Chicago - Paintings

A large, cheerful 1950s American Scene, Mid-Century Modern oil painting, "The Picnic" by notable Chicago artist, Walter Burt Adams (Am. 1903-1990). A vibrant, painterly depiction of...

Blast Furnace: Dynamic Machine Age industrial View of a Steel Mill by Notable New York Illustrator and Cartoonist Herb Field Jr. (Am. 1909-1999). Artwork size: 23 x 26 inches; oil...

"And They're Off..." A Superb, Large Horse Racing Themed Painting by Famed American Realist Artist, Joseph Lorusso (Born 1966). Artwork size: 24 x 26 inches; oil on panel (framed...

A dynamic ca. 1940s American Machine Age Modern industrial scene, depicting a suspended gantry crane and factory workers. Possibly completed as an illustration study for a print adv...

A Compelling 1940s Social Realist New York Scene, "Under-privileged Americans" by Notable American Modern Artist, John R. Grabach (Am. 1880-1981). Depicting a bleakly rendered inter...

An Introspective, Post-War Modern Southwestern Landscape Painting of an Adobe House in New Mexico by Notable Chicago Artist, Walter Burt Adams (Am. 1903-1990). A subtle tonal, archi...

A Large, Dynamic Mid-Century Modern 1950s Abstract Harbor Scene of a Transatlantic Steamship, "Voyageur". A wonderful, industrial or travel themed 20th Century Modernist School oil ...

A Vibrant 1930s American Scene Industrial themed painting, "Brick Kilns" by Notable Modern Artist, Harry Shokler (1896-1978). A colorful, well painted example of American Regionalis...

A Contemplative 1940s Modern Studio Portrait of a Seated Female Ballet Dancer by Notable Chicago Modern Artist, Walter Burt Adams (Am. 1903-1990). The painting a is well executed, i...

A Colorful, Modern Maine Coastal Scene Painting, "White Boat in Harbor" by Famed Chicago Artist and Printmaker, Charles Turzak (Am. 1899 - 1986). The painting depicts a vibrant, sunlit autumn landscape painting most likely painted near the quiet rural harbor town of Penobscot, Maine. The painting is acrylic on canvas, dates from the 1950s and has a great visual appeal- a perfect complement to any New England coastal home or summer cottage in Maine. Artwork size: 20 x 36 inches, accompanied with the artist's original, hand-painted frame (Framed size: 21 3/4 x 36 1/2 inches). Signed "Turzak", lower left; titled on artist's label on reverse. Provenance: Estate of the artist. Charles Turzak was one of Chicago’s greatest printmakers of the Art Deco-era. Son of a coal miner, Turzak was born in Streeter, IL in 1899. In 1920, Turzak won the first prize a cartoon contest sponsored by the Purina company and he used his prize money to enroll in the Art Institute of Chicago. Best known as a print maker, in the 1920s & 30s, he created woodcuts of many of Chicago’s most notable buildings, including the Merchandise Mart, Palmolive Building and the Old Water Tower, among others. In 1933, he was commissioned to create woodcuts of many of Chicago’s most iconic buildings to illustrate a guidebook called “All About Chicago” by John and Ruth Ashenhurst” that featured the upcoming Century of Progress Exhibition in Chicago. During the 1933 World’s Fair...

A Charming 1940s Mid-Century Modern Watercolor of Pirate's Alley, New Orleans by Arlene S. Ezickson (Am. 1927-2003). Titled "Vieux Carre, New Orleans" the artwork is watercolor and ...

A striking Machine Age Modern industrial scene oil painting of a New York shipyard crane by notable American artist, Lessing Whitford Williams (1894-1989). A colorful, dynamic examp...

This painting makes a bold statement! A large, dynamic and colorful Abstract Expressionist painting by notable Post-War artist, Lee R. Chesney (Am. 1920-2016). Executed in a palett...

A striking Machine Age Modern oil painting of the historic Bronx Span, Triborough Bridge, New York City by notable American artist, Lessing Whitford Williams (1894-1989). Artwork ...

In Identity Crisis, Mary Strasevicius builds an intensely layered surface from countless strokes, splatters, loops, fragments, and flickering passages of color. No single form domina...

A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring an elegant design for women's dresses (day & evening wear). Most likely a design study for a print advertisement for the famed Chicago department store, Marshall Field & Co. Inscription reads: "Above- Irene Castle inspired this dinner gown...

A vibrant, colorful Mid-Century Modern abstract harbor scene of Martha's Vineyard by notable Chicago artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Depicting a bustling harbor scene with n...

In this triptych, Amy Lowry Poole transforms dates, persimmons, and squash into three distinct studies of growth, abundance, and organic movement. Working in ink and gouache on handm...

