Ben Benn Paintings

Simka Simkhovitch (Russian/American 1893 - 1949) This came with a small grouping from the artist's family, some were hand signed some were not. These were studies for larger paintings. This is a miniature watercolor and gouache vibrant, colorful bouquet of flowers in a vase. Simka Simkhovitch (Симха Файбусович Симхович) (aka Simka Faibusovich Simkhovich) (Novozybkov, Russia May 21, 1885 O.S./June 2, 1885 N.S.—Greenwich, Connecticut February 25, 1949) was a Ukrainian-Russian Jewish artist and immigrant to the United States. He painted theater scenery in his early career and then had several showings in galleries in New York City. Winning Works Progress Administration (WPA) commissions in the 1930s, he completed murals for the post offices in Jackson, Mississippi and Beaufort, North Carolina. His works are in the permanent collections of the Dallas Museum of Art, the National Museum of American Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Born outside Kyiv (Petrograd Ukraine) into a Jewish family who owned a small department store. During a severe case of measles when he was seven, Simcha Simchovitch sketched the views outside his window and decided to become an artist, over his father's objections. Beginning in 1905, he studied at the Grekov Odessa Art School and upon completion of his studies in 1911 received a recommendation to be admitted to the Imperial Academy of Arts. Though he enrolled to begin classes in architecture, painting, and sculpture at the Imperial Academy, he was dropped from the school roster in December because of the quota on the number of Jewish students and drafted into the army. Simchovitch served as a private in the 175th Infantry Regiment Baturyn [ru] until his demobilization in 1912. Re-enrolling in the Imperial Academy, he audited classes. Simka Simkhovitch exhibited paintings and sculptures in 1918 as part of an exhibition of Jewish artists and in 1919 placed 1st in the competition "The Great Russian Revolution" with a painting called "Russian Revolution" which was hung in the State Museum of Revolution. In 1922, Simkha Simkhovitch exhibited at the International Book Fair in Florence (Italian: Fiera Internazionale del Libro di Firenze). In 1924, Simkhovitch came to the United States to make illustrations for Soviet textbooks and decided to immigrate instead. Initially he supported himself by doing commercial art and a few portrait commissions. In 1927, he was hired to paint a screen for a scene in the play "The Command to Love" by Fritz Gottwald and Rudolph Lothar which was playing at the Longacre Theatre on Broadway. Art dealers began clamoring for the screen and Simkhovitch began a career as a screen painter for the theater. Catching the attention of the screenwriter, Ernest Pascal, he worked as an illustrator for Pascal, who then introduced him to gallery owner, Marie Sterner. Simkhovitch's works appeared at the Marie Sterner Gallery beginning with a 1927 exhibit and were repeated the following year. Simkhovitch had an exhibit in 1929 at Sterner's on circus paintings. In 1931, he held a showing of works at the Helen Hackett Gallery, in New York City and later that same year he was one of the featured artists of a special exhibit in San Francisco at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park. The exhibit was coordinated by Marie Sterner and included four watercolors, including one titled "Nudes". He is of the generation of Russian Soviet artists such as Isaac Pailes, Serge Charchoune, Marc Chagall, Chana Orloff, Isaac Ilyich Levitan, and Ossip Zadkine. In 1936, Simkhovitch was selected to complete the mural for the WPA Post office project in Jackson, Mississippi. The mural was hung in the post office and courthouse in 1938 depicted a plantation theme. Painted on the wall behind the judge’s bench, “Pursuits of Life in Mississippi”, a depiction of black workers engaged in manual labor amid scenes of white professionals and socialites, was eventually covered over in later years during renovations due to its stereotypical African American imagery. Simka painted what he thought was typical of Jackson. His impression of pre-civil rights Mississippi was evidently Greek Revival column houses, weeping willow trees, working class families, and the oppression of African Americans. He painted African American men picking cotton, while a white man took account of the harvest and a white judge advised a white family, calling it Pursuits of Life in Mississippi. Though clearly endorsed by the government and initially generally well-received, the mural soon raised concerns with locals as the climate toward racial segregation began to change. The main concern was whether depictions that show African Americans in subjugated societal roles should be featured in a courtroom. The following year, his painting "Holiday" won praise at an exhibition in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1940, Simkhovitch's second WPA post office project was completed when four murals, "The Cape Lookout Lighthouse and the Orville W. Mail Boat", "The Wreck of the Crissie Wright", "Sand Ponies" and "Canada Geese" were installed in Beaufort, North Carolina. The works were commissioned in 1938 and did not generate the controversy that the Jackson mural had. The main mural is "The Wreck of the Crissie Wright" and depicts a shipwreck which had occurred in Beaufort in 1866. "The Cape Lookout Lighthouse and the Orville W. Mail Boat" depicted the lighthouse built in 1859 and the mail boat that was running mail during the time which Simkhovitch was there. The boat ran mail for the area until 1957. "Sand Ponies" shows the wild horses common to the North Carolina barrier islands and "Canada Geese" showed the importance of hunting and fishing in the area. All four murals were restored in the 1990s by Elisabeth Speight, daughter of two other WPA muralists, Francis Speight...

Modern Abstracted Still-Life with Antique Coffee Grinder by Anthony Rappa Modern textural still-life by California artist Anthony Rappa (America...

