Boris Lovet-Lorski, sculptor, lithographer and painter, who contributed significantly to the American Art Deco movement, was born in Lithuania in 1894. Trained as an architect at the Royal Academy in Petrograd, throughout his career, Lovet-Lorski was acutely sensitive to volume and structural space. He also incorporated architectural backgrounds in the flattened aesthetic of his Art Deco neoclassicism, hallmarks of his elegant in a distinctly original style. Lovet-Lorski's idealized subject matter and masterful designs quickly won the young sculptor critical acclaim and led to his first one-man show in Boston in 1925, the year he became an American citizen. He was then invited to teach at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, quickly developing a reputation that catapulted him into the New York artistic milieu. He exhibited on a regular basis with the Wildenstein Gallery from 1928 onward. Lovet-Lorski was a quintessentially Art Deco artist. His unique style was an amalgam of Modern, Tribal, Oriental, Archaic and Teutonic influences. His Slavic roots and eclecticism tempered his modernism with lyricism and a sense of mystery. His sculptures, in bronze or Black Belgian Marble, are sleek and gorgeously polished. The work from the 1920s and 1930s often featured exotic, allegorical nudes, stylized horses or busts. Lovet-Lorski was particularly noted for his female nudes with narrow hips, thoracic cages that broaden as they rise from waist to shoulder and wide-spread arms, with hands clasped and held behind or above classically modeled heads that were perched on their torsos like flowers on a stem. Lovet-Lorski's idealized vision coincided perfectly with the mechanization of the era, its gleaming, streamlined airplanes, automobiles and proud skyscrapers, that were the sacramentals of the inter-war period. He regularly worked in sumptuous and precious materials, onyx, jade and rare, fossilized wood essences, such as that taken from a 600-year old, Assyrian lemon tree. He tailored the subjects of his sculptures to suit the nature of his materials. The Belgian black marble of Head of a Woman is a dense and close-grained stone that complements the idealized features of the figure. God Unknown, one of the sculptor's best-known works was carved in pure white Carrara marble. His preferred exteriors were like polished silk,” adding to the serenity and timelessness that his sculptures convey. Lovet-Lorski’s style and the allure of his materials brought him commissions for portraits of high society and celebrated figures. By 1929, he was successful enough to maintain studios in New York, Rome and Paris. Wildenstein Gallery gave him a retrospective exhibit in 1940. His recognition was international and his sculptures were acquired by the permanent collections of over 20 major museums. The sculptor received the French Legion of Honor in 1950. He was a member of the National Academy of Design, the National Sculpture Society, the Society of Independent Artists and the Salons of Paris. His last major work was the Manila War Memorial. He attempted to complete the monument in 1957, but arthritis had crippled him to the point that he could no longer sculpt. He finished his career as a painter and his works continued to enjoy considerable success. Lovet-Lorski's works are held in the collections of the Musée de Luxembourg, Paris; the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris; the Petit Palais, Paris; the British Museum, London; and many museums and galleries in the United States: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Los Angeles Museum of Art; the Seattle Art Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Fine Arts. As an interesting footnote: in his youth, he had considerable success with the feminine sex that was so eloquently extolled in his art.
Preliminary study for Cretan Dancer bronze sculpture
By Boris Lovet-Lorski
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Preliminary study for Cretan Dancer bronze sculpture Unsigned Graphite on tracing paper, 1930-1934 Sheet size: 6 7/8 x 7 1/8 inches Created while the artist was woring in Paris, c. 1...
Graphite
Art Deco Prancing Horse with Female Nude
By Boris Lovet-Lorski
Located in Miami, FL
Famed Art Deco Sculptor Boris Lovet-Lorski depicts his signature "Stallion." in this stunningly elegant drawing. It features a nude female that is c...
Crayon, Paper
Preliminary Study for Cretan Dancer Bronze
By Boris Lovet-Lorski
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Preliminary Study for Cretan Dancer Bronze Graphite on tracing paper, 1930 Unsigned Note: The bronze sculpture measures 24 1/2 x 33 5/8 inches and is signed and dated 1930 on the bas...
