Lawrence Lebduska

Lawrence H. Lebduska (September 1, 1894 – 1966) was an American artist who became known as a housepainter.[1]

Early life

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 1, 1894, his parents moved to Leipzig, Germany, when he was age five. While in Germany, he studied stained glass under Josef Svoboda.[2][3]

Lebduska returned to the United States in 1912, first settling in Baltimore and later moving to New York City.[4]

Career

Lebduska was commissioned by interior designer Elsie de Wolfe to paint murals. He contributed to many group shows and had his first one-man show in 1936, which is said to have inspired Abby Aldrich Rockefeller to begin her folk-art collection.[5]

Lebduska did a number of projects for the Work Projects Administration (WPA),[6] but his work was relatively underappreciated until a gallery show six years before his death.[3] Despite that, his works were frequently exhibited at a number of galleries,[7] the Museum of Modern Art,[8][clarification needed]

He has pieces in the permanent collection of a number of museums, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum,[3] the Museum of Modern Art,[9] the Zander Collection,[10] and the Wadsworth Athenaeum.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ Deloria, Philip J. (April 16, 2019). Becoming Mary Sully: Toward an American Indian Abstract. University of Washington Press. p. 181. ISBN 978-0-295-74524-4.
  2. ^ "Lawrence Lebduska". www.nga.gov. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Lawrence Lebduska, Smithsonian American Art Museum". americanart.si.edu. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  4. ^ "Galerie St. Etienne – Lawrence Lebduska at Galerie St. Etienne – Biography". www.gseart.com. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  5. ^ "Mennello Museum of American Art". November 14, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  6. ^ Harders, Melinda V. (2006). Lawrence Lebduska: The Life, Work, and Dreams of a Self-taught Artist.
  7. ^ a b "Lebduska, Lawrence Henry (1894-1966)". GVCA. January 12, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  8. ^ Grieve, Victoria (2009). The Federal Art Project and the Creation of Middlebrow Culture. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-03421-3.
  9. ^ "Lawrence Lebduska, MoMA". Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  10. ^ "Lawrence Lebduska". Zander Collection. Retrieved October 19, 2024.