Items Similar to Abstraction
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 7
Abraham WalkowitzAbstraction1932
1932
About the Item
Untitled Abstraction
Pen and ink on paper, 1932
Signed and dated in ink lower center
Condition: Excellent
Sheet/Image size: 10 3/8 x 6 1/4 inches
Frame size: 16 1/2 x 12 1/2"
Provenance: Charlotte Bergman (see biographical materials in photo)
By Bill Lasarow
Abraham Walkowitz is one of those shadowy yet familiar figures of American Modernism. He was among the small vanguard of artists who first transplanted the sprig of European Modernism here during the first decade of the 20th Century.
Born in Siberia in 1878, he was brought by his mother to the U.S. around the age of five following his father’s death. Settling into the Jewish ghetto of New York City, Walkowitz drew prodigiously as a child, and attended the Artists’ Institute and the National Academy of Design as a student. When his natural tendency towards experimentation was criticized, instead of giving in he opened up to the fresh influence of the budding European avant-garde.
Saving his money, in 1906 he joined the small flow of American expatriate artists following Alfred Maurer’s lead to Paris. There he attended the Academie Julien and soaked up the newly emerging innovations of Cubism, Fauvism, and the movement towards abstraction. Perhaps of greatest consequence to the artist, he first met the dancer Isadora Duncan during this stay. He ultimately made more drawings of her “than I have hairs on my head,” by his own account, recalling her figure as his archetype for the next four decades, even well after her death.
These drawings, at times highlighted with a wash of color that defines Duncan’s dress, resemble the movement studies now familiar to any art student. Line is used to react to a model in motion--feeling out the look of the figure replaces the careful observation that goes into extended posing. Walkowitz’ movement studies, however, arose out of a spirit of innovation rather than an art school environment. He was developing a felt sensibility, an intuitively expressive set of marks.
The importance of Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso and Braque on Walkowitz’ approach is clear enough.
The notion that art is a non-verbal language that holds a kinship with music, dance and other similarly non-verbal means of expression may not resonate with possibility anymore. But a century ago it propelled Wassily Kandinsky into the new realms of non-referential abstraction. Walkowitz was among this new generation of true believers in a new visual language that would emerge from the inner life of the artist. Indeed, he did not hesitate to try his hand at the pure abstraction pioneered by Kandinsky.
While Walkowitz never developed an art that was sufficiently commanding or original to place him at the front rank of American Modernism, his place immediately behind was well earned. It is difficult to appreciate the level of inner certainty Walkowitz and other members of the nascent avant-garde clearly possessed--from the time of his first exhibition in 1908 he had to learn to accept ridicule. As a member of Alfred Steiglitz’ inner circle and a regular exhibitor at his renowned 291 Gallery until it closed in 1917, and as an active participant in the keystone Armory Show of 1913, Walkowitz quite knowingly accepted that oftentimes large numbers of visitors would attend his shows and those of his close colleagues not to admire but to laugh at what they saw.
After the First World War the artist continued to work prolifically, though within parameters already set before the War, until the late 1940s, when his eyesight failed. In 1963, two years before his death, the blind artist was honored by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, to some degree bearing out his own description of the career of an artist: first jeers, then sneers, and finally cheers.
Charlotte Bergman (1903-2002)
Charlotte Bergman was born in Antwerp in 1903. She was the daughter of a Polish-born diamond merchant. Charlotte Bergman married Louis Bergman, an English architect with whom she shared a great love of travel and art. They resided in London for many years and traveled to Israel and the Middle East for the first time in the 1920s. They came into contact with many artists, including Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore and many others. They were very close to Raoul Dufy, a friend who often joined the couple on their travels. The Bergmans collected examples of Dufy's art, including a portrait he painted of Charlotte. Other artists collected by the couple included Braque and Chagall, as well as Antal Biró.
Charlotte and Louis Bergman found themselves in the United States at the outbreak of the Second World War. They never returned to live in England. Charlotte lost many members of her European family during the Holocaust. In New York City, the Bergmans were involved with the leading events and personalities of the day. Their apartment became a salon for music, art and politics and they became fervent supporters of the Zionist movement and the nascent State of Israel.
After Louis Bergman died in 1955, Charlotte continued to travel and collect new works of art. She immigrated to Israel following the Six-Day War. Sharing Teddy Kollek's early vision for a national museum in Jerusalem, she was involved in the establishment of the Israel Museum. She also became an active, though often anonymous, supporter of other philanthropic concerns in the country.
