Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 10

Sir Jacob Epstein
British Modernist Vibrant Watercolor Painting of Flowers

c.1930s

About the Item

Sir Jacob Epstein KBE (10 November 1880 – 19 August 1959) was an American British sculptor who helped pioneer modern sculpture. He was born in the United States, and moved to Europe in 1902, becoming a British subject in 1911. He often produced controversial works which challenged ideas on what was appropriate subject matter for public artworks. He also made paintings and drawings, and often exhibited his work. Epstein's parents were Polish Jewish refugees, living on New York's Lower East Side. He studied art in his native New York as a teenager, sketching the city, and joined the Art Students League of New York in 1900. For his livelihood, he worked in a bronze foundry by day, studying drawing and sculptural modelling at night. Epstein's first major commission was to illustrate Hutchins Hapgood's 1902 book Spirit of the Ghetto. Epstein used the money from the commission to move to Paris. Moving to Europe in 1902, he studied in Paris at the Académie Julian and the École des Beaux-Arts. He settled in London in 1905 and married Margaret Dunlop in 1906. Epstein became a British subject on 4 January 1911. Many of Epstein's works were sculpted at his two cottages in Loughton, Essex, where he lived first at number 49 then 50, Baldwin's Hill (there is a blue plaque on number 50). He served briefly in the 38th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers, known as the Jewish Legion during World War I; following a breakdown, he was discharged in 1918 without having left England. In London, Epstein involved himself with a bohemian and artistic crowd. Revolting against ornate, pretty art, he made bold, often harsh and massive forms of bronze or stone. His sculpture is distinguished by its vigorous rough-hewn realism. Avant-garde in concept and style, his works often shocked his audience. This was not only a result of their (often explicit) sexual content, but also because they deliberately abandoned the conventions of classical Greek sculpture favoured by European Academic sculptors to experiment instead with the aesthetics of art traditions as diverse as those of India, West Africa, and the Pacific Islands. Between 1913 and 1915, Epstein was associated with the short-lived Vorticism movement and produced one of his best known sculptures The Rock Drill. Between the late 1930s and the mid-1950s, numerous works by Epstein were exhibited in Blackpool. Adam, Consummatum Est, Jacob and the Angel and Genesis, and other works, were initially displayed in an old drapery shop surrounded by red velvet curtains. The crowds were ushered in at the cost of a shilling by a barker on the street. After a small tour of American fun fairs, the works were returned to Blackpool and were exhibited in the anatomical curiosities section of Louis Tussaud's waxworks. Bronze portrait sculpture formed one of Epstein's staple products, and perhaps the best known. These sculptures were often executed with roughly textured surfaces, expressively manipulating small surface planes and facial details. Some fine examples are in the National Portrait Gallery. He completed a bust of Winston Churchill in early 1947. He was one of 250 sculptors who exhibited in the 3rd Sculpture International, which was organised by the Fairmount Park Association (now the Association for Public Art) and held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the summer of 1949. Epstein met Albert Einstein at Roughton Heath, Norfolk, in 1933 and had three sittings for a bust. Their eldest daughter, also named Kathleen but known as "Kitty", married painter Lucian Freud in 1948 and was mother of two of his daughters, Annie and Annabel. His art is displayed all over the world; highly original for its time, its influence on the younger generation of sculptors such as Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth was significant. According to June Rose, in her biography, Moore was befriended by the older sculptor during the early 1920s and visited Epstein in his studio. Epstein, along with Moore and Hepworth, all expressed a deep fascination with the non-western art from the British Museum. References Carving mountains: modern stone sculptures in England 1907–37: Frank Dobson, Jacob Epstein, Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, Eric Gill, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Ben Nicholson, John Skeaping (Cambridge: Kettles Yard, 1998)
  • Creator:
    Sir Jacob Epstein (1880-1959, American, British)
  • Creation Year:
    c.1930s
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 22.5 in (57.15 cm)Width: 27 in (68.58 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Surfside, FL
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU38212629592

