Louis Ferstadt Sold at Auction Prices

Louis Goodman Ferstadt Painting - East River Firehouse

Louis "Lou" Goodman Ferstadt (American, 1900-1954). "East River Firehouse" oil on board, n.d. Signed in lower left and title inscribed on verso. A delightful painting titled "East River Firehouse" by American muralist and comics artist Louis Goodman Ferstadt. Rendered in distinct dots of color reminiscent of the Pointillist technique, the piece depicts a bustling bayside view of the East Hudson River with men and women gathered around the docks as the towering New York skyline rises in the far distance. A steamboat appears to approach the dock where ship laborers are gathered as two women and a man sit upon the rocky shore, gazing off into the cityscape, which includes the characteristic pointed arches of the Brooklyn Bridge and the tapered silhouette of the Empire State building. A larger gentleman opposes these viewers, facing left as he stands beside a brick edifice. Size of painting: 20" W x 16.125" H (50.8 cm x 41 cm); of frame: 26" W x 22.125" H (66 cm x 56.2 cm) Noted for his interest in Communism and knack for representing the common man, Ferstadt's use of sharp spots of color to form a complete image could perhaps be seen here as a metaphor for the diverse pallet of individuals who make up the buzzing metropolis of New York City itself. About the artist: "Louis Goodman Ferstadt was born in Barrasstechky [sic], Ukraine, on September 24, 1900, and came to America with his family when he was ten years old. Fie wrote later in life that the date of his birth was always remembered because it coincided with a severe pogrom which occurred in his village. Ferstadt studied painting at the Art Institute of Chicago beginning in 1918, while supporting himself by working evenings on the art staff of the Chicago Tribune. In 1923 he won a scholarship to the Art Students League and came to New York, where he studied with Kenneth Hayes Miller. When his scholarship funds ran out, he enrolled at the Educational Alliance Art School and later taught an art class there. In the 1920s he painted representational works in a subdued palette. He made his living as a cartoonist for the New York Evening Graphic, illustrated a children's book and was a free-lance commercial artist. Ferstadt had his first one-man show at the Society for the Advancement of Judaism in New York in 1928 and exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum in 1932. In 1935 he joined the Mexican mural painter David Alfaro Siqueiros and others in organizing the Siqueiros Experimental Workshop in New York. The group's artists explored the potential use of synthetic and industrial materials in public works of art. Ferstadt's commitment to mural painting as a public art form coincided with his social consciousness. In the 1930s he worked to unionize muralists in the Mural Artists Guild, a local of the American Federation of Labor, and was a member of the Artists Equity Association. In his murals of the period, he combined abstraction with classical realism, allowing form and color to assert themselves without giving up representation. He also supervised a mural project for the Fine Arts Project of the WPA in 1937 at Hunter College in New York. His work was included in the collection of the Birobidzhan Museum that was established in the Jewish autonomous region of the Soviet Union with the assistance of leftist American artists near the end of the decade. The artist frequently adopted diverse styles in the late 1930s to express different emotions and states of mind. Ferstadt also made technological innovations in the mural format, including collapsible, revolving, electronic, and motorized murals. In 1939 he created a mural for the subway entrance to the New York World's Fair depicting workers across America at home, at work and coming to the Fair. A section of the mural represented Ferstadt's faith in technology in an abstracted vision of the 'World of Tomorrow.' Ferstadt showed at the Bonestell Gallery in the 1940s, although from 1940 to 1946 he completed few new paintings and devoted much of his time to writing and drawing for comic books. He died in 1954." ("Painting a Place in America: Jewish Artists in New York, 1900-1945. A Tribute to the Educational Alliance Art School." Edited by Norman L. Kleeblatt and Susan Chevlowe. New York: The Jewish Museum, 1991, pp. 170) Provenance: private southern California, USA collection, acquired on December 31, 2021 as lot 50; ex-Brandywine Valley Auctions, Exton, Pennsylvania, USA, acquired November 2019; ex-Doyle Auctioneers & Appraisers, New York, New York, USA All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #186350

