Mid-20th Century Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Dorothy Varian (1895-1985) was based in New York City and Woodstock, NY. This is a courtroom scene that captures the intensity of the situation. It is s...

The Birds is an Original Drawing realized by Louis Touchagues in the mid 20th Century. Drawing in ink and pen. Hand-signed on the lower by the artist. Good conditions. The delica...

Leon Dolice New York Harbor Nocturne Signed lower right Pastel on paper 12 x 19 inches The romantic backdrop of Vienna at the turn of the century had a life-long influence upon the...

Classic Interior design and Family Dinner by Architectural Digest illustrator David Mode Payne (American, 1907-1985). The scene depicted is an interio...

Rural Landscape is a drawing realized by Rene Suoest 1903-1980 in 1930. Marker on a cream-colored paper. Good conditions with folding. The artwork is realized through deft quick s...

Artist: Ian Hornak (1944-2002) Title: Renaissance Male Nude Figure Study Year: circa 1963 Medium: Original drawing on vélin paper Size: 18 x 23 inches Condition: Good Provenance: Est...

Swimmer is an artwork realized  by Isidore Pils in the Mid 20th Century. China ink drawing. In good conditions. Hand-Signed.

Countryside is a pencil drawing realized by a french artist in the mid-20th Century. Good conditions on a white paper. No signature.

