Early 20th Century Abstract Drawings and Watercolors

Monument im Fruchtland (Monument in the Fertile Country) 1929. after Paul Klee, 1879 – 1940 Original work : Pastel, 47.5 × 34.8cm. Bern, Zentrum Paul Klee. (Photograph via Archiv...

Hand signed lower left: “Depero”. Certificate of authenticity by the Archive of Fortunato Depero. In 1929, Fortunato Depero realized some proposals for internal illustrations of t...

Hand signed lower right: “F. Depero”. Certificate of authenticity by the Archive of Fortunato Depero. There are different versions of drafts that the Italian artist Fortunato Depero realized before the final Collage poster...

Untitled Graphite on paper, 1930 Signed and dated upper right (see photo) Exhibited: Francis Nauman, Leon Kelly: Draftsman Extraordinaire, New York, April 4 - May 23, 2014. (label) C...

To view our other Modern British Art and our views of London scroll down to 'view all from this seller' and search. Horace Mann Livens (1862-1936) Hanover Square London (1920) Gouac...

Josef Brauner Black and White Bauhaus Rationalist Collage, Berlin 1927 — Signed and Dated Striking black and white Bauhaus rationalist collage by Josef Brauner, created in Berlin in...

Provenance: Collection of Solomon Shuster, Leningrad Alexandra Alexandrovna Exter Colour Dynamic, 1918 Russian avant-garde watercolor and gouache on paper Signed on the front Collect...

Any work by Jan Matulka (1890-1972) is a treasure in my opinion. Really I am such a fan! In 1989, just into the second year of the Gallery we did a show entitled Matulka's Class of ...

Plastic dynamism, Blac,white Futurism, Speed, Signature bottom left ALFREDO GAURO AMBROSI (Rome 1901 – Verona 1945) Painter of the second Futurism, he is mainly dedicated to aeropainting. His most famous work is the Air-Portrait of Mussolini the aviator...

Charles Burchfield, 1893-1967 Wallpaper Design No.2, 1922-28 Watercolor and gouache on paper

Jay Van Everen was a pioneering early American abstractionist known for his affiliation with the Synchromists. His abstract color studies would take him to the forefront of the Ameri...

Non-Objective Geometric Abstract 20th Century European American w/c Guggenheim RUDOLF BAUER (German/American 1889-1953) “Untitled," 1...

Composition 1920 is an original painting realized by Clément Kons (1879-1956). The artwork is on tempera, in very good conditions and mounted on a cardb...

Genevive Moreau (French, fl. early Twentieth Century) Design for Fabric - Triangles in Green, Blue and Terracotta (c. 1925) Gouache 22 x 16 cm Signed in pencil; from a small portfol...

Unknown Artist, France, late 19th century Anonymous c. 1900 Rondelle on antique laid paper Ink, Watercolor and or Gouache Unsigned An Art Nouveau preliminary design for a decorative ...

Face à Face is an original Vintage Phototype Reproduction of Rouault's tempera painting in 1933. Good conditions. The artwork is depicted through strong strokes in a well-balanced composition. Georges Rouault is a french painter (Paris 1871-1958), born into a family of humble origins, his maternal grandfather gave him a love of art. At the École des Beaux-Arts, Rouault met Henri Matisse, Albert Marquet, Henri Manguin...

Untitled (Brown and Blue Shapes) Gouache and watercolor 18.25 x 11.62 inches Framed: 32.5 x 26 inches

Genevive Moreau (French, fl. early Twentieth Century) Three Designs in Blue Gouache 32 x 50 cm c. 1925 Signed in pencil; from a small portfolio of well-executed designs by the artis...

Paul Colin (1892–1986), a painter, illustrator, set designer, and major poster artist of the 20th century, is renowned for his influence on Art Deco. He grew up in Nancy, a hub of av...

Survage,Cubism,1915,france Leopold Survage ( 1879-1968) Work signed lower right Provenance : Gallerie Zlotowski Paris Galerie Guillermo de Osma ,Madrid Private collection In Madrid...

Signed lower left. Provenance: The Estate of the Artist A letter of authenticity from the Artist's Estate will accompany this work of art.

Landsape Klee, Paul 1879–1940. Landschaft bei Pilamb, 1934,23 (K 3). From Original : Aquarell und Feder über Bleistift auf Papier, auf Karton, 63,6/64 × 48,2 cm. Düsseldorf, Kuns...