In the 1970s, Charlotte Bergman built her permanent home on the Museum grounds, with the encouragement of Teddy Kollek. Bergman located her collections of art and ethnography there. Just as she did in New York, in Jerusalem, Charlotte hosted may events and welcomed visitors from Israel and abroad to her home.
On July 17, 2002 - one month before her 99th birthday - Charlotte Bergman died in her bedroom, today referred to as the Henry Moore room. The house and its paintings, sculptures, ceramics and works on paper were bequeathed to the Israel Museum. Charlotte Bergman asked that the house be used as a venue for special events, as it was in her lifetime, and that it be viewed as the home of an art lover at the end of the 20th century, in the spirit of the Israel Museum's period rooms. The legacy of Charlotte Bergman lives on in the house she built on the Israel Museum's grounds.
Courtesy Wikipedia
- Creator:Abraham Walkowitz (1878 - 1965, American)
- Creation Year:1932
- Dimensions:Height: 10.38 in (26.37 cm)Width: 6.25 in (15.88 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Fairlawn, OH
- Reference Number:Seller: FA47651stDibs: LU14014812442
Abraham Walkowitz
Abraham Walkowitz is perhaps best known for his watercolor studies of Isadora Duncan and the dance. However, Walkowitz laid claim to being the first to exhibit truly modernist paintings in the United States. After 1909, he became an intimate of Alfred Stieglitz's 291 Gallery, and while there became a participant in the debate over modern art in America. Walkowitz was an outspoken proponent of the continuous experimentation in the arts, which was his definition of modernism. As an artist, Walkowitz embodied the changing role of the modernist painter in the United States, as modernism moved from an avant-garde protest against established modes to become an accepted style and tradition.
Abraham Walkowitz was a Russian born, turn-of-the-century immigrant to the United States, who grew up in New York's Lower East Side. He first studied art at the Educational Alliance, the Cooper Union and the National Academy of Design. In 1906, he journeyed to Europe where he studied at the Académie Julian in Paris. Upon his return to the United States in 1907, he became a fully-fledged convert to modernism, and his first exhibit, at the Haas Gallery in that year, brought him a measure of notoriety as well as the attention of Stieglitz and other pioneers of non-objective art. In subsequent years, he became one of the most exhibited painters shown at the 291 Gallery, a fact which was also reflected in the pages of Stieglitz's polemical journal of modernism, camera work. As a result of this early attention, by the time of the Armory Show of 1913, to which Walkowitz contributed several paintings, his work was widely known to both fellow modernists as well as their opponents.
Walkowitz was clearly part of the new vocabulary of American art and criticism. During the 1920s and 1930s, as the first-generation modernists lost their revolutionary cast, and as American realism gained in favor, Walkowitz continued his experiments with form and line, especially in his series of Duncan studies. Although his paintings received less critical attention than they once had, Walkowitz was clearly one of the grand old folk of American modernism. During the depression, Walkowitz was politically active on behalf of unemployed artists supporting various new-deal initiatives in the arts. In the 1940s, Walkowitz gained national attention when he explored the varieties of the modernist vision in the form of an exhibit of 100 portraits of him by 100 artists. The result was widely discussed and was featured in Life magazine in 1944.
In 1945, Walkowitz traveled to Kansas, where he painted landscapes made up largely of strip mines and barns. This was his last venture in active painting — by 1946, glaucoma, which led to his eventual blindness, began to impair his vision and limit his ability to work. Walkowitz then turned to the preparation of a series of volumes of his drawings, designed to illustrate the development of modernism in the 20th century, and in so doing, established his role as a pioneer American modernist.
About the Seller
5.0
Recognized Seller
These prestigious sellers are industry leaders and represent the highest echelon for item quality and design.