Louis G. Ferstadt oil

Louis G. Ferstadt (1900-1954) Harold oil on panel, ca. 1928, signed Louis G. Ferstadt upper left, framed.   28 x 24'' 

Louis Goodman Ferstadt (American, 1900/1954)

Louis Goodman Ferstadt (American, 1900/1954), “Farm Tragedy”, mixed media on plaster on panel, unsigned, "New York Artists Equity Association, New York, NY" label en verso, 22 1/8 in. x 32 in., framed. Provenance: Estate of the artist; by descent to the artist’s sister; by gift to the Artist Equity Association, New York, NY; Private Collector, New York; Barridoff Auctions, New York, NY, Aug. 5, 2011, lot 186; private collection

Louis G. Ferstadt oil

Louis Goodman Ferstadt (American 1900-1954) Cow in Field- oil on board, signed L. G. Ferstadt verso, grime throughout. 14 x 11''

Louis Goodman Ferstadt

LOUIS GOODMAN FERSTADT (Ukrainian/American, 1900 oil on canvas. Signed lower right. 24 inches high x 34 inche wide. Total Framed measures 29 inches high x 38 inches wide.

Louis Goodman Ferstadt Ukrainian/American, 1900-1954 East River Firehouse

Louis Goodman Ferstadt Ukrainian/American, 1900-1954 East River Firehouse Signed FERSTADT (ll); inscribed as titled on the reverse Oil on Masonite 16 1/8 x 20 1/8 inches

Louis Goodman Ferstadt Ukrainian/American, 1900-1954 Washington Square, 1933

Louis Goodman Ferstadt Ukrainian/American, 1900-1954 Washington Square, 1933 Signed Louis G. Ferstadt (lc); inscribed as titled on the reverse Gouache on paper 22 1/4 x 28 1/2 inches

Louis G. Ferstadt oil

Louis G. Ferstadt (American 1900-1954)- ''Harold''- oil on panel, ca. 1928, signed Louis G. Ferstadt upper left, paint starting to lift in some areas. 28 x 24'' Provenance: Vixseboxse Art Gallery, Cleveland, OH

LOUIS FERSTADT AMERICAN 1900 - 1954

Night Life, Oil on board, 18 x 33 in (45.7 x 83.8 cm), dated lower left, "32, PROVENANCE: From the Steven and Stephanie Wasser Collection (Wellesley, MA.). Assembled from 2003-2013 focusing on the experience of being an American through the eyes of Jewish American artists working between 1925-1950. Many pieces in the collection were featured in an exhibition of the National Museum of American Jewish History (Philadelphia, PA.). http://www.theartblog.org/2013/04/jewish-artists-in-america-1925-45-at-the-national-museum-of-american-jewish-history-adversity-low-wages-and-the-capitalists-laugh/

LOUIS FERSTADT AMERICAN 1900 - 1954

Child Labor, Egg tempera on board, 31 x 23 in (78.7 x 58.4 cm), verso, "From the Estate of Louis Ferstadt," c. 1935, PROVENANCE: From the Steven and Stephanie Wasser Collection (Wellesley, MA.). Assembled from 2003-2013 focusing on the experience of being an American through the eyes of Jewish American artists working between 1925-1950. Many pieces in the collection were featured in an exhibition of the National Museum of American Jewish History (Philadelphia, PA.). http://www.theartblog.org/2013/04/jewish-artists-in-america-1925-45-at-the-national-museum-of-american-jewish-history-adversity-low-wages-and-the-capitalists-laugh/

