for his “Pod” seri...
Category
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Paper
Spanish Horse Portrait, 1958 Aliaga, Spain
Located in Miami, FL
Spanish horse portrait, 1958
Beautiful horse portrait by Aliaga, circa 1958, Spain.
Canvas measures: H 21 in x W 17 in x D 1 in
Frame dimensions...
Category
Mid-20th Century Spanish Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Andrew Browne Massive Oil on Canvas, Cityscape at Night
By Andrew Browne
Located in Bridgeport, CT
A large and powerful City Scape from Australia's Andrew Browne. A cityscape at night with high rises above streets illuminated with street lights and a streak of light, with a bus an...
Category
1980s Australian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Wood
Paul Georges Klein, "Taureaux" Oil on Canvas Signed P.Klein
By Paul Georges Klein
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Paul Georges Klein (1909-1994), "Taureaux" oil on canvas signed P.Klein.
Category
1970s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint
Jacob Semiatin Abstract Painting
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Jacob Semiatan abstract watercolor painting. We have many more original paintings from this artist so please view our other listings. This painting is unframed but we can have it fra...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Jacob Semiatin Abstract Painting
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Jacob Semiatan abstract watercolor painting. We have many more original paintings from this artist so please view our other listings. This painting is unframed but we can have it fra...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
"Two Birds, " 1985, Modern Hyper-Realist 65" Framed Painting by Ted Weller
Located in New York, NY
"Two Birds," by artist Ted Weller, is a stunning example of Hyper-Realism in which the artist deconstructs nature to create a more powerful and exhilarating version of this otherwise...
Category
1980s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Acrylic
Mid-Century Modern Abstract Original Artwork on Canvas
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This large piece of original artwork features a mix of abstract shapes and blended colors which mix to create a striking vintage wall piece. Please confirm item location (NJ or NY).
Category
1960s Unknown Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint
Jacob Semiatin Abstract Painting
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Jacob Semiatan abstract watercolor painting. We have many more original paintings from this artist so please view our other listings. This painting is unframed but we can have it fra...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Jacob Semiatin Abstract Painting
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Jacob Semiatan abstract watercolor painting. We have many more original paintings from this artist so please view our other listings. This painting is unframed but we can have it fra...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Oil on Canvas Signed Henri Mars and Dated 1955
By Henri Mars
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Oil on canvas signed Henri Mars and dated 1955.
Category
1950s European Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint
Large Female Nude Oil Painting 1930's
By Hovener
Located in Rochester, NY
A large scale dramatic oil painting of a full bodied female nude - signed bottom right - Hovener 1931 - set in an old robins egg blue painted and gilded wood frame w/ mat & under gla...
Category
Early 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint
Large Textured Abstract Oil Painting by Robert Berger
Located in Ferndale, MI
Robert Berger, Detroit, Partial Illegible Gallery Label
Category
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Jacob Semiatin Abstract Painting
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Jacob Semiatan abstract watercolor painting. We have many more original paintings from this artist so please view our other listings. This painting is unframed but we can have it fra...
Category
Mid-20th Century Canadian Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Jacob Semiatin Abstract Painting
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Jacob Semiatan abstract watercolor painting. We have many more original paintings from this artist so please view our other listings. This painting is unframed but we can have it fra...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Jacob Semiatin Abstract Painting
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Jacob Semiatan abstract watercolor painting. We have many more original paintings from this artist so please view our other listings. This painting is unframed but we can have it fra...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Jacob Semiatin Abstract Painting
Located in Hamilton, Ontario
Jacob Semiatan abstract watercolor painting. We have many more original paintings from this artist so please view our other listings. This painting is unframed but we can have it fra...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
"Gala's Door" Acrylic on Canvas Painting by Pat Rosenstein
By Pat Rosenstein
Located in Bridgehampton, NY
"Gala's Door" acrylic on canvas painting by Pat Rosenstein.
Category
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
"The Temple of Dendur" Painting by Eugene Berman
Located in New York, NY
Pen, ink and gouache on paper, painting "The Temple of Dendur' by Eugene Berman. Signed and dated, 1964.
