Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 12

Louise Nevelson
Two Nudes, USA, circa 1930s Signed in ink by the artist Pen and ink on paper

1930

About the Item

Louise Nevelson (1899-1988) stands as one of the most important artists of the 20th century. She is renowned for her monochromatic sculptural wooden constructions. However, it is important to emphasize that Nevelson toiled and experimented for nearly 30 years before arriving at her signature style, and overdue success, in the late 1950s. In recent years there has been an increase in scholarship, awareness, and collector interest in Nevelson's early work, as she was an early adopter of modernism in America. This drawing is a fine example from this era. After Nevelson divorced in 1931, she was finally liberated to devote herself to art-making. She studied at the Art Students League in New York and made several influential trips to Europe where she began studying with Hans Hoffmann. Back in New York, she worked briefly for Diego Rivera and the Works Progress Administration, where she met Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and befriended other "downtown" New York artists. While Nevelson had a long exhibition history, it was only in the 1950s that she got a foothold in significant galleries. For most of Nevelson's adult life, selling art was a struggle. This unique and elegant line drawing reveals a distinct expression of modernism. The influence of both Matisse and Modigliani is evident. The figures' sensual lines are bold and stylized, almost sculptural. Increasing scholarly and market attention has been placed on Nevelson's early work. For example in 2018 the Whitney Museum presented "The Face and the Moon" which explored Nevelson's prints and drawings from the first three decades of her career. "Two Nudes" USA, circa 1930s Signed in ink by the artist Pen and ink on paper 15.25"H 9.5"W (work) 18.5"H 12.75"W (framed) Framed with museum glass Very good condition
  • Creator:
    Louise Nevelson (1899 - 1988, American)
  • Creation Year:
    1930
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)Width: 12.75 in (32.39 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Very good condition.
  • Gallery Location:
    Toronto, CA
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 2-231stDibs: LU215211690442
More From This SellerView All
  • Untitled "Portrait of a Young Man (Carlo), " USA, 1950
    By Andy Warhol
    Located in Toronto, Ontario
    Andy Warhol (1928-1987) is arguably the most important American artist of the 20th century. He not only defined Pop Art but had an unrivaled influence on artists and image-making. ...
    Category

    1950s American Modern Prints and Multiples

    Materials

    Ballpoint Pen, Paper

  • Untitled (aka "Orange Zone")
    By Harold Town
    Located in Toronto, Ontario
    Harold Town (1924-1990) is the best-known and most dynamic artist from the "Painters Eleven" group. His reputation goes beyond his association with the group and is known as one of ...
    Category

    1960s Abstract Sculptures

    Materials

    Ink, Pen, Gouache, Watercolor

  • Male Nude
    By Louise Nevelson
    Located in Toronto, Ontario
    Louise Nevelson (1899-1988) stands as one of the most important artists of the 20th century. She is renowned for her monochromatic sculptural wooden constructions. However it is imp...
    Category

    1930s Modern Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

    Materials

    Ink, Pencil, Paper

  • Over Head
    By Andy Warhol
    Located in Toronto, Ontario
    Andy Warhol (1928-1987) is arguably the most important American artist of the 20th century. He not only defined Pop Art but had an unrivaled influence on artists and image-making. ...
    Category

    1950s American Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Ballpoint Pen

  • Foot with Strawberries
    By Andy Warhol
    Located in Toronto, Ontario
    Andy Warhol (1928-1987) is arguably the most important American artist of the 20th century. He not only defined Pop Art but had an unparalleled influence on artists and visual cultur...
    Category