A striking early 20th century harbour scene showing boats moored near Leyland in the Netherlands. The artist has signed to the lower left and inscribed "Liguze" (Leyland) to the lowe...

"Der Hafen von Plit" is a drawing by Paul Klee. The drawing is signed lower left, "Klee". The framed piece measures 25 1/4 x 30 1/2 x 1 3/8 in. Paul Klee was one of the most import...

Nikolai Suetin (Russian: Николай Суетин; 25 October 1897 – 22 January 1954) was a Russian Suprematist artist. He worked as a graphic artist, a designer, and a ceramics painter. Suet...

A beautifully atmospheric British landscape watercolour, signed indistinctly and dated 1908, depicting a tranquil lakeside scene with distant hills beneath an expansive cloud-filled ...

Louise Nevelson - early horse ink on paper drawing, signed and inscribed to Robert Indiana in 1970, then signed and inscribed on the verso by Robert Indiana to his caretaker, 1928 Si...

Work on paper signed

Panos ARAVANTINOS (Corfu 1886 - Paris 1930) Study for a stage curtain for Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” Pastel on paper 26 x 45 cm (48 x 65,5 with frame) Signed, dated, and located on the b...

Futurist Composition is an original pastel drawing realized in the beginning of XX century by Anonymous futurist artist Mixed colored pastels on plywood. Includes a very beautiful...

The Eiffel in Colors is an Original drawing in watercolor realized by Yves Alix (1899-1971). Hand- signed on the lower left. Good conditions.

Illustration is an original geometric drawing realized by Bruno Angoletta. Passepartout: 33.5 x 49 The art work is in a Good condition. Bruno Angoletta (7 September 1889 - 7 Jan...

Dimensions: 25.5 X 20.5 Frame. Artwork measures 23.25 X 18.25 Tempera painting Signed by the artist, lower right corner Ksenia Vladimirovna Ender ( Russian Ксения Владимировна Энде...