Framed size is 28.25 x 22.25.
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Gouache
Charlotte Henschel, Oil on Canvas, France, 1950
Located in Catonvielle, FR
Composition abstracted from Charlotte Henschel (1905-1985), France, 1950, signed low right.
Frame of origin, under glass.
99.5cm/72.5cm (off frame)
Raise of the school of Paris, ...
Category
1950s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Raymonde Duval, "Evasion" Oil on Canvas Signed and Dated, 1980
By Raymonde Duval
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Raymonde Duval, "Evasion" Oil on canvas signed and dated, 1980.
Category
1980s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint
Mid-Century Modern Oil Painting of a Still Life
Located in Water Mill, NY
Mid-Century Modern still life decorative oil painting.
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Watercolor by Jacob Semiatin
Located in New York, NY
Watercolor on paper by Jacob Semiatin. USA, circa 1970. Signed. Custom matter and framed in a Larson Juhl silver leaf wood frame.
Category
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paper
Exhilarating Large-Scale Oil Painting by Claude Hemeret "Contrast"
By Claude Hemeret 1
Located in Pemberton, NJ
Excellent, exhilarating large-scale oil painting by Claude Hemeret called "Contrast"
20th-21st century Art, Abstract Art Movement, Expressionism Art Movement, French Artist, Impress...
Category
1970s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
JORGE FICK Acrylic Painting - Motel Suitcase 6120
By Jorge Fick
Located in Hawthorne, CA
An original Jorge Fick painting, colored pencil on paper, entitled Motel Suitcase 6120, circa 1971 signed by the artist. Jorge Fick was an American painter who is known for his “Pod”...
Category
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Paper, Acrylic
French Drawing in Pen and Gouache by André Arbus, Paris, 1938
By André Arbus
Located in New York, NY
Gouache and pen work by André Arbus (1903-1969). Signed Andre Arbus.
Origin: Drawing of dining table by Andre Arbus for the apartment of Mme Pedersen, Paris, 1938.
Literature:...
Category
1930s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas by Robert Berger
Located in Ferndale, MI
Abstract oil painting on canvas by Robert Berger.
Category
1960s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
JORGE FICK Acrylic Painting Motel Suitcase Series 6119
By Jorge Fick
Located in Hawthorne, CA
An original and signed acrylic on paper painting entitled Motel Suitcase 6119 by Jorge Fick, circa 1971. Jorge Fick was an American painter who is known for his “Pod” series of large...
Category
Late 20th Century Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Paper, Acrylic
Midcentury Semi-Abstract Oil Painting by Boardman
By Jeanne Boardman
Located in Water Mill, NY
Midcentury semi-abstract oil on canvas painting dated '50, signed Boardman in a wood frame of the period
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
"Legacy, " Original Painting by Ivan Bartlett, Mid-Century Fabric Designer
By Ivan Bartlett
Located in Philadelphia, PA
In his early years, artist Ivan Bartlett was known for his WPA mural painting, such as for the Ada County courthouse in Boise, Idaho, but in the 1940s and 1950s he became famous for ...
Category
1940s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Gouache
1970s Watercolor by Michel Pigneres
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Two 1970s watercolors from the interior designer Michel Pigneres signed Michel Pigneres; victor hugo framed on lacquered navy bleu.
Category
1970s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Watercolor
One-of-a-Kind 1950s Tile Abstract Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Monumental painting done on ceramic tiles with a matte finish.
The piece consist of 24, 8" x 8" tiles, the piece is really magnificent and eye-catching.
The tiles are attached ...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Ceramic
Large Modern Expressionist Still Life Painting
Located in San Francisco, CA
A large scale modernist floral still life oil painting on Masonite in painted wood frame. Signed, monogrammed and dated 1979.
Category
20th Century Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Mid Century Painting with "Song of Solomon" Theme, by Lenson
By Michael Lenson
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Entitled "Return, Return, O Shulemite," with a scene taken from the Song of Solomon, this painting depicts the legendary wife of King Solomon, who was ...
