Antique Oil Painting in the Style of Maurice De Vlaminck in Hand-Carved Wood Frame With Provenance

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Antique Oil Painting In the Style of Maurice de Vlaminck In Hand-carved Wood Frame
Beautiful large antique oil painting on … Read more Antique Oil Painting In the Style of Maurice de Vlaminck In Hand-carved Wood Frame
Beautiful large antique oil painting on canvas encased in linen matte within a gorgeous hand-carved wood frame circa mid twentieth century. The subject of the painting is a man and a donkey walking together on a wet street through a village facing towards a lighter colored sky in the distance. The paint has a thick impasto appearance and a nice sheen further adding to the dramatic scene. The roofs of the homes are a deep jewel toned green. This is a true show piece.

The back of the frame has the following inscribed in pencil: Mackey, Village.
The frame is wired and ready to hang.

Measurements are 27.5” W x 2” D x 23.65” H.
Maurice de Vlaminck (1876-1958) was a French painter. Along with André Derain and Henri Matisse, he is considered one of the principal figures in the Fauve movement, a group of modern artists who from 1904 to 1908 were united in their use of intense colour. Vlaminck was one of the Fauves at the controversial Salon d'Automne exhibition of 1905.

Provenance:
Former owner was Emil Knopf. He was a Levi Strauss executive, Holocaust survivor, and community volunteer in San Francisco, CA.
Emil Knopf was a Jewish Holocaust survivor, who hid as a child in the Polish forests before reaching Bolivia and, ultimately, San Francisco. Starting as an errand runner at Levi Strauss & Co. he eventually becoming a senior executive. He was one of the most connected Bay Area Jewish community volunteers over a 50-year span.
A classic American success story, Knopf devoted his life and wealth to giving back to his community. He died in San Francisco on July 1, 2024 of natural causes at the age of 91.
Knopf was born Jan. 7, 1933 in Rzeszów, Poland. Once Hitler invaded in September 1939, the German army murdered Knopf's father, a shoemaker and Polish Army reservist. Knopf's mother, Rose, and her two children hid in the forest for several years, protected by partisans.
After the war, Knopf lived in France for a time before making his way to Bolivia, where he became fluent in Spanish. In 1953 at age 19, he resettled in San Francisco to start a new life. Referred by Jewish Family and Children's Services to Levi Strauss & Co., Knopf landed an entry-level job at its San Francisco headquarters. The company's leaders at the time, Walter Haas Sr. and Daniel Koshland, had a policy of providing jobs to Jewish refugees and Holocaust survivors.
While working, Knopf took classes at S.F. State University and, later, at the Salinger School of Design.
The education paid off. He began working his way up the ladder, eventually managing night-shift production at the company's Valencia Street factory and ultimately becoming chief designer and youthwear design department manager. Knopf also grew close to Levi Strauss execs Peter Haas and Walter Haas Jr., both of whom were pillars of the Bay Area Jewish community.
"He was there for 45 years," said Tracey Panek, historian and director of archives for Levi Strauss. "He was in charge of coming up with lines of clothing, working to create samples and having them tested. It struck me that he was so much like Levi Strauss himself. He was a Jewish immigrant seeking a better life.
Levi never married, and neither did Emil. Levi's employees called him Uncle Levi."
While still with Levi Strauss, he became a founding member of the company's Community Involvement Team, and his charitable work only expanded from there.
After retiring in 1997, he worked with a host of organizations. He served multiple terms as president of his B'nai B'rith lodge and of his shul, Congregation Adath Israel. Knopf routinely manned the phones at Super Sunday, the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund's longtime annual fundraising campaign. He lit candles on Yom HaShoah at the Holocaust Memorial in San Francisco's Lincoln Park. And he worked tirelessly on behalf of the American Heart Association, Sinai Memorial Chapel and the Contemporary Jewish Museum.
With his custom denim briefcase in hand, he would attend every Sinai Memorial Chapel board meeting, even as an honorary board member. See less