LOUIS FERSTADT AMERICAN 1900 - 1954

Night Life, Oil on board, 18 x 33 in (45.7 x 83.8 cm), dated lower left, "32, PROVENANCE: From the Steven and Stephanie Wasser Collection (Wellesley, MA.). Assembled from 2003-2013 focusing on the experience of being an American through the eyes of Jewish American artists working between 1925-1950. Many pieces in the collection were featured in an exhibition of the National Museum of American Jewish History (Philadelphia, PA.). http://www.theartblog.org/2013/04/jewish-artists-in-america-1925-45-at-the-national-museum-of-american-jewish-history-adversity-low-wages-and-the-capitalists-laugh/

LOUIS FERSTADT (RUSSIAN-AMERICAN 1900-1954)

LOUIS FERSTADT (RUSSIAN-AMERICAN 1900-1954) Untitled (Dreams), oil on canvas 61 x 86.5 cm (24 x 34 in.) signed lower left PLEASE NOTE If you will be bidding live on auction day, please note that Session I of the Auction (Asian and Russian Fine & Decorative Art), starts at 10:00 AM New York Time and goes from Lot 1 through Lot 254. Session II of the Auction (European, American and International Fine & Decorative Art) starts at 3:00 PM New York Time and goes from Lot 500 through Lot 676. We sell approximately 70 lots per hour.

Louis G. Ferstadt (Berestechko 1900 - New York City 1954)

Untitled - Signed l.m. - Ink and watercolour on paper, 24.5 x 16.8 cm (measured within passe-partout)

Louis Goodman Ferstadt (American, 1900-1954);

Louis Goodman Ferstadt (American, 1900-1954); Untitled (Protection of the Child by Child Labor Laws); Oil on panel (framed); 31" x 23"; Provenance: Estate of the artist; Private Collection, New York

Louis Goodman Ferstadt (American, 1900-1954);

Louis Goodman Ferstadt (American, 1900-1954); Untitled (Night Life); Oil on panel (framed); 33" x 18"; Provenance: Estate of the artist; Private Collection, New York

LOUIS GOODMAN FERSTADT (Ukrainian/American, 1900-1954)

LOUIS GOODMAN FERSTADT (Ukrainian/American, 1900-1954) Fanciful Landscape Oil on canvas 24 x 34 inches (61.0 x 86.4 cm) Signed lower left: Louis / Ferstadt

Louis Goodman Ferstadt Gouache on plaster mounted to wood

Louis Goodman Ferstadt. Farm Tragedy.

LOUIS GOODMAN FERSTADT (Ukrainian/American, 1900-1954)

LOUIS GOODMAN FERSTADT (Ukrainian/American, 1900-1954) Fanciful Landscape Oil on canvas 24 x 34 inches (61.0 x 86.4 cm) Signed lower left: Louis / Ferstadt PROVENANCE: Estate of the artist; Bright Hill Literary Center, Treadwell, New York; Private collection, New York, acquired from the above.

Louis Ferstadt (Russian/American, 1900-c. 1970)

Provincetown, 1930, edition of 50. Signed and dated "1930 Louis G. Ferstadt." in pencil l.r. and in the matrix l.l., titled in pencil l.l., annotated on the reverse. Lithograph on paper, image size 8 3/4 x 11 7/8 in. (22.2 x 30.2 cm), matted. Condition: Margins approximately 1/2 inch with repaired losses, soiling, creases.

Louis Ferstadt (American, 1900-1954), "Young Woman", c. 1938; tempera/board, 20" x 16", signed and

dated. Ferstadt studied with Kenneth Hayes Miller and at the Art Students League in New York. He was a member of National Society of Mural Painters and exhibited extensively in the 1920s-30s at the Salons of America, Art Institute of Chicago, National Academy of Design, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. His work is in many collections including the Walker Art Center, Art Students League, New York Public Library. He was also an illustrator and invented the "collapsible mural".

Louis G. Ferstadt (American, b. Ukraine, Russia, 1900), "The Tam," 1935. Signed and dated "Louis G. Ferstadt 1935," l.l. Ink and oil on panel, 20 1/8 x 18 1/8 in., unframed. Condition: Scattered retouch, surface cracks to panel.