Category
1950s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Mid-Century Gouache Painting on Paper Painted for the New Yorker Magazine
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Here is a Mid-Century gouache painting on paper painted for the New Yorker magazine depicting a light hearted look at the assorted lives of apa...
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint
Original Abstract Painting by Dan Groover
By Dan Groover
Located in Palm Springs, CA
Original crayon on paper abstract painting by listed artist Dan Groover.
Signed " D Groover 1977."
Newly framed under glass.
Category
1970s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Crayon, Glass, Paper, Wood
Massive Oil on Board Mercedes Grand Prix Race Car Painting
By Tony Upson 1
Located in Ferndale, MI
Artist Tony Upson, English, Born 1960.
Depicts Juan Manuel Fangio German Swiss Grand Prix 1954.
Category
20th Century English Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Masonite
Portrait of an Elegant Woman, Signed Hugo Scheiber
Located in New York, NY
Watercolor / painting signed Hugo Scheiber: Budapest (1873-1950).
Hugo Scheiber was born in Budapest in 1873. At the age of eight, he moved with his family from Budapest to Vienna. ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Hungarian Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Large Abstract painting signed: DK - Iser Jan, 1989
By DK Home
Located in Camden, ME
A painting of encaustic and dense impasto applied pigments. Signed DK 6/94 on lower right hand corner, signed DK-Iser Jan '89 on verso. A thick impasto painting on canvas executed by...
Category
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint
Abstract Painting on Canvas "Tulip Lickers" Signed DK
By DK Home
Located in Camden, ME
Superb thick impasto painting on canvas was created by a well-trained artist with masterful execution of abstract expressionism. Bold in color, design and use of texture, the artist ...
Category
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint
Large Eska Smythe Abstract Oil on Canvas
By Eska Smythe
Located in Westport, CT
Eska Smythe oil on canvas. Worked in Paris 1960s and exhibited Galerie Valerie Schmidt, Avant Garde, newly framed, off-white grained natural wood.
Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Wood, Paint
Abstract Signed Vintage Jim Dine Style "Torso" Painting
By Hazel Cohen
Located in North Miami, FL
Muted palette of blues, blacks, greys, whites dashed with green, mustard and orange make this wonderful abstract torso painting interesting from all ang...
Category
1980s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Wood, Paint
Untitled 'Woman with Dress' Signed Hugo Scheiber
Located in New York, NY
Guache painting signed Hugo Scheiber: Budapest 1873-1950.
Hugo Scheiber was born in Budapest in 1873. At the age of eight, he moved with his family from Budapest to Vienna. There,...
Category
1930s Hungarian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Nature Morte by Madeleine Arbus
By André & Madeleine Arbus
Located in New York, NY
Painting by Madeleine Arbus
A mysterious nature Morte of the "Neue Sachlickeit" movement featuring a glass and candlestick by Madeleine Arbus, the daughter of Andre Arbus.
...
Category
1950s French Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas
Pastel by Suzanne Kaehrling
By Suzanne Blanche Kaehrling
Located in Cathedral City, CA
Colorful pastel with gold painted frame by Suzanne Kaehrling
Suzanne Kaehrling, 1902-1985.
Category
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Painting, Oil, 'Street Scene' Signed Bela Kadar
By Bela Kadar
Located in New York, NY
Painting, Street Scene, Signed Bela Kadar, (Hungary 1877-1955), un-framed, oil on board.
Bela Kadar was born in Hungary in 1877. Amongst his early interests was mural painting. Li...
Category
1930s Hungarian Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Dramatic 'Neue Sachlichkeit' Anatomical Drawing of the Lower Face by Beeldens
By Beeldens
Located in New York, NY
A dramatic anatomical drawing of the lower face by Beeldens, Belgium, 1935.
Signed on upper right. Pencil on paper.
The Neue Sachlichkeit (new matt...
Category
Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Paper, Pencil
Balcomb Greene "The Cliffs", 1978
Located in Hudson, NY
The Cliffs by Balcomb Greene painted in 1978. Signed on the front titled and dated on the reverse.
