Mid-20th Century Figurative Paintings

A beautiful oil on canvas painting by the French artist Andre Franchet. He was a Parisian painter known for his colorful cityscapes depicting the times of his generation. His work is...

John Edward Costigan, N.A. American, 1888-1972 Woman and Child Oil on canvas Signed ‘J.E. Costigan N.A.’ lower left 24 by 30 in. W/frame 32 by 38 in. John Costigan was born of Irish-American parents in Providence, Rhode Island, February 29, 1888. He was a cousin of the noted American showman, George M. Cohan, whose parents brought the young Costigan to New York City and was instrumental in starting him on a career in the visual arts. They were less successful in encouraging him to pursue formal studies at the Art Students League (where, however, he later taught) than in exposing him to the commercial art world through the job they had gotten him with the New York lithographing firm that made their theatrical posters. At the H. C. Miner Lithographing Company, Costigan worked his way up from his entry job as a pressroom helper, through various apprenticeships, to the position of sketch artist. In the latter capacity he was an uncredited designer of posters for the Ziegfeld Follies and for numerous silent films. Meanwhile, he had supplemented his very meager formal studies in the fine arts with a self-teaching discipline that led to his first professional recognition in 1920 with the receipt of prizes for an oil painting and watercolor in separate New York exhibitions. A year earlier, Costigan had wed professional model Ida Blessin, with whom he established residence and began raising a family in the sleepy little rural New York hamlet of Orangeburg, the setting for the many idyllic farm landscapes and wood interiors with which he was to become identified in a career that would span half a century. John Costigan’s first national recognition came in 1922 with his winning of the coveted Peterson Purchase prize of the Art Institute of Chicago for an oil on canvas, “Sheep at the Brook.” It marked the start of an unbroken winning streak that would gain him at least one important prize per year for the remainder of the decade. The nation’s art journalists and critics began to take notice, making him the recurring subject of newspaper features and magazine articles. The eminent author and critic Edgar Holger Cahill was just a fledgling reporter when he wrote his first feature, “John Costigan Carries the Flame,” for Shadowland Magazine in 1922. Costigan had his first one-man show of paintings at the Rehn Gallery on New York’s 5th Avenue in November, 1924, to be followed less than three years later by another at the Art Institute of Chicago. In addition, Costigan’s work has been—and continues to be included, side-by-side with that of some of America’s most high-profile artists, in museum and gallery exhibitions throughout the country. His renown had peaked in the early 1930s, by which time his work had been honored with nearly every major award then being bestowed in the fine arts and had been acquired for the permanent collections of several prestigious American museums, including New York’s Metropolitan (which only recently, in 1997, deaccessioned his “Wood Interior,” acquired in 1934). Although Costigan’s celebrity had ebbed by the late 1930s, the Smithsonian Institution saw fit in 1937 to host an exhibition exclusively of his etchings. And, in 1941, the Corcoran Gallery (also Washington, D.C.) similarly honored him for his watercolors. (Another Washington institution, the Library of Congress, today includes 22 Costigan etchings and lithographs in its permanent print collection.) During World War II, Costigan returned briefly to illustrating, mainly for Bluebook, a men’s pulp adventure magazine. A gradual revival of interest in his more serious work began at the end of the war, culminating in 1968 with the mounting of a 50-year Costigan retrospective at the Paine Art Center and Arboretum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Oils, watercolors and prints were borrowed from museums and private collections throughout the country, and the exhibition was subsequently toured nationally by the Smithsonian Institution. John Costigan died of pneumonia in Nyack, NY, August 5, 1972, just months after receiving his final prestigious award —the Benjamin West Clinedinst Medal of the Artist’s Fellowship, Inc., presented in general recognition of his “...achievement of exceptional artistic merit...” in the various media he had mastered in the course of his career. This painting depicts one of the artist's favorite themes --the farm family bathing...

Gouache on paper, signed (lower left) and titled (lower right), 68cm x 88cm, (88cm x 108cm framed). The work is framed behind museum quality non-reflective UV glass. A realist pain...

Landscape with houses is a modern artwork realized by Gino Marzani in the mid-20th century. Mixed colored oil painting Hand signed by the artist on the back. Includes frame

Monumental, important WPA painting by Percy Albee. The painting is oil canvass measuring 36" x 48". Titled verso "New Americana", this WPA painting was exhibited at the Carnegie Inst...

Mid 20th Century Mannerist view of boats in a harbour scene by E Tiedemann. The painting is signed and dated bottom left. Presented in very fine wood, gesso and silver leaf frame. A...

Symbolic and surreal landscape with a Makaula or seer and a woman seeking to know her future by Marguerite Louis Blasingame (American; 1906-1947), circa 1940-45. Marguerite and her h...