Untitled Pastel on paper, 1922 Signed with the artist's initials in pencil Provenance: Estate of the artist Francis M. Nauman (label) Private collection, NY A very early abstract/cubist work by Kelly. Created while the artist was studying with Arthur Carles in Philadelphia. Leon Kelly (October 21, 1901 – June 28, 1982) was an American artist born in Philadelphia, PA. He is most well known for his contributions to American Surrealism, but his work also encompassed styles such as Cubism, Social Realism, and Abstraction. Reclusive by nature, a character trait that became more exaggerated in the 1940s and later, Kelly's work reflects his determination not to be limited by the trends of his time. His large output of paintings is complemented by a prolific number of drawings that span his career of 50 years. Some of the collections where his work is represented are: The Metropolitan Museum in New York, The Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Boston Public Library. Biography Kelly was born in 1901 at home at 1533 Newkirk Street, Philadelphia, PA. He was the only child of Elizabeth (née Stevenson) and Pantaleon L. Kelly. The family resided in Philadelphia where Pantaleon and two of his cousins owned Kelly Brothers, a successful tailoring business. The prosperity of the firm enabled his father to purchase a 144-acre farm in Bucks County PA in 1902, which he named "Rural Retreat" It was here that Pantaleon took Leon to spend every weekend away from the pressures of business and from the disappointments in his failing marriage. Idyllic and peaceful memories of the farm stayed with Leon and embued his work with a love of nature that emerged later in the Lunar Series, in Return and Departure, and in the insect imagery of his Surrealist work. "If anything," he once said,"I am a Pantheist and see a spirit in everything, the grass, the rocks, everything." At thirteen, Leon left school and began private painting lessons with Albert Jean Adolphe, a teacher at the School of Industrial Art (now the University of the Arts) in Philadelphia. He learned technique by copying the works of the old masters and visiting the Philadelphia Zoo, where he would draw animals. Drawings done in 1916 and 1917 of elephants, snakes and antelope, as well as copies of old master paintings by Holbein and Michelangelo, heralded an impressive emerging talent. In 1917, he studied sculpture with Alexander Portnoff but his studies came to an abrupt halt with the start of World War I. Being too young to enlist, he joined the Quartermaster Corp at the Army Depot in Philadelphia, where he served for more than a year loading ships with supplies and, along with other artists, working on drawings for camouflage. By 1920, the family's fortunes drastically changed. His father's business had failed due to the introduction of ready made clothing and his marriage, unhappy from the beginning, dissolved. Broken by circumstance Pantaleon left Philadelphia to begin a wandering existence looking for work leaving Leon to support his mother and grandmother. He found a job in 1920 at the Freihofer Baking Company where he worked nights for the next four years. Under these circumstances Leon continued to develop his skills in drawing and painting and learned of the revolutionary developments in art that were taking place in Paris. During the day he was granted permission to study anatomy at the Philadelphia School of Osteopathy where he dissected a cadaver and perfected his knowledge of the human figure. He also met and studied etching with Earl Horter, a well known illustrator, who had amassed a significant collection of modern art which included work by Brancusi, Matisse, and Cubist works by Picasso and Braque. Among the artists around Horter was Arthur Carles, a charismatic and controversial painter who taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Leon enrolled in the Academy in 1922, becoming what Carles described as, "his best student". In the next three years Leon work ranged from academic studies of plaster casts, to pointillism, to landscapes of Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, as well as a series of pastels showing influences from Matisse to Picasso. Clearly influenced by Earl Horter's collection and Arthur Carles he mastered analytical cubism in works such as The Three Pears, 1923 and 1925 experimented with Purism in Moon Behind the Italian House. In 1925 Kelly was awarded a Cresson Scholarship and on June 14 he left for Europe. Paris The first trip to Europe lasted for approximately three and a half months and introduced Kelly to a culture and place where he felt he belonged. Though he returned to the Academy in the Fall, he left for Europe again a few months later to begin a four-year stay in Paris. He moved into an apartment at 19 rue Daguerre in Paris and began an existence intellectually rich but in creature comforts, very poor. "I kept a cinderblock over the drain in the kitchen sink to keep the rats out of the apartment" he once explained. He frequented the cafes making acquaintances with Henry Miller, James Joyce and the critic Félix Fénéon as well as others. His days were split between copying old master paintings in the Louvre and pursuing modernist ideas that were swirling through the work of all the artists around him. The Lake, 1926 and Interior of the Studio, 1927, now in the Newark Museum. Patrons during this time were the police official Leon Zamaran, a collector of Courbets, Lautrecs and others, who began collecting Kelly's work. Another was Alfred Barnes of the Barnes Collection in Philadelphia. In 1929 Kelly married a young French woman, Henriette D'Erfurth. She appears frequently in paintings and drawings done between 1928 and the early 1930s. Philadelphia The stock market crash of 1929 made it impossible to continue living in Paris and Kelly and Henriette returned to Philadelphia in 1930. He rented a studio on Thompson Street and began working and participating in shows in the city's galleries. Work from 1930 to 1940 showed continuing influences and experimentation with the themes and techniques acquired in Paris as well as a brief foray into Social Realism. The Little Gallery of Contemporary Art purchased the Absinthe Drinker...

Abstract composition is an artwork realized by Pascal, in 1960.  Watercolour, 13 x 10 cm. Handsigned in the lower right margin. Good conditions

Unsigned. Presented in a contemporary white frame. On paper.

Abstract Composition is an original drawing in mixed media on ivory-colored paper, realized by Jean Delpech (1916-1988). The state of preservation of the artwork is good. Not signe...

L'Ange is an original Drawing in Charcoal realized by an anonymous artist in the 20th Century. Good Conditions. The artwork is depicted through strong strokes with perfect Hatchings.

Composition No. 12 Gouache on paper, c. 1926 Signed lower right: “Urban Weis” (see photo) Condition: Excellent Image: 16 5/8 x 10 5/8" Frame: 21 1/2 x 15 5/8" Provenance: Dudensing G...

Untitled Fabric Design Gouache on paper, 1920-1930 Signed with the Atelier Stamp verso (see photo) Numbered with the Atelier Litt Archive number verso (see photo) Condition: E...

An early work by Charles Burchfield, likely a project for an illustration. A Landscape in pastel colors with a white tree and the text Love and xxx.