A stylish, vintage, 1940s fashion study featuring an elegant design for a woman's evening gown. Artwork size: 11 x 8 1/2 inches. Colored pencil and pencil on paper. Archivally ma...

A large, compelling Social Realist tenement and city street scene, "Central Ward, NJ" by notable American Modern artist, Walter Nowatka (Am. born 1945). Artwork size: 36 x 24 inche...

A Striking 1940s Modern Portrait of a Young Woman by Notable Chicago Artist, Walter Burt Adams (Am. 1903-1990). A large, well executed, figurative work by the artist, depicting a young woman fashionably dressed in a green blouse anddpatterned scarf seated in profile in a muted studio interior. Titled "Portrait of Ms. Anderson, Student at Northwestern U." the painting exemplifies the artist's adept and practiced skill at portraiture, and was completed at the painting class of the artist's friend and instructor, Arnold Turtle, in Evanston, Illinois Artwork size: 30 x 23 inches, oil on canvas, accompanied with the original Modernist frame (Framed size: 33 1/2 x 26 1/2 inches). Signed "Walter Burt Adams" and dated "46" lower right. Provenance: Estate of the artist. Walter Burt Adams was a dedicated painter of the American Scene and a singular personality among his peers in the Chicago Modern Art community. His no-nonsense manner, devotion to his craft and sardonic sense of humor characterize a man whose paintings capture life in and around Chicago between the early 1920s and the late 1970s. Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin just after the turn of the last century, Walter Burt Adams spent his childhood in Fargo, North Dakota and began his artistic education there through a correspondence cartooning class as a boy. After finishing high school in Fargo, Adams moved to Chicago in 1922 in order to enroll at the school of the Art Institute of Chicago. Adams’ instruction at the school with artists such as George Oberteuffer, Frederick V. Poole, Charles Wilimovsky...

A scenic, colorful Modern 1930s summer harbor scene of Saugatuck, Michigan by notable Chicago Modern artist, Francis Chapin. Depicting a lively summer harbor view of the historic S...

Diogenes is a compelling oil portrait that reimagines the legendary Greek philosopher through the lens of classical beauty and symbolic expression. The contemplative figure, crowned ...

A Unique, Visually Striking, Surrealist Mid-Century Modern Abstract Beach Scene by Notable Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). Depicting an abstracted female bathers stan...

A large, colorful Impressionist still life painting of fine porcelain china, glass and stemware by notable Alfred Jansson (Am. 1863 - 1931). The painting is exquisitely painted with...

