Ben Art

Very well done charcoal and wash portrait of a young boy done circa 1945. Signed and dedicated lower middle. Condition is good. Linen gallery mat with thin...

Discover a captivating piece of nature with this unique section of a vintage French herbarium. Crafted with meticulous care, this botanical press on p...

Elaborate and highly detailed mixed media painting of abstract figures in a matrix of shapes. Signed and dated 1955 lower right. Consists of watercolor, gouache with touches of crayon on paper. Condition is good. Matted but not framed. Neville Manns...

MODERNIST DRAWING New Hope Mid-Century WPA Abstract Non-Objective Jazz Modern. Signed with a "Ramstonev" stamp lower right. RAMSTONEV Cooperative Art Project (1937-1939). In the late 1930s, Charles Ramsey became close friends with Charles Evans and Louis Stone. He persuaded them to join him teaching his New Hope summer classes in non-objective painting. Soon, a history-making collaboration began. In 1937, meeting in Evans' studio at the rear of Cryer's Hardware store on Main Street in New Hope, a decision was made to establish the Co-Operative Painting Project. They were intrigued by the cooperative ad-lib process by which jazz musicians created their music. Believing this to be the quintessential American contribution to music, they theorized that a similar result might be obtainable with art, a "visual jam session." This particlarly fascinated Ramsey, who was a jazz buff and had a large collection of jazz records. The objective was to jointly collaborate in the creation of a painting as well as applying collective criticism during its creation. By creating forward movement by general consent, they believed they could produce a higher level of beauty. By consensus it was decided that subject matter would be non-objective. Up to eight people would participate and stop when the painting "felt" finished by common agreement. These co-operative works were done in several different mediums- the majority in pastel, but some in watercolor, gouache, graphite or cut paper collage. On occasion, the group would create a series, as opposed to a single work, created in steps by three or four artists. One of the occasional participants was famed New Hope poet, Stanley Kunitz. These series could range in number from four to sixteen paintings in each. The first of a series would be very basic and the last a fully finished work. In the scope of importance among the New Hope Modernist...

Family at the Beach WPA Modernism American Scene Social Realism Mid 20th Century William Gropper (1898 - 1977) "Family at the Beach" 27 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches Mixed media on paper, c. 1940 Signed lower left Provenance: Estate of the artist. The drawing will ship from the home of Mr. Gropper's grandson. Bio Throughout his life, William Gropper used his artistic talents to protest social injustice. Born in New York City, he grew up there in poverty and left high school to work as a dishwasher and delivery boy. He eventually began a career in art and was able to study with Robert Henri and George Bellows from 1912 to 1915. He adopted their realistic painting style, and his own work expressed sympathy for common laborers and outrage at society's ills. In 1919 Gropper established a reputation as a political cartoonist working for the New York Tribune. His blunt, forceful style attracted the attention of other publications, and he provided illustrations and cartoons for a variety of magazines, from the left-wing New Masses to mainstream Vanity Fair. Like many social realist artists of the 1930s, Gropper supported liberal political causes, depicting subjects such as the plight of migrant laborers and striking factory workers. In his first gallery exhibition in 1936 at ACA Galleries, Gropper's work was so well received by critics, collectors, and artists that the following year he had two one-man exhibitions at ACA Galleries. In 1937, Gropper traveled west on a Guggenheim Fellowship and visited the Dust Bowl and the Hoover and Grand Coulee Dams, sketching studies for a series of paintings and a mural he painted for the Department of the Interior. That same year he had paintings purchased by both the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. Gropper exhibited at the 1939 New York World's Fair, Whitney Museum of American Art (1924-55), Art Institute of Chicago (1935-49), Carnegie International (1937-50), Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (1939-48), and National Academy of Design (1945-48). He was a founder of the Artists Equity Association and member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters. From 1940 to 1945 William Gropper was preoccupied with anti-Nazi cartoons...

Yiddish Theatre Cubist Costume Design 1924 Deco Color Field Modernism Broadway. Boris Aronson (1898 – 1980) "Day and Night," 17 ½ x 13 inches. Gouache ...

Important work on paper by French artist Jean Halion. Ink, watercolor and colored pencil study done in 1952. Signed top right in ink and dated in pencil 15-9-52. Jean Hélion was ...

Important watercolor and colored pencil on woven paper study composed of three vignettes done by Jean Helion. Signed with initial H top left and dated 1953. Small crease lower left b...

Here for your consideration is a wonderful mixed media fashion illustration by the world renowned fashion artist, Kenneth Paul Block. Signed with initials middle left. Circa 1955. Co...

Mixed Media on papier. Signed lover right: ZAZA. Framed. Measurements: 25.98 x 18.9 in ( 66 x 48 cm ) Zaza Tuschmalischvili ( born 15 May 1960 in Skra, Georgia ) is a Georgian painter...

Elaborate and highly detailed mixed media painting of abstract figures in a matrix of shapes. Signed and dated 1955 lower right. Consists of watercolor with touches of crayon on paper. Condition is good. Matted but not framed. Neville Mann...

Discover a captivating piece of nature with this unique section of a vintage herbarium. Crafted with meticulous care, this botanical press on paper c...