Framed Cuban Artist/Caricaturist Conrado Walter Massaguer presents Hollywood star Adolphe Menjou in a satirical dual portrait. In the foreground, the subject is seen in a dapper top hat, tux, fashionable cigarette and boutonnière, and is shown as being the epitome of being stylishly debonair. To make a larger point about this subject, Massaguer paints a cast shadow of Menjou as a burning red devil who studies his alter ego from above. Keeping with the artist's sarcasm, we see the good and bad in one image. Works by Massaguer are rare and this work is in keeping with his signature style. This work was most likely done on assignment for Life Magazine, Cosmopolitan, The New Yorker or Vanity Fair. Signed upper right. Inscribe lower right. Titled on verso. Unframed, Slight bend to board; toning to board; scattered faint foxing; pin point abrasions to margins, not affecting image. 19-1/2 x 15-1/8 inches board size. Conrado Walter Massaguer y Diaz was a Cuban artist, political satirist, and magazine publisher. He is considered a student of the Art Nouveau. He was the first caricaturist in the world to broadcast his art on television.He was first caricaturist to exhibit on Fifth Avenue. He was the first caricaturist in the world to exhibit his caricatures on wood. He, and his brother Oscar, were the first magazine publishers in the world to use photolithographic printing. Self portrait of Conrado Walter Massaguer, depicted on a carrousel ride, with the devil over his left shoulder and an angel over his right. (1945) He created the magazine Social with his brother Oscar to showcase Cuban artistic talent. The duo later created the magazine Carteles, which became for a period the most popular magazine in Cuba, which was purchased by Miguel Ángel Quevedo in 1953. In his life, he met and drew caricatures of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, the King of Spain, and many others.[ In sum total, he was the author of more than 28 thousand caricatures and drawings.Ernest Hemingway once had to refrain himself from punching Massaguer in the face after the artist drew an unflattering caricature of him. The dictator Gerardo Machado, however, did not punch Massaguer for his own unflattering caricature - he had the artist deported. He was one of the most internationally renowned Cuban artists of his day, and his art is still regularly featured in galleries across the Western Hemisphere and Europe. Early life Massaguer was born on October 18, 1889, in Cárdenas, Cuba.[In 1892, his family moved to Havana. When the Cuban War of Independence broke out, Massaguer's family escaped the country. From 1896 to 1908, he lived in Mérida, Mexico. However, during this time, his parents enrolled him in the New York Military Academy, where he stayed during school years. In 1905, after graduating the military academy, he briefly attended the San Fernando school in Havana, where he was tutored by Ricardo de la Torriente and Leopoldo Romañach. In 1906, less than a year later, he returned to the family home in Mexico. Career as artist Early career While living in Yucatán, Mexico, Massaguer published his first caricatures in local newspapers and magazines. These included La Campana, La Arcadia, and the Diario Yucateco. In 1908, he moved back to Havana. After returning to the island in 1908, Massaguer began mingling with Havana's aristocratic circles, forming close friendships with some of the city's most powerful and influential men, as well as winning the favor of many women who were quickly charmed by him. Massaguer, largely self-taught, honed his style using the avant-garde techniques he studied from the European and American magazines that were widely available in Cuba at the time. Cover of the immensely popular Cuban magazine El Figaro, drawn by Massaguer in 1909. This cover depicts two bumbling, incompetent American tourists to the island. He started drawing for El Fígaro, and was featured prominently on the cover in 1909. After two years of refining his craft, Havana announced a poster contest aimed at attracting North American tourists to stay in the city during the winter months. Notable figures like Leopoldo Romañach, Armando Menocal, Rodríguez Morey, Jaime Valls, and others also entered the competition. The jury was particularly impressed by the modern execution and creative solution of one piece, signed by Massaguer, who was relatively unknown at the time. The jury deliberations caused a great controversy.[5] The prize was ultimately awarded to the Galician painter Mariano Miguel, who had recently married the daughter of Nicolás Rivero, the wealthy owner of the conservative newspaper Diario de la Marina. Although Massaguer received only an honorable mention, the fraud scandal caused such an uproar that his name quickly entered the public spotlight, and he became an overnight sensation. In 1910, he became co-owner of the advertising agency Mercurio, with Laureano Rodríguez Castells. At Mercurio, he led the Susini cigar campaign, and earned substantial wealth. Massaguer has been described as a restless man, in both mind and body.After earning enough money from his art to begin traveling, he was almost always doing so. He constantly traveled between New York City and Havana, Mexico and France, Europe and the Americas. In 1911, his reputation among the Havana socialites solidified when he organized his own first public caricature exhibit, and also the first Caricature Salon ever held in the Americas, hosted at Athenaeum of Havana (the Ateneo), and the Círculo de La Habana. Other exhibitors here included Maribona, Riverón, Portell Vilá, Valer, Botet, Barsó, García Cabrera, Carlos Fernández, Rafael Blanco, and Hamilton de Grau. "Messaguer Visits Broadway." Caricatures of theatrical and literary figures. Elsie Janis, Raymond Hitchcock, S. Jay Kaufman (columnist), Ibanez, author of The Four Horsemen, and Frances White In 1912, in the New York American Journal, he published his first Broadway drawings. From 1913 to 1918, he was an editor for Gráfico. Social Main article: Social (magazine) Cover of the magazine Social, July 7, 1923 In 1916, he created the magazine Social with his brother, Oscar H. Massaguer. Social's contributors included Guillén Carpentier, Chacón y Calvo, Enrique José Varona and others.Social has been described as Massaguer's great love in the magazine industry, and was the property that historians say he cared the most about. Social was an innovative magazine, being the first magazine in the world to use a modern printing process called photolithographic printing. Social set cultural trends, not only in the fashion of Cuba, but in art, politics, and Cuban identity.[11] Social catered to a certain aesthetic in Cuba - that of the sophisticated elite socialite - but Massaguer would also use this magazine to ridicule and jibe against that same class of society when he found their personalities worthy of his contempt. In Social, readers could find a variety of content, including short stories, avant-garde poetry, art reviews, philosophical essays, and serialized novels, as well as articles on interior design, haute couture, and fashion. Occasionally, the magazine also featured reports on sports such as motor racing, rowing, tennis, and horse riding.The cultural promotion efforts of both Massaguer and Emilio Roig de Leuchsenring are evident in the magazine. Notably, this period overlaps with their involvement in the Minorista Group, which was then at the forefront of the country's intellectual life.[5] Many contributors were devoted members of the group, leading some experts to consider Social as the cultural voice of the Minoristas. One of the features of Social magazine was its section called "Massa Girls," which was a play on his own name, and pronounced with a glottal 'g' in a similar fashion to the letter in Massaguer.[12] Massaguer drew women as independent and free-thinking, and never drew the woman celebrity as a caricature of herself, but as a free agent surrounded by caricatures.[11] However, Massaguer himself has been described as a womanizer in his personal life, and hesitant to fully embrace every facet of women's liberation. In 1916, he also established la Unión de Artes Gráficas and the advertising agency Kesevén Anuncios.[9] The art critic Bernardo González Barroa wrote: “Massaguer has solved the problem of working hard, living comfortably off what his art produces and not missing any artistic, sporting or social event. His broad, childish laugh, of a carefree individual who carries his luck hidden in a pocket, appears everywhere for the moment, disguising the pranks of pupils that lurk, mock and, finally, flash with satisfaction at finding the characteristic point after having analyzed a soul... Massaguer's personality is beginning to solidify now. He has been the best-known and most popular caricaturist for a long time, but his technique had not reached the security, the mastery of values that he presents in his latest works, which is very natural and explainable”[5] Carteles Main article: Carteles Cover of the magazine Carteles, November 29, 1931 In 1919, Massaguer and his brother created the magazine Carteles.[9] Carteles gained the widest circulation of any magazine in Latin America, and the most popular magazine in Cuba for a time, until that title was claimed by Revista Bohemia. Carteles remained in print until July 1960.This magazine showcased Cuban commerce, art, sports, and social life before the revolution. In 1924, Carteles took a more political turn, with articles criticizing Gerardo Machado's government. it became a prime example of the humor and graphic design employed by artists like Horacio Rodríguez Suria and Andrés García...

