?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 1,000 - $ 1,500
LOUIS SCHANKER (1903-1981)
Aerial Act. Woodcut. 305x355 mm; 12x14 inches, full margins. Artist's proof, aside from the edition of approximately 25-30. Signed, titled and inscribed "Black Proof" in pencil, lower margin. Published by the Federal Art Project, WPA, New York. 1940.
A very good impression.
Schanker was known for his abstract compositions with bold colors and lines and founded the American Abstract Artists, participating in its first annual exhibition in 1937. While participating with the WPA, Schanker worked as an artist and supervisor in the mural division and the graphics division, eventually becoming the director of the graphic arts division. His murals for the Neponsit Beach Children's Hospital in Rockaway, Queens depict circus scenes similar to Aerial Act, likely influenced from his time working at Barnum & Bailey circus while living an itinerant lifestyle earlier in his life. Between 1937-42 he worked on many woodcuts, many of which were published by the Federal Art Project.
