Anton Refregier, Russian Social Realist - AAA print

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Anton Refregier, Russian Social Realist

Artist: Anton Refregier

Year: 1960’s

Title:  “Boy with Mask”

Medium: lithograph

Dimensions:  image: 14 ¼ x 10 ½ in. paper: 17 ¾ x 12 ¾  in.

Signature:  pencil (lower right)

Edition Size: 200

Paper:  heavy, cream wove

Condition: good, some toning, no foxing and stains

Publisher: AAA

Retail Price: $500.00 

Anton Refregier [Russian Social Realist, 1905-1979]

Born in Moscow, Russia, Anton Refregier studied art in Munich with Hans Hofmann, and at the Rhode Island School of Design. He gained fame in the 1930s as a mural artist. He painted murals at U.S. Post Offices in San Francisco and in Plainfield, New Jersey.

Under the auspices of the Federal Art Project, Anton Refregier brought images of labor strife to the public through murals created for post offices in San Francisco and Plainfield, New Jersey. San Francisco '34 Waterfront Strike is a silkscreen version of the mural entitled The Waterfront--1934 in the Rincon Post Office in San Francisco, for which Refregier received a commission in 1940 and which he completed in 1948.

<!--[if !supportEmptyParas]-->His most famous work is arguably the WPA mural project at San Francisco's Rincon Center, the costliest and one of the most controversial of all the WPA commissions. It is a multi-scene panorama that sparked national debate because of its inclusion of controversial events in California history. <!--[endif]-->

RINCON CENTER

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

Page & Turnbull was consulting historical architect for the restoration of significant interior spaces and acted as consultant for restoration of the murals. We also completed a successful application for certification of the rehabilitation for tax purposes for the developer.

Designed by G.S. Underwood and built in 1939, this large reinforced concrete post office is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It is an outstanding example of the Art Deco-Moderne style by one of the foremost architects of federal buildings of his era. The lobby has a 27-panel mural painted from 1946-1948 by Anton Refregier and assistants, which depicts the history of California. Exterior ornamentation includes concrete reliefs, aluminum grilles, limestone sculpture, and precast concrete and granite elements. The public interior spaces are ornamented with stylized terrazzo flooring and brushed aluminum grilles and railings.

The building was released for private development with the stipulation that the historic integrity of the architecture be preserved. It has been incorporated into the large Rincon Center development.

Artists by Movement: Social Realism America, 1930's

Social Realism is a form of naturalistic realism focusing specifically on social problems and the hardships of everyday life. The term most commonly refers to the urban American Scene artists of the Depression era, who were greatly influenced by the Ashcan School of early 20th century New York City.

Social Realism is a rather pejorative label in the United States, where overtly political art in general, and socialist politics in particular, are extremely out of favor.
Ben Shahn, Jacob Lawrence, and Jack Levine are the best-known American Social Realists.

Museums and Art Galleries collections:
 
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.

The University of Arizona Museum of Art

Oakland Museum of California

The University of Michigan Museum of Art

Frederick R Weisman Art Museum

The Brooklyn Museum of Art

Whitney Museum of American Art

Woodstock Artists Association

Portland Art Museum

Tacoma Art Museum

Books and Articles: (partial list)

2001  Davenport, Ray   Davenport's Art Reference

2001   AskART.com     The Artists Bluebook: 24,000 North American Artists 332 2000    McCoy, Garnett; B Reilly Jr.  * Life of the People: Realist Print and Drawings                           from Goldstein Collection

1999 Falk, Peter Hastings, Who Was Who in American Art

1996 Karlstrom, Paul J (editor) On the Edge of America California Modernist Art, 1900-1950

1990 Falk, Peter* The Annual Exhibition Record of the Art Institute of Chicago

1990 Falk, Peter Hastings * National Academy of Design Annual Exhibition Record, 1901-1950

1989 Whiting, Cecile Antifascism in American Art

1989 Falk, Peter Hastings Annual Exhibition Record, 1914-1950 Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

1989 Hughes, Edan Milton Artists in California, 1786-1940

2000 December American Art Review Realist Prints and Drawings McCoy, Garnett

American Art Review1995 December Thoughts on Collecting                                      Schiller, Philip J

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Associated American Artists (AAA) Publishers
Smithsonian Museum from their exhibition 150 Years of Print Collecting honors AAA's history with the following statement: "Beyond an interest in historical Americana, 20th-century print collectors have sought the works of living artists, images that reflect social issues, regionalism, realism, and abstraction. The popularity of etchings increased dramatically during the 1880s and again in the 1920s, and original prints came into many homes through collectors' club exchanges and exhibitions. Literature for collectors appeared, including periodicals designed to educate wider audiences. Associated American Artists, founded in 1934, aggressively marketed current prints through department stores, exhibitions, and gallery sales, and by mail order. These changes in production and marketing methods indicate the 20th-century growth of art as an industry."

Holmes Fine Art is reviving the original American Art Market by bringing to you via eBay this rare and valuable collection at wholesale prices. Representing Museum quality over hundreds of images from the Associated American Artists (AAA) dating from 1940's of the WPA period to the 1970's.

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