A Unique, Unusual and Striking Abstract Surrealist Painting Completed in the Chicago Imagist Tradition by Notable Artist, Stanley Dean Edwards (Am. Born 1941). Titled "The Last Living Face in Pompeii", the painting is oil and acrylic on canvas presented in its original frame. The artwork shows a unique synthesis of Post-War Surrealist influences, including the avant-garde Italian artist Enrico Baj and the vibrant palette of the Chicago Imagist school, namely Ed Paschke and his contemporaries. The collage-like references in the composition recall the artwork of sculptor H.C. Westermann and others experimenting with assemblage, found objects and the integration of inanimate objects. Artwork size: 38 1/2 x 32 inches; Framed size: 39 1/4 x 33 1/4 inches. Signed "Edwards", lower right; signed, titled and dated on reverse. Provenance: The Artist; Private Collection, Chicago, IL (circa 2010). Born 1941 in Joliet, Illinois, Stanley Dean Edwards moved to Chicago early in life to pursue his life as an artist. His mother was a Chicago public school teacher, and his father was a Methodist minister. He studied painting and design at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), receiving a BFA in 1967. While at SAIC, Edwards was influenced by Vera Berdich's printmaking classes and Daniel Massen's design classes. After a brief stay in New York (1967-1970), where he was profoundly shaken by urban rioting and general upheaval of this time, Edwards returned to Chicago and later set up a studio in the Pilsen Neighborhood. Edwards is primarily a figurative painter whose work is informed by both Surrealism and Constructivism. Early hard-edge paintings from the mid-1960's feature a series of screaming babies set in brightly colored environments. These works offer religious suggestions, as the infants are paired with ecclesiastical figures presented atop an altar. Other protagonists of his series include dogs and faceless men. (1) In the early 1960's, Stan Edwards was part of a diverse group of artists that included George Kokines, Ray Siemanowski, Michael Hurson and Peter Holbrook among others. These artists and Edwards were part of that decade's vanguard and their work was included in an exhibition titled, "Twelve Chicago Artists" at the Walker Art Center. The curator was Jan Van der Marck. Edwards called his paintings of babies, dogs and erotic torsos from that period "image painting" because they were taken not from the model stand but cast off photo images. One painting from this period, Infant in Altar IV, is a 60" x 60" an oil and acrylic painting and was loaned by the National Museum of American Art at the Smithsonian to the Museum of Contemporary Art for its fifty year retrospective titled, "Art in Chicago, 1945 to 1995." The painting is part of the Martha Jackson memorial collection at the National Museum of American Art. (2.) Recent paintings, which Edwards calls "Icons for a New Era: Assembled Art Imagery," feature iconic images composed of items from popular culture; witty titles often allude to the materials from which they were made. The found objects, vibrant colors, and slick presentations of his works indicate their relationship to and a continuation of Pop art. Both humorous and sinister, Edwards' paintings reflect the psychological uneasiness associated with the close of the twentieth century. (3.) One painting of this series titled Surveyor is a 66" x 60" oil and acrylic painting and appears in the book Humor in Art by Nicholas Roukes, published by Davis Inc. The book is widely used as a text for art and design projects. (4.) In October of 2002 Edwards presented a retrospective exhibition of his work at the Illinois Institute of Art where he taught art and design in the foundation program. His lecture and exhibition were presented as part of "Chicago Artist's Month" sponsored by the Department of Cultural Affairs for the City of Chicago. In 2004 Edwards completed a major commission for the new Veterans' Administration building in Chicago. The commission centered on patriotic themes and one large 6 and 1/2' x 10' painting is dedicated to prisoners of war. Five others are 48" x 48" and depict the military branch seals, and four paintings 32" x 32" are based on 19th century patriotic engravings. Stan Edwards, who retired from the Illinois Institute of Art in 2009, lives and works in Chicago, Illinois. Sources: (2. & 4.) Press release (1. & 3.) "Art in Chicago 1945 1995, MCA.) COLLECTIONS: Selected corporate & institutional collections National Museum of American Art/Smithsonian Corcoran Gallery of Art Ceco Corporation Crain Communications Thrall Railcar Company American Hospital Association Plyzynski & Associates, Inc. NYC North American Jet Corporation Ball State University Illinois Institute of Art at Chicago State University of New York Harris Bank & Trust Dallas Theater Center Electronic Media Magazine Johnson Controls Central National Bank of Cleveland Associates Commercial Corporation Corporate Art Source Veterans' Administration Commission, Chicago, 2004 Ten site specific paintings Siemens Corporation COLLECTIONS: Selected private collections Walter & Dawn Clark Netsch Beatrice "Buddy" Mayer Douglas Ross Larry Aronson Marc & Ilana Platt Phil & Joan Krone Craig & Janet Duchossois Sally Fairweather Shirley Hardin Brian Boyer Pritzker collection James Speyer collection Michael Greany Ed & Lindy Bergman Collection Leigh Block Collection Professor Harold Platt Professors Lew Erenberg & Susan Hirsch Dr. David Gross Professor Mihaly Csiksentmihalyi Dr. Paula Young Dr. & Mrs. Imre Hidvegi EXHIBITIONS: Selected exhibitions Biennial Drawing Exhibition, Art Institute of Chicago, 1962 Momentum II, Lexington Hall, University of Chicago, 1964 The Sunken City Rises, Hermann Hall, Illinois Institute of Technology,1964 Eye on Chicago, Hermann Hall, Illinois Institute of Technology, 1964 29th Corcoran Biennial, 1965, Washington, D.C. Inaugural exhibition, Fairweather-Hardin, 1965 Society for Contemporary Art, Art Institute of Chicago, 1965 12 Chicago Painters...

A Vibrant, Mid-Century Modern 1960s Studio Interior Scene of a Standing Female Nude by Notable Chicago Woman Artist, Vivian Kinsley Chapin (Am. 1909-1984). Very "Mod" in style and a...

"Cowboy Serenade", A Large, Cheerful Southwestern, New Mexico Landscape Painting by Notable Chicago Artist, Walter Burt Adams (Am. 1903-1...

A Charming, 1950s Painting of Lisbon, Portugal by Famed Chicago Modern Artist Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Depicting a bustling, colorful view of Lisbon's historic Black Horse Sq...

An Intriguing 1991 Surrealist painting of downtown Chicago by artist James Mesplé. Oil and tempera on panel. Signed and dated "James Mesplé 1991", lower right; titled on label on ...

A Unique, 1960s Mid-Century Modern, European City View Watercolor by Noted Chicago Artist, Rudolph T. Pen. Artwork is formatted in a trapezoid shape, an innovative compositional dev...