Graphite
Preliminary Study for a Sculpture Project
By Boris Lovet-Lorski
Located in Fairlawn, OH
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...
Charcoal
Untitled (Two Standing Nudes, one seated nude)
By Boris Lovet-Lorski
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Untitled (Two Standing Nudes, one seated nude) Graphite on wove paper, heightened with color, c. 1930 Unsigned From a sketchbook created while the artist was working in Paris Conditi...
Graphite
$1,750
H 7.5 in W 11.75 in
Barns in the Helderberg, New York (rural 1930s American scene with vintage car)
By Martin Lewis
Located in New Orleans, LA
"Barns in the Helderberg, New York" by Martin Lewis shows neighbors (one in a Model T car) visiting outside a series of barns with a tree in the background...
Chalk, Charcoal
$245
H 14 in W 18 in D 0.13 in
A Vintage 1950s Pastel & Charcoal Drawing of a Hockey Game by Francis Chapin
By Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
Perfect for any hockey enthusiast! A dynamic 1950s pastel and charcoal on paper drawing of a hockey game by artist Francis Chapin. Artwork size: 9 x 12 inches; Matted size: 14 x 18 inches. Estate stamped on reverse. Provenance: Estate of the Artist. Francis Chapin, affectionately called the “Dean of Chicago Painters” by his colleagues, was one of the city’s most popular and celebrated painters in his day. Born at the dawn of the 20th Century in Bristolville, Ohio, Chapin graduated from Washington and Jefferson College near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania before enrolling at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1922. He would set down deep roots at the Art Institute of Chicago, exhibiting there over 31 times between 1926 and 1951. In 1927 Chapin won the prestigious Bryan Lathrop Fellowship from the Art Institute – a prize that funded the artist’s yearlong study trip to Europe. Upon his return to the United States, Chapin decided to remain in Chicago, noting the freedom Chicago artists have in developing independently of the pressure to conform to pre-existing molds (as was experienced by artists in New York, for example). Chapin became a popular instructor at the Art Institute, teaching there from 1929 to 1947 and at the Art Institute’s summer art school in Saugatuck, Michigan (now called Oxbow) between 1934 – 1938 (he was the director of the school from 1941-1945). Chapin’s contemporaries among Chicago’s artists included such luminaries as Ivan Le Lorraine Albright...
Paper, Charcoal, Pastel
$235
H 24 in W 18 in D 0.13 in
A Finely Drawn 1930s Modern Figure Study, Standing Male Nude Model
By Harold Haydon
Located in Chicago, IL
A Finely Drawn 1930s, Modern Academic Figure Study Drawing of a Standing Male Nude Model by Notable Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). An exceptionally well executed, ea...
Paper, Charcoal
$185
H 24 in W 18 in D 0.13 in
A Finely Drawn, 1930s Art Deco Modern Figure Study, Kneeling Male Nude Model
By Harold Haydon
Located in Chicago, IL
A Finely Drawn, 1930s Art Deco Modern Figure Study of a Kneeling Male Nude Model by Notable Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). An early graphite drawing by Haydon demon...
Paper, Graphite
$245
H 14 in W 18 in D 0.13 in
A Vintage 1950s Pastel and Charcoal Drawing of a Hockey Game by Francis Chapin
By Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
Perfect for your hockey enthusiast! A colorful, dynamic 1950s pastel on paper drawing of a hockey game by famed Chicago Modern artist, Francis Chapin. Image size: 9 x 12 inches. Matted size: 14 x 18. Estate stamped on reverse. Provenance: Estate of the artist. Francis Chapin, affectionately called the “Dean of Chicago Painters” by his colleagues, was one of the city’s most popular and celebrated painters in his day. Born at the dawn of the 20th Century in Bristolville, Ohio, Chapin graduated from Washington and Jefferson College near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania before enrolling at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1922. He would set down deep roots at the Art Institute of Chicago, exhibiting there over 31 times between 1926 and 1951. In 1927 Chapin won the prestigious Bryan Lathrop Fellowship from the Art Institute – a prize that funded the artist’s yearlong study trip to Europe. Upon his return to the United States, Chapin decided to remain in Chicago, noting the freedom Chicago artists have in developing independently of the pressure to conform to pre-existing molds (as was experienced by artists in New York, for example). Chapin became a popular instructor at the Art Institute, teaching there from 1929 to 1947 and at the Art Institute’s summer art school in Saugatuck, Michigan (now called Oxbow) between 1934 – 1938 (he was the director of the school from 1941-1945). Chapin’s contemporaries among Chicago’s artists included such luminaries as Ivan Le Lorraine Albright...
