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Joseph Solman Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

American, 1909-1908
Brought to America from Russia as a child in 1912, Joseph Solman was a prodigious draftsman and knew, in his earliest teens, that he would be an artist. He went straight from high school to the National Academy of Design, though he says he learned more by sketching in the subway on the way back from school late at night: people “pose perfectly when they’re asleep.” In 1929, Solman saw the inaugural show at the Museum of Modern Art featuring Seurat, Gauguin, Van Gogh, and Cezanne. It changed his life – and his art. Joseph Solman was, with Mark Rothko, the unofficial co-leader of The Ten, a group of expressionist painters who exhibited as the “Whitney Dissenters” at the Mercury Galleries in New York in 1938. A champion of modernism, Solman was elected an editor of Art Front Magazine when its other editors, art historian Meyer Shapiro and critic Harold Rosenberg, were still partial to Social Realism In 1964, The Times, discussing his well-known subway gouaches (done while commuting to his some-time job as a racetrack pari-mutuel clerk), called him a “Pari-Mutuel Picasso.” In 1985, on the occasion of a 50-year retrospective, The Washington Post wrote: “It appears to have dawned, at last, on many collectors that this is art that has already stood the acid test of time.” We had the pleasure of the meeting the artist a few times at his home which was over the original Second Avenue Deli in the East Village.
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Artist: Joseph Solman
Provincetown Dock, Modern Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman 1962
Provincetown Dock, Modern Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman 1962

Provincetown Dock, Modern Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman 1962

By Joseph Solman

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Joseph Solman, American (1909 - ) Title: Provincetown Dock Year: 1962 Medium: Gouache on black paper, signed and dated l.c. Size: 9 x 11.5 inches Frame Size: 19 x 22 inches

Category

1960s Color-Field Joseph Solman Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Gouache

Monhegan Cove, Impressionist Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman 1937
Monhegan Cove, Impressionist Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman 1937

Monhegan Cove, Impressionist Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman 1937

By Joseph Solman

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Joseph Solman, American (1909 - ) Title: Monhegan Cove Year: 1937 Medium: Gouache on black paper, signed and dated l.c. Size: 8.5 x 12 inches Frame Size: 18 x 22 inches

Category

1930s Color-Field Joseph Solman Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Gouache

"Rail Yard" Urban Industrial WPA American Scene Drawing NYC Mid-Century
"Rail Yard" Urban Industrial WPA American Scene Drawing NYC Mid-Century

"Rail Yard" Urban Industrial WPA American Scene Drawing NYC Mid-Century

By Joseph Solman

Located in New York, NY

"Rail Yard" Urban Industrial WPA American Scene Drawing NYC Mid-Century. Initialed "JS" upper right Solman was a pivotal figure in the development of 20th century American art. He ...

Category

1930s American Modern Joseph Solman Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Gouache

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"Spanish Colonial Church" Small Thoughtful Gestural Watercolor in Burnt Sienna

"Spanish Colonial Church" Small Thoughtful Gestural Watercolor in Burnt Sienna

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Casbah
Casbah

Casbah, Circa 1950

$572

H 24 in W 30 in D 0.1 in

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Located in Houston, TX

Mid-century French gouache and watercolor of peaceful and serene scene of North African Casbah, circa 1950. Signature and title lower right. Original artwork on paper displayed on a...

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Previously Available Items
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Man with Mustache on Subway, Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman
Man with Mustache on Subway, Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman

Man with Mustache on Subway, Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman

By Joseph Solman

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Joseph Solman, American (1909 - 2008) Title: Man with Mustache Year: circa 1965 Medium: Gouache on Racing Form, Signed 'JS' l.l. Size: 14 in. x 8 in. (35.56 cm x 20.32 cm) Fr...

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Reading Lady on Subway, Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman
Reading Lady on Subway, Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman

Reading Lady on Subway, Gouache Painting by Joseph Solman

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Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Joseph Solman, American (1909 - 2008) Title: Reading Lady on Subway Year: circa 1960 Medium: Gouache on Racing Form, signed 'JS' Size: 15 in. x 10 in. (38.1 cm x 25.4 cm) Fra...

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1960s Color-Field Joseph Solman Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

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Reading Lady

Joseph SolmanReading Lady

Sold

H 22 in W 18.5 in

Reading Lady

By Joseph Solman

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Joseph Solman, American (1909 - ) Title: Reading Lady Year: circa 1965 Medium: Gouache on Racing Form, signed l.l. Size: 14 in. x 10.5 in. (35.56 cm x 26.67 cm) Frame ...

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Joseph Solman drawings and watercolor paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Joseph Solman drawings and watercolor paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Joseph Solman in gouache, paint, watercolor and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Joseph Solman drawings and watercolor paintings, so small editions measuring 15 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Wolf Kahn, and Paul Jenkins. Joseph Solman drawings and watercolor paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,900 and tops out at $7,500, while the average work can sell for $5,200.