MABEL E. DICKINSON POND (1869-1960) Frances and Ruth Jennings in a Field of Flowers, 1909 Oil on canvas on paperboard 7 x 5 inches Signed at lower right: M. E. Dickinson Inscribed v...

Mid Century Fauvist Swiss Lake Village Landscape Colorful mid century fauvist Swiss Village and Lake landscape by Central California artist R. Step...

Multi-colored figurative oil painting of a woman in bikini bathing in the California sun by listed California artist Jon Blanchette (American, 1908-1987). The colorful background is...

Modern Contemporary Fauvist Autumnal Landscape by Michael William Eggleston Stunning contemporary fauvist autumnal oil painting landscape by San Francisco artist Michael William Egg...

Late 19th century figurative painting of the battle of Trevilians Station and of the wounding of Colonel Sackett June 11, 1864. Oil on canvas in giltwood frame. Signed or notated indistinctly lower right. Image, 20.25"H x 36.25"W. Military History Prior to 1865 The 9th New York Cavalry contained two companies from Cattaraugus County. It was mustered into the service October 1, 1861 and, until mustered out in July, 1865, lost 619 officers and men out of a total enlistment of a little less than two thousand. It participated in many battles and skirmishes and lost its colonel, William Sackett, who was killed at Trevilian Station, Virginia, on June 11, 1864. From the Albany Evening Journal, July 20, 1864: Another name is added to the list of hero martyrs who have fallen in the service of their country. Col. WILLIAM SACKETT, of the Ninth New-York Cavalry, (son of Hon. W.A. SACKETT,) was mortally wounded in the engagement, under Gen. SHERIDAN, at Pavillion Station, Va., and died on the 14th ult. As he was left behind, the sad intelligence of his decease has but just been received. Col. SACKETT had seen much service. He entered the army on the 22d of April, 1861, was appointed Major of the Ninth New-York Cavalry in October of the same year, was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonelcy in August, 1862, and in March, 1863, became commander of the regiment. He was with Gen. MCCLEELAN in the Peninsula campaign, was in all the cavalry actions of the campaign which followed, was with the army in its advance after the battle of Antietam, and in almost constant conflict with the enemy until after the battle of Fredericksburgh. He participated in most of the cavalry engagements under Gen. HOOKER's command, was in all the principal cavalry actions during LEE's invasion of Maryland and Pennsylvania in 1863, and was among the first engaged in the terrible conflict at Gettysburgh, where he performed distinguished service in holding a rebel brigade in check a long time while our forces were getting into position on the crest of the hill. He was active in the cavalry skirmishes which ensued in the latter part of the Summer. During the present campaign he was with Gen. SHERIDAN in all his brilliant expeditions up to the time when he fell. He died while leading a charge against the enemies of his country -- died, as he wished to die, doing his whole duty. He was brave, he was generous, he was unflinchingly faithful to the cause of the Union. He loved the old flag with a love that was stronger than life, and esteemed it glorious to fall in its defense. He was born in Seneca Falls, and was 25 years of age. When the great civil war broke out [William Sackett] was practicing law at Albany, N. Y., having a short time previous been admitted to the bar. In December, 1861, he was commissioned Major of the 9th Regiment of New York Cavalry, and taking the field served with credit in several engagements in which that command participated. On June 27, 1862, his immediate superior, Lieutenant- Colonel Hyde, resigned and three days later Major Sackett was commissioned to fill the vacancy. On the 30th of the following May he was advanced to the Colonelcy of his regiment, with rank from March 15, 1863. It is stated in "Battles and Leaders of the Civil War" that the cavalry pickets commanded by Colonel Sackett fired the first shot at the battle of Gettysburg. He subsequently led his command, in a gallant manner, in numerous engagements, including the battle of Trevilians Station, fought June 10, 1864. There he received a mortal wound and died inside of the enemy's lines some three days later. The report that he had been severely wounded and was in the hands of the enemy soon reached his wife, who immediately determined to make an effort to reach and care for him, not knowing that he was already dead when the report reached her. The following correspondence, copied from Official Records published by the War Department, tells in most emphatic terms of her devotion. City Point, Va., July 7, 1864. General R. E. Lee, Commanding Confederate Army, Mrs. Sackett, the wife of Colonel William Sackett, who was wounded on the 11th of June, near Trevilians Station, Va., is here in deep distress and feeling great anxiety to learn the fate of her husband. Colonel Sackett was left at a house some two miles and a half from the station, in charge of...

Gerhard Cohn Roemers (German, 1900 - 1965) Venice - Ponte Del Rialto • Oil on canvas, ca. 40 x 65 cm • Frame, ca. 57 x 82 cm • Signed and titled lower right corner Worldwide shipp...

Ramón Moscardó (1953) - Goteborg Sweden - Oil on panel Oil measures 23x33 cm. Frame measures 37x48 cm. Ramón Moscardó studied at the Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts and La Lonja Scho...

Jordi Curós Ventura (1930-2007) - The ship Oil on canvas cardboard. Oil measurements 55x46 cm. Frameless. Jordi Curós Ventura (Olot, Girona, March 4, 1930) is a Spanish painter. He...

"Tabletop Still Life" by Philadelphia born modernist and surrealist painter Leon Kelly, is a framed painting of a set dinner table with food, flowers, and wine. The 36" x 44" oil on ...

French Mid 20th Century oil on board Fauvist view of a Provençal village street, probably near Nice in the South of France by Hyppolite Roger. The pain...