More From This Seller

View All
Small, Charming, Fauvist Painting Michel Henry French Modernist School of Paris
By Michel Henry
Located in Surfside, FL
Michel-Henry was born in Langres in 1928 and has shown strong passion for drawing since his childhood. Michel-Henry is acknowledged as an important painter in French contemporary art. From 1952 his work has periodically been singled out for France's highest prizes and awards. The French Government, the City of Paris , the Museum of Valence , Bogota and the Museum of Alencon are among the distinguished institutions who have acquired his work for their permanent collections. Born in Langres in 1928 the aspiring artist attended the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He later studied with Narbonne , Georg, Chapelain-Midy and Legueult. In 1957 he became a member of the House of Descartes in Amsterdam and the following year was named member of the Casa Velazquez in Madrid , honors which are exceptional for a young painter. He is a member of the Salon d'Automne as well as a member of its jury, he also exhibits in the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, the Salon Comparisons, and the Salon Terres Latines. In 1976 he shared in the honor of presenting the Salon d'Automne exhibition in Japan . Michel-Henry blends delicate tones and strong and fascinating accents into his compositions of flower still life, landscapes and marines. An avid interest in nature is the predominant quality of his luminous works. As a French artist whose works are known internationally, Michel-Henry over a period of twenty eight years has earned the status of a goodwill ambassador in a universal world of cultural exchanges. For his dedication and unselfish contributions to art and artists from all lands he was honored by his country by being awarded the prestigious - la Croix de Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur - on January 1, 1981 by the French Minister of Culture Mr. Jean Philippe Lecat. Michel Henry exhibited at prestigious galleries in Paris (Avenue Matignon) and New York (Madison Avenue) alongside such artists as Pablo Picasso, Fernand Leger, Armand Guillaumin, Maurice Utrillo and Claude Venard. He is part of School of Paris artists that included Marcel Cosson, Jean Jansem, Leni-Dael, Raoul Dufy, Claude Salomon, Michel Kouliche...
Category

1960s Modern Still-life Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Israeli Yosl Bergner Modernist Watercolor Painting Drawing Pots, Pans
By Yosl Bergner
Located in Surfside, FL
Abstract Composition, Kitchen Utensils. Ink and watercolor of kitchen implements. Hand signed in Hebrew upper left. Dimensions: (Frame) H 25" x 18" (Sight) H 18.5" x W 11.75" Bergn...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Still-life Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Archival Ink, Watercolor

Israeli Yosl Bergner Modernist OIl Painting Kitchen Bottles Coffee, Vase
By Yosl Bergner
Located in Surfside, FL
Yosl Bergner Abstract Composition, Kitchen Utensils. Oil painting of kitchen implements. Hand signed in English bottom right Titled and signed ve...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Still-life Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Archival Ink, Watercolor

Watercolor Still life Painting Vegetables Claus Hoien Greengrocer Kitchen Series
Located in Surfside, FL
Delicate watercolor of vegetables. Japanese eggplant and radishes and a squash gourd. Framed 18 X 20 image is 11 X 13.5 Claus Hoie was a Norwegian-American...
Category

20th Century American Modern Still-life Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

Plants, Bristol 1863 Watercolor Painting American Artist Charles DeWolf Brownell
By Charles De Wolf Brownell
Located in Surfside, FL
Charles De Wolf Brownell (American, 1822 - 1909) Watercolor on paper depicting several plants in close proximity Hand dated and inscribed "Br...
Category

19th Century Naturalistic Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

Maple Leaves Watercolor Painting 19th C. American Artist Charles DeWolf Brownell
By Charles De Wolf Brownell
Located in Surfside, FL
Charles De Wolf Brownell (American, 1822 - 1909) Watercolor on paper of maple leaves against the sky, Hand dated and inscribed "Papaw - E.H....
Category

Early 1900s Naturalistic Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor

You May Also Like

'Still Life, Jade and Gold', Woman Artist, Berkeley, San Francisco Museum of Art
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, 'Millicent Tomkins' for Millicent Hanson Tomkins (American, 1930-2021) and dated 1957. Millicent Tomkins began painting at a young age and, as a child, was award...
Category

1950s Modern Still-life Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Gouache

Back Porch - Santa Cruz California Landscape in Watercolor on Paper
Located in Soquel, CA
Back Porch - Santa Cruz California Landscape in Watercolor on Paper Detailed still life and landscape by Harry Federico (American, 1922-2022). Several potted plants sit on a porch with a white wrought...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Landscape Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Laid Paper

Kutschen (carriages); Group of four designs for hansom cabs.
By Alfred Juergens
Located in Middletown, NY
Four pencil drawings, each with hand coloring in watercolor, each 6 3/4 x 10 inches (sheet) (172 x 254 mm), full margins. Each with inscriptions and notations by the artist in the up...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Still-life Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Handmade Paper, Watercolor, Pencil

Still Lives - Watercolors on Paper by Simon Goldberg - 20th Century
By Simon Goldberg
Located in Roma, IT
Still Lives include two original drawings in watercolor on paper realized by Simon Goldberg (1913-1985), Hand-signed on the lower right on the first art...
Category

Early 20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

White Poppies - Botanical Watercolor on Paper
Located in Soquel, CA
White Poppies - Botanical Watercolor on Paper Detailed floral watercolor by Harry Federico (American, 1922-2022). Several white poppies ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Landscape Drawings and Wat...

Materials

Watercolor, Laid Paper

Tribute to Morandi #29
By Bob Stuth-Wade
Located in Dallas, TX
Bob Stuth-Wade: Tribute to Morandi, 2018 "Life is what happens while I'm thinking of something else." "Driving. Listening to the radio. Talking on the phone. Thinking of where I'm ...
Category

2010s American Modern Still-life Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Ink, Paper, Watercolor

Recently Viewed

View All