'Still Life of Flowers' by Tom Lewis, San Francisco Bay Area Modernist, New York Museum of Modern Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art

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Signed lower right, 'Tom E. Lewis' (American, 1909-1979) and created circa 1935. Accompanied by old backing with label.

A period … Read more Signed lower right, 'Tom E. Lewis' (American, 1909-1979) and created circa 1935. Accompanied by old backing with label.

A period Modernist still-life of flowers informally arranged in a ceramic jug. A bravura expressionist work in this most challenging of print mediums through which only a single and unique example is created.

A member of the California Water Color Society, the California Art Club, the San Diego Fine Art Society and the Laguna Beach Art Association, Tom Lewis exhibited widely and with success including at the Museum of Modern Art (NY), LACMA (1934, 1935, 1st Prizes), Corcoran Gallery and the Art Institute of Chicago.

After graduating from USC (Architecture), Lewis became a self-taught artist and moved to San Francisco in 1935 where he established his studio on Telegraph Hill. In San Francisco, Lewis exhibited with success including at the San Francisco Artist's Association (1939), the de Young Museum (1943) and the Oakland Museum (1935, 1937). His work is held in numerous public collections including those of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Fine Arts, the Santa Barbara Museum and the San Diego Museum.

Reference:
Artists in California 1786-1940, Third Edition, Edan Milton Hughes: Crocker Art Museum, Sheridan Books 2002, Vol. 2, p. 684; Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975: 400 Years of Artists in America, Peter Hastings Falk, Sound View Press 1999, Vol. 2, p. 2018; et al. See less