Woman in an Antique Dress by John Rush presents a quiet, contemplative figure seated in graceful repose, her gaze lowered in a moment of introspection. The subject's porcelain-like c...

A contemporary cowboy is rendered with the gravity of a classical male nude. Surdo treats the body with the care of an Old Master while layering in the mythology of American masculin...

A charming, vibrant, early Mexican city street scene by famed Chicago Modern artist Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Depicting a quiet, picturesque view of the rooftops and cathedral...

A stylish, colorful Mid-Century Modern portrait of a seated young woman in a pink dress by famed Chicago Modern artist, Francis Chapin. A fashionably dressed, young model is seated ...

A Vibrant, 1950s Mid-Century Watercolor of Provincetown, Massachusetts by Famed Chicago Modern Artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). A superb example of Chapin's Post-War landscap...

This dramatic cloud form rising above a quiet field embodies one of Aeling’s central artistic pursuits: portraying the monumental scale of weather in the American interior. Growing up in regions where sky occupies most of the visual field, he learned to read clouds as both structure and story. The fiery illumination suggests late-day thunderstorms rolling across open grasslands—an experience he has described as both terrifying and transcendent. The work continues his exploration of how atmosphere shapes emotional experience. Jeff Aeling Pines and Cloud near Denver Oil on panel 36h x 24w in 91.44h x 60.96w cm JAE046 Jeff Aeling (1958–2025): The Sky Remembers Through Jeff Aeling’s eyes, the landscape becomes a world shaped as much by air as by earth. In works such as North of Las Vegas, NM and Pond Near St. Cloud, MN, he balances the quiet structure of plains and wetlands with skies alive in constant motion. His mastery of atmosphere is unmistakable in Light Pillars (2023) and Light Pillar (2023), where rare optical events turn night into architecture. Even intimate scenes like Crabapple, Dogwoods, and Red Bud find their emotional power under skies that lend the land its shifting character. Aeling’s winters in Hawaii deepened his sensitivity to movement and weather. Surfing taught him to read the rhythm of the ocean, a knowledge reflected in Wave, Kauai (2018), where a breaking wave becomes a luminous wall of force. In Volcano (2023), he channels the islands’ elemental drama, linking fire, vapor, and sky through the same atmospheric vocabulary found in his plains paintings...

A charming 1950s Modern painting of a little red house, titled "Corner of the Brick House with Last Snow Bank, Calais, VT" by notable Chicago artist, Harold Haydon. Painted near the...

A Large, Colorful 1950s American Modern, Social Realism oil painting of New York City, "East Harlem", by Notable Artist, Max Ginsburg (Am. Born 1931). Artwork size: 28 x 30 inches ...

A Vibrant, Colorful 1930s Modern, American Scene Painting of the Queesnboro Bridge, New York City by Notable Woman Artist, Lesley Buckland Crawford (Am. 1887-1963). A wonderful example of Crawford's Urban Realism practiced in the 1930s & '40s depicting a busy foreground of industrial dockworkers & laborers with the dynamic, overarching span of the Queensboro Bridge in the background. Artwork size: 18 x 22 inches, oil on canvas (Framed size 23 x 27 inches). Signed "Lesley Crawford", lower right. Born in 1887, Lesley Buckland Crawford graduated from Vassar College in 1908. Crawford attended the Art Student's league of New York City and was a former student of Kimon Nicolaides (1891-1938). The artist was active in New York, Summit, NJ and Springfield, Vermont. She was known for her Urban Realist inspired paintings, watercolors and lithographs, and colorful landscapes of Vermont. She traveled and painted in Guatemala, Italy and Greece. Crawford was one of the founders of the Miller Art Center in Springfield, VT in 1956. She was also associated with the Southern Vermont Art Center in Manchester, VT, and the Summit Art Association, Summit, NJ. A 1940s lithograph...

A Brooding, Compelling 1940s American Scene, Social Realist Oil Painting, "Tenement Ruins" by Notable Canadian / American artist Emil Weddige (1907-2001). Oil on canvas, dating from...

A Spectacular, Large 1960s Mid-Century Modern Abstract Studio Still Life Painting by Notable Chicago Artist, Rudolph Pen. A painting of dy...

This crowded theater scene shifts focus from performance to spectatorship, drawing inspiration from the cult spectacle of The Rocky Horror Picture Sho...

Using pornography as a vehicle for understanding, Rick Sindt's work explores the discovery and development of queer attraction. Sindt transforms pornographi...

A Vibrant, Colorful 1950s Mid-Century Modern Painting of Martha's Vineyard by Famed Chicago Artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Titled "Breakfast on the Porch at the Vineyard Ho...