Josine Vignon (1922-2022) was a French artist living on the Rue Beautreillis in the Marais district of Paris. She painted with a beautiful style, largely influenced by the Impression...

Symbolic and surreal landscape with three women in a mystical garden setting walking toward a plaque "The dream and the dreamer are one" by Marguerite Louis Blasingame (American; 190...

"Unemployed" WPA American Scene Social Realism Mid 20th Century Modern William Gropper (1898 - 1977) Unemployed 20 x 16 inches Oil on canvas, 1937 Signed lower right Provenance: E...

Sailboat,Sea,France,Port,Boat ,Landscape ,Britain , Atlantic Ocean, Blu , Grey . Label on the back Galleria Pirra Torino This work is more than 50 year...

Multi-colored figurative oil painting of a woman in bikini bathing in the California sun by listed California artist Jon Blanchette (American, 1908-1987). The colorful background is...

By French famous Transgender artist, Michel Marie Poulain (Born Paris December 5, 1906. Died 1991) this rare oil on canvas it represents the Queen and he...

The Coastal Harbor by Y. Blanchon, French 1930's Impressionist oil painting on board, unframed painting: 15 x 17.5 inches provenance: from a large private collection of this artists...

Acquiring a mid-20th-century Fauvist painting by Wilhelm Henning is an opportunity to own a piece of art that captures the vibrant spirit and expressive color palette of the Fauvist ...

Simka Simkhovitch (Russian/American 1893 - 1949) This came with a small grouping from the artist's family, some were hand signed some were not. These were studies for larger paintings. This is a miniature watercolor and gouache vibrant, colorful bouquet of flowers in a vase. Simka Simkhovitch (Симха Файбусович Симхович) (aka Simka Faibusovich Simkhovich) (Novozybkov, Russia May 21, 1885 O.S./June 2, 1885 N.S.—Greenwich, Connecticut February 25, 1949) was a Ukrainian-Russian Jewish artist and immigrant to the United States. He painted theater scenery in his early career and then had several showings in galleries in New York City. Winning Works Progress Administration (WPA) commissions in the 1930s, he completed murals for the post offices in Jackson, Mississippi and Beaufort, North Carolina. His works are in the permanent collections of the Dallas Museum of Art, the National Museum of American Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Born outside Kyiv (Petrograd Ukraine) into a Jewish family who owned a small department store. During a severe case of measles when he was seven, Simcha Simchovitch sketched the views outside his window and decided to become an artist, over his father's objections. Beginning in 1905, he studied at the Grekov Odessa Art School and upon completion of his studies in 1911 received a recommendation to be admitted to the Imperial Academy of Arts. Though he enrolled to begin classes in architecture, painting, and sculpture at the Imperial Academy, he was dropped from the school roster in December because of the quota on the number of Jewish students and drafted into the army. Simchovitch served as a private in the 175th Infantry Regiment Baturyn [ru] until his demobilization in 1912. Re-enrolling in the Imperial Academy, he audited classes. Simka Simkhovitch exhibited paintings and sculptures in 1918 as part of an exhibition of Jewish artists and in 1919 placed 1st in the competition "The Great Russian Revolution" with a painting called "Russian Revolution" which was hung in the State Museum of Revolution. In 1922, Simkha Simkhovitch exhibited at the International Book Fair in Florence (Italian: Fiera Internazionale del Libro di Firenze). In 1924, Simkhovitch came to the United States to make illustrations for Soviet textbooks and decided to immigrate instead. Initially he supported himself by doing commercial art and a few portrait commissions. In 1927, he was hired to paint a screen for a scene in the play "The Command to Love" by Fritz Gottwald and Rudolph Lothar which was playing at the Longacre Theatre on Broadway. Art dealers began clamoring for the screen and Simkhovitch began a career as a screen painter for the theater. Catching the attention of the screenwriter, Ernest Pascal, he worked as an illustrator for Pascal, who then introduced him to gallery owner, Marie Sterner. Simkhovitch's works appeared at the Marie Sterner Gallery beginning with a 1927 exhibit and were repeated the following year. Simkhovitch had an exhibit in 1929 at Sterner's on circus paintings. In 1931, he held a showing of works at the Helen Hackett Gallery, in New York City and later that same year he was one of the featured artists of a special exhibit in San Francisco at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park. The exhibit was coordinated by Marie Sterner and included four watercolors, including one titled "Nudes". He is of the generation of Russian Soviet artists such as Isaac Pailes, Serge Charchoune, Marc Chagall, Chana Orloff, Isaac Ilyich Levitan, and Ossip Zadkine. In 1936, Simkhovitch was selected to complete the mural for the WPA Post office project in Jackson, Mississippi. The mural was hung in the post office and courthouse in 1938 depicted a plantation theme. Painted on the wall behind the judge’s bench, “Pursuits of Life in Mississippi”, a depiction of black workers engaged in manual labor amid scenes of white professionals and socialites, was eventually covered over in later years during renovations due to its stereotypical African American imagery. Simka painted what he thought was typical of Jackson. His impression of pre-civil rights Mississippi was evidently Greek Revival column houses, weeping willow trees, working class families, and the oppression of African Americans. He painted African American men picking cotton, while a white man took account of the harvest and a white judge advised a white family, calling it Pursuits of Life in Mississippi. Though clearly endorsed by the government and initially generally well-received, the mural soon raised concerns with locals as the climate toward racial segregation began to change. The main concern was whether depictions that show African Americans in subjugated societal roles should be featured in a courtroom. The following year, his painting "Holiday" won praise at an exhibition in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1940, Simkhovitch's second WPA post office project was completed when four murals, "The Cape Lookout Lighthouse and the Orville W. Mail Boat", "The Wreck of the Crissie Wright", "Sand Ponies" and "Canada Geese" were installed in Beaufort, North Carolina. The works were commissioned in 1938 and did not generate the controversy that the Jackson mural had. The main mural is "The Wreck of the Crissie Wright" and depicts a shipwreck which had occurred in Beaufort in 1866. "The Cape Lookout Lighthouse and the Orville W. Mail Boat" depicted the lighthouse built in 1859 and the mail boat that was running mail during the time which Simkhovitch was there. The boat ran mail for the area until 1957. "Sand Ponies" shows the wild horses common to the North Carolina barrier islands and "Canada Geese" showed the importance of hunting and fishing in the area. All four murals were restored in the 1990s by Elisabeth Speight, daughter of two other WPA muralists, Francis Speight...