Paintings of the Montauk coast by Balcomb Greene are few and far between. This painting likely created at his Studio in Montauk New York. Painting is in excellent original condition and retains the original gallery frame.
provenance: Estate of Gertrude B. Pascal / Gifted from the previous in 1987, The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY / Christie's, New York 2012 / Private Collection, New Jersey
Public collections:
Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD
Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY
Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Guild Hall, East Hampton, NY
Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, IN
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
National Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C.
Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, CA
Portland Museum of Art, Portland, OR
Neuberger Museum, Purchase, NY
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY
Parrish Museum, Southampton, NY
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN
Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH
Boca Museum of Art, Boca Raton, FL
Over a lifespan of 86 years, Balcomb Greene followed his muse wherever it led, unfettered by what had come before, unafraid of where the future might lead. Despite a series of different pathways explored, his purpose remained ever constant: to express truth as he found it and communicate it to a broader audience. In the 1930s, Greene was a young artist committed to abstraction as his expressive language. Greene’s paintings and collages of the 1930s reflect the influence of Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondrian and put him in the company of fellow Americans, including Ibram Lassaw, Josef Albers, Ilya Boltowsky and George L. K. Morris, all among the founding members, in 1936, of American Abstract Artists.
John Wesley Greene, his christened name which he never legally changed, was born in 1904 in Millville, New York, the third child and only son of Methodist minister The Reverend Bertram Stillman Greene (1864–1929) and Florence Stover Greene (1876–1911). His family on both sides were Revolutionary-era colonists, originally living in Connecticut and Vermont before joining the Yankee migration to the western frontier of New York State. In 1922, John Wesley Greene enrolled at Syracuse University aided by a scholarship for the sons of Methodist ministers and intending to fulfill the promise of his name and follow his father into the ministry. As with so many before and after him, the liberal education he absorbed at Syracuse broadened his horizons and reshaped his life plan. Studying philosophy, psychology, and literature, along the way he separated himself from organized religion. During his senior year, on a visit to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, Greene was introduced to Gertrude Glass (1904–1956), an art student and the Brooklyn-born daughter of Latvian Jewish immigrants.
Following Greene’s graduation, the two married in 1926 and went to Europe. They stopped briefly in Paris but spent most of their time in Vienna where Greene had a fellowship to study psychology. When they returned to New York in 1927, Greene enrolled in a master’s program in ‘English literature at Columbia University. When his thesis advisor rejected his essay topic on the “fallen woman” in seventeenth-century literature as inappropriate, he left without a degree. From 1928 until 1931, Greene taught English at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. At some point, he stopped using his given name, John, and began to call himself, more distinctively, Balcomb, the family name of his paternal grandmother.
While Greene wrote three novels (all unpublished) during his teaching years at Dartmouth, his wife was a working artist, and he eventually developed an interest of his own in painting. In 1931, Greene gave up his teaching position and he and Gertrude went to Paris, determined to immerse themselves in the modern art ferment they had briefly experienced in their earlier visit. For young Americans with no prescribed agenda, a receptiveness to innovation, and wide-open eyes and minds. Paris, in 1931, offered a rich stew of approaches to modern art. The city absorbed and transmuted an international mélange of styles—cubism, orphism, futurism, dadaism, constructivism, neoplasticism, suprematism, de Stijl, Bauhaus—France encountering Holland, Germany, Italy, and Russia with Pablo Picasso from Spain, Constantin Brancusi from Romania, and Jacques Lipchitz from Lithuania. As a sculptor, Gertrude Greene...
Category
1970s American Vintage Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint
Mid-century Modern paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Mid-Century Modern paintings for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage paintings created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include wall decorations, folk art, decorative objects and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with fabric, paint and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Mid-Century Modern paintings made in a specific country, there are North America, United States, and Europe pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original paintings, popular names associated with this style include Peter Keil, Jacob Semiatin, Daniel Clesse, and Charles Levier. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for paintings differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $45 and tops out at $275,000 while the average work can sell for $1,851.
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