Platinum Seller
Premium sellers with a 4.7+ rating and 24-hour response times
Established in 1978
1stDibs seller since 2013
784 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 1 hour
Associations
International Fine Print Dealers Association
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Fairlawn, OH
- Return Policy
Authenticity Guarantee
In the unlikely event there’s an issue with an item’s authenticity, contact us within 1 year for a full refund. DetailsMoney-Back Guarantee
If your item is not as described, is damaged in transit, or does not arrive, contact us within 7 days for a full refund. Details24-Hour Cancellation
You have a 24-hour grace period in which to reconsider your purchase, with no questions asked.Vetted Professional Sellers
Our world-class sellers must adhere to strict standards for service and quality, maintaining the integrity of our listings.Price-Match Guarantee
If you find that a seller listed the same item for a lower price elsewhere, we’ll match it.Trusted Global Delivery
Our best-in-class carrier network provides specialized shipping options worldwide, including custom delivery.More From This Seller
View AllSea Forms
By Ray H. French
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Signed and dated center right edge; Annotated "48" lower left
Provenance:
Estate of the artist
One of a suite of 120 drawings that the artist did in 1 month.
Most were sold thro...
Category
1960s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Pen
Preliminary drawing for the sculpture Catacombs
By Seymour Lipton
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Preliminary drawing for the sculpture Catacombs
Black crayon on paper, 1971
Signed and dated lower right (see photos)
Provenance:
Estate of the artist
Michael and Alan Lipton (sons)
...
Category
1970s Abstract Geometric Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Oil Crayon
Abstraction
By Abraham Walkowitz
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Signed and dated in ink lower center
Provenance:
Charlotte Bergman, noted collector and patron of Walkowitz. See photo for additional information.
Category
1930s Modern Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Pen
Untitled (Inspired by a Chinese scroll painting)
By Peter Marks
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Untitled (Inspired by a Chinese scroll painting)
Collage with ink on 6 paper elements
Unsigned
Provenance: Estate of the Artist
Condition: Excellent
Image size: 4 x 12 inches
Support...
Category
Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink
Black and White Cat
By Sam Spanier
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Black and White Cat
Ink and watercolor on paper, c. 1970
Unsigned
Provenance:
Estate of the artist (Estate No. 737)
Condition: Excellent
Image/Sheet size: 4 3/4 x 6 1/4 inches
Sam Spanier (1925-2008)
Born in Brooklyn New York, Sam Spanier studied painting with Hans Hofmann (1949–50) and also at the Taos Valley Art School (1951). His formative years as a working artist were spent in Paris (1951–52), where he also became involved with the work of G. I. Gurdjieff, through his disciple, Mme. Jeanne de Salzmann.
By 1953, Spanier’s work had already begun to meet with critical acclaim. That year, he had his first solo gallery show, and was selected by Milton Avery and Hans Hofmann to receive the prestigious Lorian Fund Award. His second solo exhibition, in 1955, was curated by renowned museum director, Gordon Washburn. Spanier’s early work was reviewed by Dore Ashton, Donald Judd, Fairfield Porter, Stuart Preston, and Irving Sandler, among other significant critics of the period.
Spanier’s spiritual path increasingly became the central focus of both his life and his art. In 1960, he was introduced to the teachings of Sri Aurobindo, which led to visits to the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, India, in 1962 and 1964, during which he was inspired to leave New York City and found Matagiri (in 1968)—a spiritual center in Woodstock, New York—with his lifelong partner, Eric Hughes. The work he embarked upon there bifurcates his life as an artist, separating him from New York’s art world, and radically altering the trajectory of his career. From that point forward, it would be difficult, perhaps impossible, to consider his artistic endeavor apart from the life of dedication he had undertaken, and to which he remained committed.
As early as 1954, Dore Ashton had recognized in Sam Spanier a “haptic visionary;” in 1960, Irving Sandler wrote that the people in Spanier’s paintings “seem to have witnessed some transfiguring event.” In his later paintings—usually worked in oil pastel on panel or paper—made during intermittent creative periods, from the mid-1970s to the final years of his life, the artist’s inner life remains always apparent in his subject matter; and from the portraits and abstract Buddha-like figures and heads, to the fantasy landscapes, the paintings are redolent with a rich intensity of color and light that can only be described as inspired.
Sam Spanier’s works are in the collections of the Historical Society of Woodstock Museum, and the Woodstock Artists Association & Museum. He received the Woodstock Artists Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Selected Solo Exhibitions:
Urban Gallery, New York (1954, 1955, 1956); Wittenborn Gallery, New York (1958); Gallery Mayer, New York (1958, 1959, 1960); Unison Gallery, New Paltz (1986, 1995, 2009); Limner Gallery, New York (1988); Fletcher Gallery, Woodstock, New York (1999).