Paper, Charcoal, Pastel
$350
H 14 in W 18 in D 0.13 in
A ca. 1928 Drawing of a Dapper Man with a Pint Glass by Artist Francis Chapin
By Francis Chapin
Located in Chicago, IL
A charismatic, 1920s charcoal on paper drawing of a dapper young man seated beside a pint glass by famed Chicago artist Francis Chapin. Image size: 12 x 9 inches. Matted size: 18 x 14 inches Estate stamped on reverse. Provenance: Estate of the artist. Francis Chapin, affectionately called the “Dean of Chicago Painters” by his colleagues, was one of the city’s most popular and celebrated painters in his day. Born at the dawn of the 20th Century in Bristolville, Ohio, Chapin graduated from Washington & Jefferson College near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania before enrolling at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1922. He would set down deep roots at the Art Institute of Chicago, exhibiting there over 31 times between 1926 and 1951. In 1927 Chapin won the prestigious Bryan Lathrop Fellowship from the Art Institute – a prize that funded the artist’s yearlong study trip to Europe. Upon his return to the United States, Chapin decided to remain in Chicago, noting the freedom Chicago artists have in developing independently of the pressure to conform to pre-existing molds (as was experienced by artists in New York, for example). Chapin became a popular instructor at the Art Institute, teaching there from 1929 to 1947 and at the Art Institute’s summer art school in Saugatuck, Michigan (now called Oxbow) between 1934 – 1938 (he was the director of the school from 1941-1945). Chapin’s contemporaries among Chicago’s artists included such luminaries as Ivan Le Lorraine Albright...
Paper, Charcoal
$2,400
H 32.5 in W 20.5 in D 1 in
MB083, Male Nude Drawing by Mark Beard, Custom Frame
By Mark Beard
Located in Hudson, NY
Academic life drawing of male nude with graphite and conte crayon by Mark Beard 30 x 17.5 inches 32.5 x 20.5 inches custom framed in cherry wood molding Stamped Artist's atelier st...
Conté, Archival Paper, Graphite
$235
H 24 in W 18 in D 0.13 in
A Fine 1946 Modern Figure Study of a Handsome Young Male Model Wearing a Suit
By Harold Haydon
Located in Chicago, IL
A Fine 1940s, Mid-Century Modern Academic Figure Study Portrait of a Handsome, Seated Male Model Wearing a Suit by Notable Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). An exceptionally well executed early 1940s charcoal...
Paper, Charcoal
$235
H 18 in W 24 in D 0.13 in
A Finely Drawn 1930s Figure Study of a Young Male Nude Model- Shoulder & Arm
By Harold Haydon
Located in Chicago, IL
A Finely Drawn 1930s Figure Study of a Young Male Nude Model (Shoulder, Arm & Torso) by Notable Chicago Modern Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). An early charcoal drawing ...
Paper, Charcoal
$2,650
H 30 in W 24 in D 0.25 in
California Figurative School Berkeley San Francisco Two Figures by Omer Sahingil
By Omer Ferdi Sahingil
Located in Soquel, CA
A commanding monochrome charcoal work, Turkish-American artist Ömer Şahingil (Turkish/American, 1915-1976) delivers a rigorous study of the human physique, cultural identity, and arc...
