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1953 Lithograph Ruth Gikow Art Nude Topless Mermaid Bocour Grumbacher Harp AEFA1

1953 Lithograph Ruth Gikow Art Nude Topless Mermaid Bocour Grumbacher Harp AEFA1

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This is an original 1953 monochrome lithograph by Ukrainian artist Ruth Gikow, which depicts two advertisements intended to promote New York businesses. The upper panel is angelic in nature, with three sweet winged girls playing heavenly music as an encouragement to patronize Bocour Artist Colors, located at 500 West 52nd Street. The devilish mermaid on the bottom, however, prefers to send her admirers to M. Grumbacher, Inc., which was located at 460 West 34th Street.

Bocour Artist Colors was started by Leonard Bocour in 1910, and sold paints to artists such as Jackson Pollack, Helen Frankenthaler, and Kenneth Noland.

M. Grumbacher, Inc., was established by Austrian immigrant Max Grumbacher in 1903, and basically set the industry standard for the colors used in cartoon animation. It was his CEL colors that provided the essential and beautiful shades needed for such Walt Disney classics as Fantasia and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

CONDITION

This 58+ year old Item is rated Near Mint. No creases. No natural defects. No surface rub. No tears. No water damage.

  • Product Type: Original Lithograph; Monochrome
  • Grade: Near Mint
  • Dimensions: Approximately 8.5 x 12 inches; 22 x 30 cm
  • Authentication: Serial-Numbered Certificate of Authenticity w/ Full Provenance
  • Protection: Packaged in a custom archival sleeve with an acid-free black board (great for display, gift-giving, and preservation)

This is a limited edition original lithograph, #1498 out of 2,000. Only the portfolio was numbered, not the individual lithograph's within it. This is not a lithograph "after" the artist. This lithograph was created by the original artist on the lithograph plate, and is, therefore, a true original lithograph. The artists used either litho crayon, ink, or tusche when creating their art works on the plates.

Period Paper has obtained an extraordinary, ultra-rare collection of original lithographs by some of the premier artists of the 1950's. These lithographs were produced for an annual art event in the 1950's for local businesses and major corporations largely based in New York. Historically important for corporate archivists, these are extremely rare to locate and are virtually unseen individually. The original lithographs were produced in only one limited edition, and included just 2,000. These lithographs are perhaps the most unique, rare, important advertising collectibles that exist for businesses and corporations.

This piece was illustrated by Gikow, Ruth. Artist signature in print - bottom right of image.

Ruth Levine Gikow

Ruth Levine Gikow (1913-1982) was born in the Russian Ukraine, until she and her family relocated to New York. There, she attended the Washington Irving High School and then the Cooper Union Art School, where she studied under noteworthy regional artists Austin Purvis, Jr. and John Steuart Curry. Gikow was most recognized for her caricature style, which often focused on historical and current events, as well as social issues. However, she also specialized in commercial art, religious and mythical works, still life, serigraph and figure-genre subjects. Most notably, Gikow illustrated DostoevskyÕs Crime and Punishment. In 1939, she was commissioned to paint murals for the Bronx HospitalÕs childrenÕs ward, as well as the Rockefeller Center and RikerÕs Island. Her works have been exhibited at the Weyhe Gallery in New York, the Grand Central Galleries, the Forum Gallery, the Kennedy Galleries, the Nordness Gallery, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Portland Museum of Art, the National Institute of Arts and Letters in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Hartford Arts Foundation in Connecticut, the Smithsonian Institute, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the International Carnegie Institute, the Whitney Museum of Art and the Butler Art Institute of Youngstown, Ohio. Gikow was also a member of the Woodstock Art Association and the WPA Federal Arts Project.

Keywords specific to this image: Artist Supplies Materials, You've Got Me Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Artists Equity Association, Modern Art, Religion, Religious, Contemporary Art, Nudity, Naked, Fantasy, Mythical, Breasts, Winged Angels, Harp, Lyre, Musical Instruments, Horn, String Instruments, Wind Instruments

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