Selected Group Exhibitions:
Salon des Comparaisons, Musée d’Art Moderne, Paris, France (1952); October Exhibition of Oil Paintings, New York City Center Gallery, New York (1954); Salon de Mai, Musée d’Art moderne de la ville de Paris, Centre Culturel de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Paris, France (1954); Carnegie International, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1955); Les Plus Mauvais Tableaux, Galerie Prismes, Paris (1955);
Première Exposition Internationale de l’Art Plastique Contemporain, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris (1956); Recent Paintings USA: The Figure, The Museum of Modern Art (1960); Winter’s Work, Woodstock Artists Association, Woodstock, New York (1985); Juried Group Show, Woodstock Artists Association, Woodstock, New York (1986); Woodstock Artists, Self-Portraits, Historical Society of Woodstock Museum, Woodstock, New York (1988); Portraits, Albert Shahinian Fine Art, Poughkeepsie, New York (2003); The World We Live In, Upstate Art, Phoenicia, New York (2003); Show of Heads, Limner Gallery, Phoenicia, New York (2004).
Selected Writings on the Artist:
Dore Ashton, “Sam Spanier,” Art Digest (May 1, 1954) and “Sam Spanier,” The New York Times (March 16, 1960); Cassia Berman, “Sam Spanier: A Divine Calling,” Woodstock Times (February 7, 2008); Lawrence Campbell, “Sam Spanier: Exhibition of Paintings at Urban Gallery,” Art News...
Category
1970s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Watercolor
#45
By Alexandre Hogue
Located in Fairlawn, OH
#45
Ink on paper, 1970
Signed, titled, and dated in pencil by the artist
One of a series of drawings, all made in 1970, which stemmed from Hogue's interest in Persian calligraphy. H...
Category
1970s Abstract Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
India Ink
$2,750
You May Also Like
Color Circle and Star
By Polly Apfelbaum
Located in New York, NY
Polly Apfelbaum
Color Circle and Star, 2004
Fabric Marker and Fabric Dye on Velvet Cotton
Signed and dated in ink by the artist on the front with artist's inkstamp.
Frame Included
Si...
Category
Early 2000s Abstract Geometric Mixed Media
Materials
Fabric, Dye, Ink, Mixed Media, Permanent Marker
"This is for Nadine": hand signed unique marker drawing in exhibition catalogue
By James Siena
Located in New York, NY
James Siena
"This is for Nadine", signed drawing, 2005
Original drawing done in black marker, bound in the title page of softcover PACE Gallery catalogue with stiff wraps
hand signe...
Category
Early 2000s Abstract Geometric Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset, Felt Pen
Sara Eichner, 16 Layers, Red and Pink Square, 2015, Ink, Rag Paper, Pen
By Sara Eichner
Located in Darien, CT
Sara Eichner wants to create a space where point of view can not be fixed. Optical games stand in for the struggle to comprehend the complexities of seeing. Using simple drawing tool...
Category
2010s Abstract Geometric Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Rag Paper, Pen
Sara Eichner, 16 Layers Blue, 2015, Ink, Rag Paper, Pen
By Sara Eichner
Located in Darien, CT
Sara Eichner wants to create a space where point of view can not be fixed. Optical games stand in for the struggle to comprehend the complexities of seeing. Using simple drawing tool...
Category
2010s Abstract Geometric Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Rag Paper, Pen
Sara Eichner, 16 Layers, 2016, Ink, Rag Paper, Pen
By Sara Eichner
Located in Darien, CT
Sara Eichner wants to create a space where point of view cannot be fixed. Optical games stand in for her struggle to comprehend the complexities of seeing. Using simple drawing tools...
Category
2010s Abstract Geometric Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Rag Paper, Pen
Sara Eichner, Orange_16 Layers, 2016, Ink, Rag Paper, Pen
By Sara Eichner
Located in Darien, CT
Sara Eichner wants to create a space where point of view can not be fixed. Optical games stand in for the struggle to comprehend the complexities of seeing. Using simple drawing tool...
Category
2010s Abstract Geometric Abstract Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Rag Paper, Pen
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Jerusalem Drawing
Large Pen And Ink
Dancer Figure Drawing
Figure Dance Drawing
Henry Moore In America
Pen And Ink Line Drawing
Pen Try
Set Of 6 Watercolors
Jerusalem Watercolor
Picasso Pen
Refer A Friend
Large Pen And Ink Drawings
1939 Pen And Ink
The Day The Music Died
English Country Watercolor
Diamond Pen
English Modernism
Abstractions Made In England