Charcoal, Laid Paper
$395
H 24.61 in W 18.71 in
Pierre Neveu (b.1929) - Mid 20th Century Graphite Drawing, Academic Study X
By Pierre Neveu
Located in Corsham, GB
A delicate academic study by the artist Pierre Neveu (b.1929). Signed. On laid. Image size: 62.5 x 47.5cm.
Graphite
$5,200
H 24.5 in W 33.5 in D 1.25 in
“Reclining Nude, c. 1930” American Modernist Female Drawing Lady African Mask
By Louise Nevelson
Located in Yardley, PA
“Reclining Nude, c. 1930” by Louise Nevelson (1899-1988) This wonderful original ink drawing highlights Nevelson’s interest in the early 20th century avant-garde. Inspired by Picass...
Paper, Pencil, Graphite
Reclining Female Nude
By Boris Lovet-Lorski
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Reclining Female Nude Graphite on wove paper, heightened with colors, c. 1930 Signed with the artist's initials BLL lower left (see photo) Sheet size: 8 7/16 x 6 inches Condition: Go...
Watercolor
Untitled (Standing Female Nude)
By Boris Lovet-Lorski
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Untitled (Standing Female Nude) Graphite on paper, c. 1930 Signed bottom right: Lorski (see photo) Sheet size: 9 5/16 x 5 13/16 inches From a sketchbook created while the artist was working in Paris Condition: Good Thin spots verso from previous mounting Soft vertical fold running across image Barely visible on recto Provenance: Estate of the Artist Dawson's Auctioneers and Appraisers, 2001 Amity Art Foundation Boris Lovet-Lorski Lithuanian/Russian/American 1894-1973 Sculptor, painter, and printmaker, Boris Lovet-Lorski was born in Lithuania in 1894. His mother died when he was age three. His father was affluent and owned real estate. Boris grew up in a privileged environment. He studied architecture and then fine arts at the Imperial Academy of Art in Petrograd, Russia (now Saint Petersburg). Following the revolution in 1917 and its aftermath, Boris immigrated to Boston to live with his brother. In the 1920’s, his stylized, Art Deco inspired sculptures, lithographs, and paintings proved to be popular among the American elite. He exhibited frequently, holding his first solo exhibition in Boston, 1920. In the following years, Boris exhibited in New York at Marie Sterner Gallery, Jacques Seligmann Galleries and Wildenstein and Company. He lived in Paris from 1926 to 1932 where he befriended Joseph Hecht, and was exposed to the works of Pablo Picasso, Ossip Zadkine, Contantin Brancusi and Aristide Maillol. In 1932 he returned to America where he became a citizen later in the decade. Lovet-Lorski exhibited in the United States, South America, Europe and Asia. He was a member of the Society of Independent Artists (New York), the National Academy of Design (New York), and the Lotos Club (New York), as well as several Parisian salons. His work is in the permanent collections of numerous museums including the Musée Luxembourg, Bibliotèque Nationale, and the Petit Palais in France, the British Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the National Gallery in Washington, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. (A more extensive list of his works in museums follows) He is considered one of the most successful and recognized sculptors of his generation. His creative influence can be seen in many of his contemporary artists. He died in Los Angeles in 1973. Regarding his iconic Art Deco sculptures of Cretan Dancers: “The stylizing of the Cretan allegories, used in figures of animals such as horses and bulls, symbolizes the ancient power of the South. These figures reveal a spiritual sensuality as he strives to attain a symbol of the earth and universe endowed with musical values. If man is the center of his idea of life and nature, it is because of the laws that govern the movement of stars and history. The link binding his figures together has, in a sense, a Pythagorean harmony.” Salvatore Quasimodo, Milan, 1967, quoted from Bush, Boris Lover-Lorski: The Language of Time, page 12. Lovet-Lorski created sculptures of the following major figures I.J. Paderewski, Prime Minister of Poland Arturo Toscanini, Italian Conductor Lilian Gish, Actress President Franklin D. Roosevelt Mrs. M. C. Niarchos, wife of Stavros Niarchos President Abraham Lincoln James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, First Secretary of Defense Pope Pius XII Dr. Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist President Dwight D. Eisenhower Albert Schweitzer, theologian, organist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician General Charles De Gaulle, President of the Fourth and Fifth Republic, France John Foster Dulles, Secretary of State, 1953-1959 President John F. Kennedy Works by Lover Lorski are in the following public collections: Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo Art Institute of Chicago Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris Brandeis University, Waltham, MA British Museum, London Boston University Brooklyn Museum California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Sam Francisco...