Raphael Gleitsmann (American, 1910-1995) European Cemetery, 1948 Watercolor on paper Signed and dated lower left 20.5 x 32 inches 26.5 x 37 inches, framed Raphael Gleitsmann, born i...

NYC Subway Riders Mid 20th Century American Scene Social Realism WPA Modern 1930s Daniel Celentano (1902 - 1980) Subway Scene, 1930s 8 x 9 inches Ink and wash on paper Singed lower ...

This artwork "The Model" 1939 is a pastel on paper by noted California (German/American) artist Ernst Stolz, 1901-1989. It is signed and dated at the lower right corner by the artist...

Flowers Pot is an original contemporary artwork realized by Fiorenzo Tomea (1910-1960) in the mid-20th Century. Mixed colored watercolor. Hand signed on the lower margin. Includes...

3580 Charcoal drawing Set in a vintage giltwood frame Image size 13x9"

Landscape is a drawing realized by Joseph Colin in the Mid-20th Century. Pencil on ivory-colored paper Good conditions with slight foxing. The artwork is realized through deft exp...

Reginald Marsh "Manhattan Bridge" NYC American Scene Modernism Watercolor WPA Urban Realism, 20 x 14 inches. Watercolor and pencil on paper, 1938. Signed...

Watercolor portrait of a clown by Marjorie Blake (American, 1920-1994). Signed "Blake" in the lower left corner. Unframed. Marjorie May Gulley Blake wa...

Sign by Artist in Lower Right The present work was published as an illustration for Elizabeth Goudge's short story "A Crock of Gold" in the August 1938 issue of Woman's Home Compani...

The Nude  is a drawing, realized in  Mid 20th Century,  by the French post-impressionist painter and illustrator Louis André Berthommé Saint-André (1905-1977).  Black and white penc...

Medium: Pencil Drawing Signature: Signed & Inscribed Lower Right Study for Saturday Evening Post Cover, June 2, 1951

Portrait of Lady is an original China Ink and watercolor Drawing realized by a european artist of the late-19th century. Good condition on a little cream colored cardboard. No sign...

Dark City is an original drawing in carbon and pastel realized by Simon Goldberg (1913-1985). With the stamp " Atelier Simon Goldberg" on the lower left. Th...

The Window is a drawing in pastel on paper realized in the mid-20th century by an unknown french artist. The state of preservation is good. The artwork represents an open window be...

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 ...

The Seated Woman is an Original ink and watercolor drawing realized by Robert Fonténé. The artwork is in good condition on yellowed paper. Hand-signed...

Idyllic harbor seascape by ML Pfeffer (20th Century). Two boats are on the shore, undergoing preparations for sailing. A large cliff wraps around from the left to create a natural ha...

Swimmers is a China ink and watercolor Drawing realized by Mino Maccari (1924-1989) in the 1960s. Hand-signed on the lower. Good condition with slight foxing. Mino Maccari (Siena...

Figure is a charcoal drawing realized by Mino Maccari  (1924-1989) in the Mid-20th Century. Hand-signed. Good conditions with slight foxing. Mino Maccari (Siena, 1924-Rome, June 1...

A. E. Halliwell (1905-1987) Hats Airbrush and pen 50 x 32 cm c.1930 Stamped signature Provenance: Family of the artist A.E. Halliwell (1905–1986) was a British artist, illustrator...

Title: French Market Stall Scene With Figures Under Awning Modern Watercolor Artist: Pierre Neveu (French b.1929) Medium: Watercolour and Gouache on card, unframed Size (H x W): 4.25...

