Portrait of the Artist as a Young Marxist
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Portrait of the Artist as a Young Marxist
Harry Gottlieb, 1895-1992
self-portrait
appx 13"x19.5"
charcoal original
signed by the artist
BIOGRAPHY Harry Gottlieb, painter, screenprinter, educator, and
lithographer, was born in Bucharest, Rumania. He emigrated to America
in 1907, and his family settled in Minneapolis. From 1915 to 1917,
Gottlieb attended the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. After a short
stint as an illustrator for the U.S. Navy, Gottlieb moved to New York
City; he became a scenic and costume designer for Eugene O"Neill's
Provincetown Theater Group. He also studied at the Philadelphia
Academy of Fine Arts and the National Academy of Design. He was one of
America's first Social Realist painters, influenced by that Robert
Henri-led movement in New York City where Gottlieb settled in 1918. He
was also a pioneer in screen printing, which he learned while working
for the WPA. He married Eugenie Gershoy, and the couple joined the
artist colony at Woodstock, New York. He lectured widely on art
education. In 1923, Gottlieb settled in Woodstock, New York and in
1931, spent a a year abroad studying under a Guggenheim Fellowship. In
1935, he joined the Federal Art Project; he was one of the first
members of the WPA/FAP's Silk Screen Unit. Gottlieb remained active as
a painter and screen printer after the closure of the Federal Art
Project.
In 1937, as president of the Artists Union, Harry Gottlieb heard
Anthony Velonis propose to the WPA Federal Art Project that they
establish a silkscreen unit. Gottlieb became a founding member of the
unit in 1938, along with Louis Lozowick and Elizabeth Olds. Although
silkscreen had been used by commercial printers for decades, these
artists exploited its potential as a fine arts process. Going to Work
conveys the dignified poverty of two workers through such narrative
detail as ill-fitting clothing and shabby housing.
HARRY GOTTLIEB (1895-1992). WPA New York City. Without question one of
top two or three premiere names of the WPA. Gottlieb's paintings are
extremely difficult to acquire. This is a classic New York scene of
Carnegie Hall featuring a cross section of seven concert goers and a
whole lot of mystery. Harry had one of the most distinguished and
important careers of any artist from the period. He was politically
active and fought against social injustice every day of his life.
Member: Communist Party, American Art Congress with Stuart Davis,
Rockwell Kent, Max Weber, Artists League of America, New York Artist
Union, American Society of Painter and Sculptors, An American Group,
Woodstock Artist Association. Exhibited: Society of Independent
Artists 1925, 1926, 1928, Guggenheim 1932-1933, National Academy 1935,
Art Institute Chicago 1930, PAFA 1926, 1930 - 1934 (gold), 1946 -
1952, Art institute of Chicago 1930, Whitney, Carnegie Institute,
National Academy 1935 (prize), ACA Gallery 1956 (35 year
retrospective) Corcoran Gallery of Art Biennials 1930 - 1947, WPA Art
at Parsons 1977 and many more to numerous to list. Listed; Who Was Who
(24 lines), Davenport's and every reference source on the WPA.