    1950s American Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Ballpoint Pen

  • Untitled (Spread)
    By Andy Warhol
    Located in Toronto, Ontario
    Andy Warhol (1928-1987) is arguably the most important American artist of the 20th century. He not only defined Pop Art but had an unrivaled influence on artists and image-making. In recent years there has been new scholarship and increasing commercial interest in Andy Warhol's early works, specifically the material created prior to Pop Art. During the 1950s Warhol established his reputation in New York City as a trendy illustrator contributing to a wide number of fashion publications and retailers. His simple line drawings were modern and gentle, with a subtle but unmistakably gay touch. In a short period of time, he created a signature aesthetic that was versatile yet distinctively his. Like the consummate artist that he was, Warhol was frequently drawing. While fashion illustration was his livelihood, he was more inspired creating male portraiture and erotica. Such images were romantic, hopeful, and unabashedly gay. Unsurprisingly, there was little commercial interest in such works at the time of creation, even in cosmopolitan New York City. Taschen, the legendary art book publisher, recently released the book Andy Warhol: Love, Sex and Desire 1950-1962 which celebrates his drawings of the male form - and has encouraged a new generation of collectors and curators to re-examine Warhol's early explicitly gay material. This drawing, evocative of the book, is a paradigm of Warhol's mastery of line. Positioned in the center of this work is a man's nude midsection, legs spread, confronting the viewer. The simplicity and ease of Warhol's stylized aesthetic offers a gentle twist on the provocative subject matter. With the lightest touch, Warhol masterly portrays the male sex...
    Category

    1950s American Modern Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

    Materials

    Ballpoint Pen

You May Also Like
  • Le Turban by Henri Matisse - Portrait, Ink Drawing
    By Henri Matisse
    Located in London, GB
    *PLEASE NOTE UK BUYERS WILL ONLY PAY 5% VAT ON THIS PURCHASE. Le Turban by Henri Matisse (1869-1954) Pen and India ink on paper 51.5 x 39 cm (20 ¹/₄ x 15 ³/₈ inches) Signed and date...
    Category

    1940s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    India Ink, Paper, Pen

  • Drawings, Jottings, Pen & Ink on Paper, Black, White by Indian Artist "In Stock"
    By Sunil Das
    Located in Kolkata, West Bengal
    Sunil Das - Untitled - 13.5 x 10.5 inches (unframed size) Jottings, Pen & Ink on Paper Inclusive of shipment in ready to hang form. Sunil Das (1939-2015) was a Master Modern Indian ...
    Category

    1980s Modern Abstract Paintings

    Materials

    Paper, Ink, Pen

  • Vintage Israeli Bezalel School Drawing Family Playing, Dogs Puppies Kibbutz Life
    By Moshe Avni
    Located in Surfside, FL
    Moshe Avni was born in 1937, in Kibbutz Kfar Blum in the Upper Galilee in Israel. Presently, he lives and paints in Jerusalem. During the years 1956-1957, he studied Painting and Gra...
    Category

    1960s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Paper, Ink, Pen

  • Untitled, Pen & Ink on Paper by Modern Indian Artist "In Stock"
    By Jogen Chowdhury
    Located in Kolkata, West Bengal
    Jogen Chowdhury - Untitled - 7.7 x 5.7 inches (unframed size) Pen & Ink on Paper Envelope, 2015 Signed in Bengali Style : He has immense contribution in inspiring young artists of...
    Category

    2010s Modern Still-life Paintings

    Materials

    Pen, Ink, Paper

  • Still Life at a Table, Study in Yellow by Artist Harold Haydon
    By Harold Haydon
    Located in Chicago, IL
    A ca. 1931 delightful watercolor still life at a table; a study in yellow by artist Harold Haydon. Harold Emerson Haydon was born in Fort William, Ont...
    Category

    1930s American Modern Still-life Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Pen

  • Still Life at a Table, Study in Yellow by Artist Harold Haydon
    By Harold Haydon
    Located in Chicago, IL
    A ca. 1931 delightful watercolor still life at a table; a study in yellow by artist Harold Haydon. Harold Emerson Haydon was born in Fort William, Ont...
    Category

    1930s American Modern Interior Drawings and Watercolors

    Materials

    Paper, Ink, Watercolor, Pen

Recently Viewed

View All