Stamped, verso, with certification of authenticity for Janet Ament De La Roche (American, 1916-2000) and painted circa 1965. Winner of the Prix Othon Friesz, Janet Ament studied at the Chouinard Art Institute, the Los Angeles Art Center, and at the Otis Art Institute. After World War II, she traveled abroad and continued her studies first with André L’Hote at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière (Paris) and, subsequently, at the Accademia di Belle Arte (Rome) and the Academie des Belles Artes de San Jorge (Barcelona). Ament exhibited internationally with success, including at The Salon d'Automne (1954), The Salon Des Artes Decoratifs (1955), the Museum of Modern Art, Paris (1955), the Gallier Charpentier (1955), the San Francisco Museum of Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. A long-time member of the Carmel Art Association, she is listed in all relevant art reference works. Reference: Art & Artists: Carmel – Monterey...

Still Life is a modern artwork realized by Sante Monachesi in 1939. Charcoal drawing on paper. Hand signed and dated on the lower margin. Includes frame.

Indian Dancer - Vintage Illustration in Ink and Watercolor A stoic, dark-haired woman in elaborate dress is sitting cross-legged in this illustration by Irene Pattinson (American, 1909-1999). Pattinson uses fine ink line detail and a vibrant pink watercolor for a splash of color. Signed at the bottom, "Irene Pattinson." Provenance: The Artist, Estate of Irene Pattinson: David Carlson; Estate of Larry Miller Fine Art, Robert Azensky Fine Art. Presented in a new white mat with foam core backing. Mat size: 16"H x 12"W Paper size: 11.75"H x 8.5"W Image size: 7.5"H x 6.5"W Irene Pattinson (American, 1909-1999) studied at the California School of Fine Art (now The San Francisco Art Institute), San Francisco State College and The Marion Hartwell School of Design. She was President of the San Francisco Woman Artists Association 1955-56. Provenance: The Artist, Estate of Irene Pattinson: David Carlson; Estate of Larry Miller Fine Art, Robert Azensky Fine Art. Solo Exhibitions: Lucien Labaudt Gallery 1955; San Francisco Museum of Art, 1961 (39 works). Selected Group Exhibitions: San Francisco Art Association Annual 1948, 54, 55; San Francisco Woman Artists, 1957-1960; Oakland Art Museum Annual, 1951, 58; California Palace of the Legion of Honor, 1960; Richmond Art Center, 1955, 56, 57, 58; San Francisco Art Institute 1959, 60. The Art Bank of the San Francisco Art Association, 1958, 59, 60, 62, 63; Winter Invitational, California Palace of The Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 1960; Fourth Winter Invitational, California Palace of The Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 1963. Awards: First Place, San Francisco Woman Artists Assoc., 1957, 1959; San Francisco Art Festival 1957;Literature: San Francisco Art Institute - A catalog of the Art Ban 1962/63; San Francisco and the Second Wave: The Blair Collection Exhibitions: 1963 The Art Bank of the San Francisco Art Association, San Francisco, CA 1963 California Palace of The Legion of Honor: Forth Winter Invitational, San Francisco, CA 1962 The Art Bank of the San Francisco Art Association, San Francisco, CA 1961 San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, CA 1960 California...

"My Fair Lady" 1958 West End Theatre Costume Drawing Mid 20th Century Modern Cecil Beaton (1904 – 1980) "My Fair Lady," Pen and ink on paper. ...

Christ on the cross is a modern artwork realized in the style of George Rouault in mid-20th Century. Mixed colored watercolor and tempera. Includ...

Abstract Portrait is an original artwork realized by Antonio Vangelli in 1940s. Original pencil drawing on paper. The painting is glued to a cardboard. Hand-signed on the lower r...

Surrealist Composition is a fascinating drawing in China ink made by the Spanish Surrealist artist Jorge Castillo, dated around 1960. The artwork was drawn on a paper that presents, ...

Ships at the Harbor - Nautical Seascape in Charcoal on Paper Detailed and layered harbor scene by Maude Folmar Ramsey (American, 1908-1993). The viewer is looking out at the harbor, across the water from the docks, buildings, and ships. The pillars, buildings, and masts are jumbled together in a pleasing manner that is almost abstract. Despite the simplified shapes, this piece is full of detail. This piece is executed in a rectilinear style frequently seen in American mid-century modern compositions. Signed in the lower right corner "Maude Folmar" Presented in a wood frame with a double mat. Frame size: 25.25"H x 29.25"W Image size: 17"H x 21.5"W Maude Love (Folmar) Ramsey (American, 1908-1993) studied at the School of Fine Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. She was the director of the Laguna Gloria Art Museum from 1968-1972. Ramsey was one of the charter members of the “Waterloo...