Untitled Pastel on paper, 1922 Initialed lower right (see photo) Exhibited: Francis Nauman, Leon Kelly: Draftsman Extraordinaire, New York, April 4 - May 23, 2014. Condition: excellent Image size: 11 8 7/8 inches Frame size: 18 1/4 x 16 1/4 inches Provenance: Estate of the artist The Orange Chicken...

Jean Carlu (French, 1900-1997) "Breaking the Chains" Original Charcoal on Paper c.1920s Rare original work by noted French poster artist Jean Carlu. A fine example of his interest ...

William Heath Robinson (British, 1872-1944) 'The Friendly Dog' Signed 'W. Heath Robinson.' (lower right) Pen and ink on paper 11 X 8.1/2in. (28 X 21.7cm.) (excluding frame) 46 x 38cm. (18.1/4 x 15in. (including frame) Literature: 'Old Time Stories', Constable and Co. 1921, P. 143 William Heath Robinson was an artist and illustrator mainly associated with his gloriously complicated inventions for simple objectives. The name Heath Robinson has become commonplace in the English language as a result to describe anything mechanical that is eccentric, ridiculously complex and ingenious at the same time . Interestingly one of the automatic analysis machines built for Bletchley Park...

Abstract Composition is a drawing realized by Jean Criton in 1957. Watercolor, ink on paper.  Hand-signed and dated. Good conditions. The artwork is realized poetically through b...

Composition 1920/30 is a painting realized by Clément Kons (1879-1956). The artwork is on tempera, in very good conditions and mounted on a cardboard (6...

Composition 24 is an original drawing realized by Clément Kons (1879-1956). The artwork is in tempera, in very good conditions and mounted on a cardboard...

Composition 23 is an original drawing in tempera realized by Clément Kons (1879-1956). Very good conditions and mounted on a cardboard (46x49). Image Di...

Composition 2 is an original drawing realized by Clément Kons (1879-1956). The artwork is in tempera and in very good conditions. Image Dimensions: 34 x 29 cm No signature. The bri...

Signed lower left. Provenance: The Estate of the Artist A letter of authenticity from the Artist's Estate will accompany this work of art.

Art Deco watercolor on paper by renown Dutch artist, Leo Visser. This is rare opportunity to own a work by Visser whose work is almost exclusively held in the Rijksmuseum in the Neth...

Group of two drawings. "Femme assise sur une Chaise," circa 1910. Brush and ink on wove paper, 8 1/2x8 inches. With the artist's initials ink stamp, lower right recto. "Femme avec ...

Earl Horter (American, 1883-1940) Three Still Life Studies Pencil on paper, 7 1/4 x 13 1/2 inches; Framed: 17 x 21 inches NOTE: while originally mounted with archival materials, the...

Untitled Pastel on paper, 1922 Initialed and dated lower right (see photo) Exhibited: Francis Nauman, Leon Kelly: Draftsman Extraordinaire, New York, April 4 - May 23, 2014. Provenance: Estate of the Artist The Orange Chicken...

Titled 'Childhood' lower center

A gritty New York City street scene with period Roaring Twenties Cars and stuffed metal garbage cans is depicted by female artist Ruth Light Braun. ...

Jacques Villon, born Gaston Émile Duchamp on July 31, 1875, in Damville, France, was a pivotal figure in the development of modern art. As the elder brother of Marcel Duchamp, Raymond Duchamp-Villon, and Suzanne Duchamp-Crotti, Villon was part of a family that profoundly influenced 20th-century art. He adopted the pseudonym Jacques Villon to distinguish himself from his siblings, and began his career as a cartoonist and illustrator. Villon's contributions to modern art were acknowledged internationally, with exhibitions at prestigious venues such as the Salon d'Automne, the Salon des Indépendants, and the Armory Show in New York in 1913. His work influenced the trajectory of abstract art, and his legacy is celebrated in numerous museums and collections worldwide. While this drawing isnt common of his bolder cubist style, it shows his skill in sketching and shapes which add a dimension to the abstract nature of this automobile drawing...

Pastel on black paper

Sketch of birds by cubist artist Benjamin Benno. The image features several detailed studies of peacocks. Birds Benjamin Benno, American (1901–1980) Date: 1928 Graphite on Paper, s...

Drawn in 1912 by Picasso, this fine piece of work is a recognizable mark of his unique style. "Homme dans un interiéur jouant de la guitare", 1912 is on cream laid paper, with abstra...