Graphite
Untitled (Seated Female Nude facing right)
By Boris Lovet-Lorski
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Untitled (Seated Female Nude facing right) Graphite on wove paper, with watercolors Signed with the artist's initials BLL lower right (see photo) Sheet size: 9 1/4 x 6 inches From a sketchbook created while the artist was working in Paris, c. 1930 Unidentified inscription lower left in circle with the initials MD and the date 1940 Provenance: Estate of the Artist Dawson's Auctioneers and Appraisers, 2001 Amity Art Foundation Boris Lovet-Lorski Lithuanian/Russian/American 1894-1973 Sculptor, painter, and printmaker, Boris Lovet-Lorski was born in Lithuania in 1894. His mother died when he was age three. His father was affluent and owned real estate. Boris grew up in a privileged environment. He studied architecture and then fine arts at the Imperial Academy of Art in Petrograd, Russia (now Saint Petersburg). Following the revolution in 1917 and its aftermath, Boris immigrated to Boston to live with his brother. In the 1920’s, his stylized, Art Deco inspired sculptures, lithographs, and paintings proved to be popular among the American elite. He exhibited frequently, holding his first solo exhibition in Boston, 1920. In the following years, Boris exhibited in New York at Marie Sterner Gallery, Jacques Seligmann Galleries and Wildenstein and Company. He lived in Paris from 1926 to 1932 where he befriended Joseph Hecht, and was exposed to the works of Pablo Picasso, Ossip Zadkine, Contantin Brancusi and Aristide Maillol. In 1932 he returned to America where he became a citizen later in the decade. Lovet-Lorski exhibited in the United States, South America, Europe and Asia. He was a member of the Society of Independent Artists (New York), the National Academy of Design (New York), and the Lotos Club (New York), as well as several Parisian salons. His work is in the permanent collections of numerous museums including the Musée Luxembourg, Bibliotèque Nationale, and the Petit Palais in France, the British Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the National Gallery in Washington, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. (A more extensive list of his works in museums follows) He is considered one of the most successful and recognized sculptors of his generation. His creative influence can be seen in many of his contemporary artists. He died in Los Angeles in 1973. Regarding his iconic Art Deco sculptures of Cretan Dancers: “The stylizing of the Cretan allegories, used in figures of animals such as horses and bulls, symbolizes the ancient power of the South. These figures reveal a spiritual sensuality as he strives to attain a symbol of the earth and universe endowed with musical values. If man is the center of his idea of life and nature, it is because of the laws that govern the movement of stars and history. The link binding his figures together has, in a sense, a Pythagorean harmony.” Salvatore Quasimodo, Milan, 1967, quoted from Bush, Boris Lover-Lorski: The Language of Time, page 12. Lovet-Lorski created sculptures of the following major figures I.J. Paderewski, Prime Minister of Poland Arturo Toscanini, Italian Conductor Lilian Gish, Actress President Franklin D. Roosevelt Mrs. M. C. Niarchos, wife of Stavros Niarchos President Abraham Lincoln James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, First Secretary of Defense Pope Pius XII Dr. Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist President Dwight D. Eisenhower Albert Schweitzer, theologian, organist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician General Charles De Gaulle, President of the Fourth and Fifth Republic, France John Foster Dulles, Secretary of State, 1953-1959 President John F. Kennedy Works by Lover Lorski are in the following public collections: Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo Art Institute of Chicago Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris Brandeis University, Waltham, MA British Museum, London Boston University Brooklyn Museum California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Sam Francisco...
Watercolor