Nude in the bed is an original colored drawing in pen on ivory-colored paper, realized by Mogniat-Duclos Bertrand, a French painter. In very good conditions. This artwork is a very...

Male portrait Sketched is an original drawing on paper, realized around the 1960s by the great Italian artist and journalist Mino Maccari (Siena, 1898 - 1989). Black Permanent Marke...

Sketch for a Portrait is a drawing on paper realized in the Mid-20th Century by Flor David. Good conditions. Flor David (1891-1958) ): pseudonym of David Florence. Pastel painter...

Sketches is an Original Carbon Pencil Drawing realized by an Unknown artist of mid-20th century. The Drawing is in good condition on a yellowed cardboard. No signature. Others ske...

This gouache painting on illustration board was created by American artist Jack Leynnwood. Fascinated by aviation from a young age, Leynnwood did kit illustrations of everything from military aircraft to rigged ships, Rat Finks, Flash Gordon, space ships and Ed “Big Daddy...

Portrait is a watercolor drawing Artwork realized by Mino Maccari  (1924-1989) in the Mid-20th Century. Hand-signed. Good conditions with slight foxing. Mino Maccari (Siena, 1924-...

Portrait is an original drawing in pencil and China ink on ivory-colored paper, made by the Swedish illustrator and reporter Adolf Reinhold Hallman. ...

Portrait is an original Pencil drawing on paper, realized by an anonymous artist in the Mid-20th Century. With another drawing on the rear. Good conditions.

Mother and Child is an original Pencil Drawing realized by Mino Maccari in mid-20th century. Good condition on a yellowed paper. Hand-signed by the artist with pencil. Mino Maccar...

Birds in Morocco is an original drawing realized by Helen Vogt in mid-20th Century. Watercolored pen drawing on paper. Fair conditions. Foxings. Includes frame (fair condition) :...

Donald Stacy "Mask" c.1950s Ink on paper Black dark wood frame 10.25"x17.25" Unsigned Came from artist estate Introducing an original piece by the American artist Donald Stacy title...

Portrait is a Pencil Drawing realized by Reynold Arnould (Le Havre 1919 - Parigi 1980). Good condition included a white cardboard passpartout (70x51 cm). No Signature, another pen...

Portraits is a watercolor drawing Artwork realized by Mino Maccari  (1924-1989) in the Mid-20th Century. Hand-signed. Good conditions with slight foxing. Mino Maccari (Siena, 1924...

Watercolor on paper of a chorus or show girl by Ruth Adele Mysel. Mysel grew up in Boston and attended the New England School of Art. She was both a artist and sculptor as well as ...

Preliminary Study for a Sculpture Project Graphite, charcoal and wash on tracing paper, c. 1930-1940 Signed upper left and lower left (see both photos) Created while the artist was l...

Rowboat Outing - Fall Landscape with Rowboats in Watercolor on Paper Serene lakeside landscape by an unknown artist (20th Century). Two birch trees with bright yellow leaves are gro...

A. E. Halliwell (1905-1987) Pansies Gouache 30 x 47 cm c.1930 Label to reverse 'Baynard Press', Signed lower right, further signed in pencil and dated 1929. Provenance: Family of the...

Sketches is an original Charcoal Drawing realized by Mino Maccari in mid-20th century. Good condition except for some spots on a white paper. Hand-signed by the artist with pencil....

The Sketches of Figures is an original Drawing on paper realized by French painter Norbert Meyre in the mid-20 century. Drawing in pencil and pen and ink. Good conditions with a pi...

On the Attention! is a china ink Drawing realized by Mino Maccari (1924-1989) in the Mid-20th Century. Hand-signed on the lower. Good conditions. Mino Maccari (Siena, 1924-Rome,...

Lions is an original drawing in pencil Willy Lorenz in 1947. Hand-signed on the lower left and dated. The State of preservation is very good except for ...

William C. Grauer’s painting from the 1940s shows him working at the edge of figuration and abstraction. A few figures and several horses gather on open ground, yet the scene is buil...