A Striking, Colorful 1940s Modern Studio Portrait of a Seated Female Model in a Pink Blouse by Notable Chicago Modern Artist, Walter Burt Adams (Am. 1903-1990). The painting a is we...

This painting, depicting the mythological Abduction of Europa, situates Bruno Surdo squarely within the grand tradition of European history painting while simultaneously revealing th...

A large, expansive 1950s Mid-Century Modern Southwestern landscape painting of Sedona, Arizona by notable Chicago artist, Francis Chapin. Depicting a scenic, colorful view of Cathed...

In Hermes II, John Rush captures the Greek messenger god in a moment of explosive movement. The figure seems to leap or fly across the composition, his extended limbs and billowing ...

A Large, Dynamic WPA Era Modern Industrial Scene by Famed Chicago Artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). Depicting a gritty view of a steel railroad bridge, boat house and soaring ...

A stylish, colorful 1950s Mid-century Modern abstract geometric textile design (depicting a polychrome patterned design of horizontal bands and spheres in red, blue and green tones) ...

A stylish, colorful 1950s Mid-century Modern abstract geometric textile design (depicting a polychrome patterned design of banded ovals in red, blue and green tones) by famed French ...

Abstract art experiments with the use of texture, tone, and light perception. Through abstract works, the artist expresses her feelings rather than particular objects or scenes. With Suk Ja Kang...

A Large, Captivating 1930s Modern Portrait of a Jamaican Man in a Linen Suit by famed Chicago artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). A skilled and colorful portrait of a black man seated in a white linen suit, most likely completed during Chapin's trip to Kingston, Jamaica in the 1930s. Chapin exhibited examples of his Jamaican paintings...

A scenic, American Modern 1940s Vermont summer landscape painting, depicting evergreen trees overlooking a placid lake by notable Chicago artist, Harold Haydon. Oil on canvas, measu...

A Large, Colorful, Modernist Art Deco Cubist Painting, "The Dancers" by Famed Chicago Painter and Printmaker, Charles Turzak (Am. 1899 - 1986). A large, vertical composition relating to the artist's notable 1930s woodcut of the same title. The painting is completed in a vividly textured Cubist style, with striking hues of rich greens and yellows, deep blues and rose pinks. The painting is oiI on canvas mounted to Masonite (artist's original mount), and offers a superb visual appeal. A perfect complement to any Mid-Century Modern home or collection. Artwork size: 38 x 24 inches (Framed size: 38 1/4 x 24 1/4 inches). Signed "Turzak" lower right. Provenance: Estate of the artist. Charles Turzak was one of Chicago’s greatest printmakers of the Art Deco-era. Son of a coal miner, Turzak was born in Streeter, IL in 1899. In 1920, Turzak won the first prize a cartoon contest sponsored by the Purina company and he used his prize money to enroll in the Art Institute of Chicago. Best known as a print maker, in the 1920s & 30s, he created woodcuts of many of Chicago’s most notable buildings, including the Merchandise Mart, Palmolive Building and the Old Water Tower, among others. In 1933, he was commissioned to create woodcuts of many of Chicago’s most iconic buildings to illustrate a guidebook called “All About Chicago” by John and Ruth Ashenhurst” that featured the upcoming Century of Progress Exhibition in Chicago. During the 1933 World’s Fair...

Aeling frequently depicts landscapes at moments when atmosphere dominates the ground, a fascination born from his time living in the West, where storms roll in across unbroken horizo...

A Large, Colorful, Mid-Century Modern Art Deco Painting, "Artifact Contour" by Famed Chicago Painter and Print Maker, Charles Turzak (Am. 1899 - 1986). Titled "Artifact Contour", t...

This impressionist still life by French painter Léon Garraud depicts a table set with a plate of peaches and a vase of pink peonies and delicate white flowers. The warm palette of or...

A rare and special 1936 Modern American Scene country landscape painting with figures by important Chicago artist (William) Davenport Griffen. Oil on canvas, signed and dated "Griffen ‘36", lower right. Image size: 18 x 20 inches. Framed size: 22 x 24 inches. (William) Davenport Griffen was born in 1894 in Millbrook, NY. He graduated from Iowa State College in Ames, IA in 1918 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering; however, Griffen’s true love was painting. In 1919, he enrolled in the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and subsequently studied at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1923-1928. In 1926, he was awarded the American Travel Scholarship and began painting in Provincetown, MA. In 1928, he was awarded the John Quincy Adams Scholarship and spent six months painting in Paris, France. Griffen also painted in the U.S. Virgin Islands for 11 months between 1930-1931. Griffen had one-man exhibitions of his Virgin Islands paintings...