Max Pollak Art
Austrian, 1886-1970
Max Pollak, painter and printmaker, was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia on February 2, 1886, but his family moved to Vienna, Austria when he was six months old. He was raised in Vienna and, in 1902, at sixteen years of age he entered the Vienna Academy of Art. He studied painting and printmaking under William Unger and Ferdinand Schmutzer. In 1912, he traveled to Italy, France, and Holland to study and paint. During the First World War, he was appointed painter of the Austrian Army.
He immigrated to the U.S. in 1927, living for a time on the East Coast where he traveled about and produced an amazing series of color aquatints of New York, Cincinnati, and Detroit. His first exhibition at the 57th Street Art Gallery in New York was a commercial success and he was commissioned by Theodore Dreiser in 1929 to illustrate his book, My City, and eight of Pollak's color aquatints are reproduced in the book. In 1938, Pollak and his wife, Friedl, moved to San Francisco, California. Pollak was inspired by his new city and its environs and produced beautiful views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Sausalito. Later travels were to Mexico and Guatemala.
Pollak was equally facile working in drypoint, aquatint, and soft ground etching. One of his specialties was portraiture and he produced a number of drypoints of noteworthy people and dancers. Some of his color aquatints of San Francisco and Sausalito were derived from views from his homes in those cities. His graphic oeuvre is comprised of over 500 prints for which he won numerous awards including the Chicago Society of Etchers prize in 1942, and the California Society of Etchers awards in 1942, 1944, and 1945. Pollak exhibited at the Golden Gate International Exposition in 1939 and had numerous solo exhibitions, including a 1928 show in New York, a 1940 show at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, and a 1973 exhibition at the Triton Museum in Santa Clara.
He was a member of the Chicago Society of Etchers and the California Society of Etchers and his work is represented in the Oakland Museum of California Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the de Young Memorial Museum, the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, and the British Museum, the Judah L. Magnes Museum, and Princeton University. Max Pollak died in Sausalito, California on May 29, 1970.to
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Indian Mother and Child
By Max Pollak
Located in San Francisco, CA
This color etching is titled "Indian Mother and Child" (c. 1950) by Czech/American artist Max Pollak (1886 - 1970) is an original etching on wove paper. It is hand signed and numbered 37/100 in pencil by the artist. It is framed in its original frame and is in excellent condition. Image (plate mark) size is 5.65 in. x 5.25 in.
Max Pollak, painter and printmaker, was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia on February 2, 1886, but his family moved to Vienna, Austria. He was raised in Vienna and, in 1902, he entered the Vienna Academy of Art. He studied painting and printmaking under William Unger and Ferdinand Schmutzer. In 1912, he traveled to Italy, France, and Holland to study and paint. During the First World War, he was appointed painter of the Austrian Army.
He immigrated to the U.S. in 1927. His first exhibition at the 57th Street Art Gallery in New York was a commercial success and he was commissioned by Theodore Dreiser...
Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Max Pollak Art
Materials
Etching
Dancer Kity Harding
By Max Pollak
Located in San Francisco, CA
This artwork titled "Kity Harding" (c. 1950) is an original etching by noted Czech/American artist Max Pollak (1886 - 1970) It is hand signed and titled in pencil by the artist. The ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Max Pollak Art
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Etching
New York, the Hoboken Ferry
, Vienna, Chicago
California Society of Etchers
By Max Pollak
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, 'Max Pollak' (American, 1886-1970) with number and limitation, lower center, '54/150' and titled, lower left, 'New York: Hoboken Ferry'. Stamped in plate, lower r...
Category
Mid-20th Century Modern Max Pollak Art
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Max Pollak Original Color Etching "New York Battery"
By Max Pollak
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Large color etching and aquatint of New York by Czech/California artist Max Pollak, (1886-1970)
This print is titled "New York Battery" and was printed, circa 1927.
Image measures: 1...
Category
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Bohemia
By Max Pollak
Located in New York, NY
Max Pollak (1886-1970), Bohemia, drypoint with wash and pencil additions, c. 1925, signed in pencil lower right and titled lower left. In very good condition, printed on a chine coll...
Category
1920s Realist Max Pollak Art
Materials
Watercolor, Pencil, Drypoint
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In the Nikolsburg, [Mikulov, Moravia] Refugee Camp.
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In Flüchtlingslager Nikolsburg-Auskämmen. (In the Nikolsburg,[Mikulov, Moravia] Refugee Camp.)
This rare series of ten etchings by Max Pollak records displaced Galician families. He made the prints while he was on duty with the Austrian army in 1914. He printed them when he returned to Vienna.
1914. Drypoints. Edition 75, #30. Rich impressions printed on Japan paper. Each drypoint signed, titled and annotated in pencil. Each print individually housed in its original 2-ply mat (12 1/4 x 11 3/4) and hinged at top of print to backing ; minor surface grime commensurate with age. Each stamped on verso of mat backing with triangular inked export stamp. $4,000 the set of 10:
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2.Flüchtling (Refugee). 1914. Drypoint. 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 (sheet 5 3/4 x 5 9/16). Edition 75, #30.
3.Frau mit Kindern (Woman with Children). 1914. Drypoint. 3 5/8 x 5 7/16 (sheet 6 1/2 x 8 7/16)
4. Morgengebet (Morning Prayer). 1914. Drypoint. 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 (sheet 6 9/16 x 6 1/4). Edition 75, #30.
5. Gruppe von Flüchtlingslingen (A Group of Refugees). 1914. Drypoint. 4 1/2 x5 1/2 (sheet 6 3/8 x 8). Edition 75, #30.
6. Altes Weib (Old Woman). 1914. Drypoint. 3 5/8 x 3 5/8 (sheet 6 9/16 x 6 3/8). Edition 75, #30.
7. Auskommen (Getting By). 1914. Drypoint. 3 5/8 x 3 5/8 (sheet 6 9/16 x 6 3/8). Edition 75, #30.
8. Kinder (Children). 1914. Drypoint. 6 1/4 x 7 3/8 (sheet 9 3/4 x 11). Edition 75, #30.
9. Im Zimmern der Barache (In the Rooms of the Barracks). 1914. Drypoint. 5 x 7 3/16 (sheet 10 9 3/4). Edition 75, #30.
10. Junge Mutter (Young Mother). 1914. Drypoint. 3 3/16 x 5 (sheet 7 3/8 x 9 1/4). Edition 75, #30.
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Born in Prague, Max Pollak studied painting and etching at the Vienna Academy under William Unger and Ferdinand Schmutzer...
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1910s Modern Max Pollak Art
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Drypoint
![In the Nikolsburg, [Mikulov, Moravia] Refugee Camp.](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/archivesE/upload/a_3352/1458757238384/pollak1sheet_s.jpg "max pollak artist")
Max Pollak art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Max Pollak art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Max Pollak in etching, aquatint, drypoint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Max Pollak art, so small editions measuring 10 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Robert Kasimir, Tony Broderick, and Georg Andreas Böckler. Max Pollak art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $450 and tops out at $1,200, while the average work can sell for $600.