Lot 134: MID CENTURY PAUL FLEGEL (1904-1979) OIL PAINTING

Paul Flegel (Russian-American, 1904-1979) Mid Century palette knife oil painting on canvas board depicting a view in St. Tropez. Unframed. Measures 20"x24". PROVENANCE: A Private Charleston SC Estate. Born in 1904 in Russia, Paul Flegel loved to travel and he wound up in New York in the 1920s. But, it wasn’t until 1945 that Paul Flegel was seen on the art scene. New York art circles accepted him immediately as he spun beautiful pieces of art that were hard to categorize.While Paul Flegel would in fact paint great outdoor scenes with plenty of activity in the vein of an impressionist, he could also be categorized as an expressionist. Paul Flegel would often paint his subjects only while leaving the rest of the canvas untouched by any paint at all. That was certainly not common. Most artists would paint the background of the painting using the entire canvas and then paint the subject. Paul Flegel, on the other hand, would mix his colors, apply his paints to the canvas to create the scene and then wipe off his palette knife never to use those colors again.He was a regular contributor in the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit in Greenwich Village, The Art Cradle of America. His works were also put on display in such places as the Carus Gallery, New York as well as the Claude Levin Gallery, Paris. He had a studio in both New York and Paris, but his favorite was in a quiet lot in New Hope, Pennsylvania.The greatest of his accomplishments throughout his life was when the Queen of England commissioned him to paint for her. While that is an enormous accomplishment for any artist, Paul Flegel was also commissioned by Princess Grace of Monaco, Golda Meir of Israel and Kitty Carlisle of America among various other distinguished commissions he received throughout his life.

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