Capitola (California) is an oil on board painting by Jon Blanchette (1908-1987) circa 1955. Marine seascape painting with crashing waves and buildings along the coast painted in shad...

Plump or fleshy and voluptuous nude... you can describe it as you see it. Signed, titled and dated lower left: John Steuart Curry / 1934 "Hilda Nellis", John Steuart Curry is best ...

A beautiful oil on canvas painting by the French artist Andre Franchet. He was a Parisian painter known for his colorful cityscapes depicting the times of his generation. His work is...

Original oil on canvas painting by the Spanish born artist Senen Ubina of a young clown with a flute. Signed lower right by the artist and dated 1956. Partial paper label with artist...

GEOMETRIC DUO Size: 41 x 33 cm Oil on Canvas An outstanding geometric abstract figurative composition that explores the interplay between form, colour, and perspective, executed in...

COMFORT Size: 63 x 72 cm (including frame) Oil on Canvas An emotive figurative composition capturing an intimate moment between two figures seated side by side on a bench, executed ...

LADY IN YELLOW Size: 56 x 46 cm (including frame) Oil on Board A quirky and well-executed mid-century modernist portrait composition, painted in oil onto board. In this painting we...

1960s oil on board painting of a Paris street scene by Nicola Ortis Poucette. The painting is signed bottom right. Presented in modern white gloss frame. A charming French mid centu...

LADIES AT DAWN Size: 62 x 54 cm (including frame) Oil on Canvas A brilliant mid-century figurative composition, executed in oil onto canvas by the established Swedish artist Fabian ...

Hans SEILER (Neuchâtel 1907 – 1986) The cliffs of Marqueyssac and Castelnaud, seen from La Roque Gageac Oil on canvas H. 40 cm; L. 83 cm Signed lower right, dated 1973 Provenance : ...

Coney Island Fire Eaters American Scene Modernism WPA Social Realism Mid-Century Frederick "Fritz" Frey Rockwell (1917-1977) Coney Island Fire Eaters 25 x 30 inches Oil on Canvas Si...

A stunning jewel and pertinent example of Berthelsen's charming New York City scenes. Here we find a Central Park pathway at night and the Manhattan buildings depicted in the far bac...

Signed oil on canvas landscape circa 1960 by sought after French post impressionist painter Marcel Dyf. The work depicts a view of farmland with almond trees in bloom. Signature: Si...

Portrait of a young boy and his dog in oil pastel on paper on linen by Maurice B. Rosenbaum (American, 1868-1942) An American portrait painter form New York. Notable paintings includ...

A stunning jewel and pertinent example of Berthelsen's charming New York City scenes. Here we find an evening winter scene with The Pulitzer Fountain at Grand Army Plaza covered in s...

Portrait of a Lady by Jean Dulac (1902-1968) *see below signed oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 16 x 13 inches provenance: private collection, Lyon, France (the artists home ...

Hawaiian Symbolism Figurative & Landscape Oil painting of Huakai Hui (Journey Together) Symbolic and surreal landscape of a female and male figure ascending stairway flanked by to...

Original oil on canvas painting of a man and a woman intently peeling potatoes at a table. No visible signature. Old gallery label in German verso that is dated 1934 Condition is go...

"Porch" is a colorful, original painting on board by New York Pop Artist George Mueller (1929-2021), signed and dated from 1967. The work measures 24 x 32 inches.

Robert DESSALES-QUENTIN (Brantôme 1885 - 1958) Large view of Treignac - Corrèze Oil on wood H. 82.5 cm; L. 123 cm Signed lower right Provenance: Private collection, Périgueux Rober...

Working in the Fields by Josine Vignon (French 1922-2022) signed and stamped verso oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 21 x 26 inches very good condition provenance: from the a...

A Pocket Is A Place By Hannah Knox Oil on linen 50 x 60cm

Original Oil Painting of Man's Morning by Cynthia Bissell Wonderfully evocative mid century figurative of male awaking to day by artist Cynthia Bissell (American, 1924 - 2000), 1961...

Léon Pierre FÉLIX (Périgueux 1869 - 1940) The coast at Ploumanac'h - Bretagne Oil on canvas H. 46 cm; L. 55 cm Signed lower left, dated 1901 Provenance: Private collection, Burgundy...

Hugo PETERSEN (1876 – 1962) Danish landscape with heather Oil on canvas H. 71 cm; L. 110 cm Signed lower right

*UK BUYERS WILL PAY AN ADDITIONAL 5% IMPORT DUTY ON TOP OF THE ABOVE PRICE Jeune Fille à l'Accordéon by ISMAEL DE LA SERNA (1898-1968) Oil on masonite 88.9 x 115.6 cm (35 x 45 ¹/₂ i...

5057 Vintage American portrait of a southern country gil Set in a painted wood frame under glass Image size 13x10.5"

Under the rain is a contemporary artwork realized by Eliano Fantuzzi. Mixed colored oil painting. Hand signed on the lower margin and on the back. Includes frame.

1931 English Painting: Art Deco Portrait with Elegant Model and Swans in the Background. The portrait is signed and dated (19)31., the signature is only partially readable. Techni...

Soft Plaid By Hannah Knox Oil on linen 75 x 90cm

Portrait of a Lady by Jean Dulac (1902-1968) *see below signed oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 21.75 x 18 inches provenance: private collection, Lyon, France (the artists ho...

Nature Morte Iv (Barn Owl) By Liam Spencer Oil on board 15 x 20cm

#5-2858 A mother and child,figurative impressionistic style palette oil on canvas applied on board.Displayed in a wood frame.Artist unknown.Image size 10.5 H x 13.5 W

Oil on board Image size: 5 3/4 x 7 inches (14.5 x 17.75 cm) As can be seen in this painting, Surrealism served as a source of inspiration for Bergner, though he did not consider himself a surrealist but a lover of stories, and indeed narrative elements appear frequently in his work. He uses the “displacement” element, as the Surrealists did, and that is detaching the figures, objects or landscapes from the logical context and into a poetical-magical climate. Nissim Aloni noted in 1983 He paints as though to install stabilizers against the turbulence of the dream, and perhaps these stabilizers serve him in time as a touchstone'. The Artist Yosl Bergner was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1920 and grew up in Warsaw, Poland. With rampant anti-Semitism in Europe, the Freeland League for Jewish Territorial Colonization was formed in the United States in July 1935, to search for a potential Jewish homeland. Soon afterwards a pastoral firm in Australia offered the League about 16,500 square kilometres (6,400 sq mi) in the Kimberleys, stretching from the north of Western Australia into the Northern Territory. As history showed, the plans went nowhere. But for a time, the Australian idea was at least worth considering. Bergner's father, Melech Ravitch, became involved in a serious investigation of the Kimberley Plan. In this way the Bergner family moved to Australia. Yosl emigrated to Australia in 1937 and studied in the National Gallery School in Melbourne. During World War II he served for four and a half years in the Australian Army, and later continued his studies at the Art School. In Melbourne from 1937–48, Bergner befriended many of the local artists who now epitomize modern Australian art: Sidney Nolan, Albert Tucker...

Brushes, Turps & Rubber Bands By Adam Ralston Roi Oil on board 28 x 18cm

Red Lumberjack Shirt By Hannah Knox Oil on linen 75 x 90cm

Portrait of a Lady by Jean Dulac (1902-1968) *see below signed oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas: 16 x 13 inches provenance: private collection, Lyon, France (the artists home ...

The Window Opens Like an Orange By Alice Macdonald Distemper, oil and canvas collage on canvas 30 x 25cm

Brushes, Paint & Linseed Oil By Adam Ralston Roi Oil on board 28 x 18cm

Daffodils (February) By Alice Macdonald Distemper, oil and canvas collage on canvas 36 x 31cm

Turps, Brushes & Paint By Adam Ralston Roi Oil on board 41 x 30cm

Feeding Time By Adam Ralston Roi Oil on board 50 x 76cm