Louis Goodman Ferstadt Ukrainian American, (1900-1954) Catskills, 1932 mixed media ink and watercolor drawing on paper signed and dated lower left, signed verso. Biography from the Archives of askART: Louis Goodman Ferstadt's birth in 1900 in the small Ukrainian town of Berestechko was memorable since it coincided with a severe pogrom against the Jewish community. (Other sources have identified this town as Barrasstechky or Berustecht, but no towns by those names have been located). Three years earlier the Jewish community of Berestechko numbered 2,251 which was 45% of the town's population. "Most Jewish industry consisted of small enterprises processing agricultural produce for the local market. In addition, 177 shops of the town's 234 belonged to Jews, and they were the majority among artisans, accounting for 28 of 30 tailors and 18 of 19 furriers."[5] The Ferstadt family left Berestechko in 1910 and settled in Chicago. They communicated with each other in Yiddish. Genealogical data suggests that Ferstadt's father was committed to an insane asylum in Chicago prior to WWI and died there in 1935.[1] Ferstadt studied at Hull House in Chicago and at the Chicago Art Institute. He also was on the art staff of the Chicago Tribune. At age 23 he won a scholarship to the Art Students League in New York. He moved to New York and, when his scholarship money ran out, enrolled in the Educational Alliance Art School. Ferstadt and his older brother, Benjamin, were living in Brooklyn in 1925. In 1928 Ferstadt had his first one-man show at the Society for the Advancement of Judaism, a Reconstructionist synagogue. Ferstadt married an artist, Sophie Freedman, on January 16, 1930 in Brooklyn. They lived in Brooklyn on Clinton Street and Ferstadt described his occupation as "portrait painter." Their daughter, Lorna, was born November 21, 1931. A year after her birth, Ferstadt participated in a group show at the Brooklyn Museum. Lorna also became an artist and had her own exhibit at City College in 1947.[9] According to Ferstadt's grandson, Jerry Graham, Ferstadt was a lifelong communist.[3] In 1936 Ferstadt was a member of the American Artists' Congress, an anti-fascist organization which was a successor to the communist John Reed Club. Ferstadt's art reflected his leftist politics. His painting of two nude women, Friendship, was regarded as offensive and was removed from an exhibition at the Marguery Hotel in Manhattan. Many of his mural themes focused on women. In early 1935 the principal of Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn rejected Ferstadt's proposed design for a mural over the objections of the majority of the students, the art teacher, and the chairwoman of the exhibition committee of the Mural Painters Society. In the principal's opinion, "The paintings seem to me to be too realistic and modern and lacking in the inspirational qualities which I feel should characterize paintings for a high school."[8] Ferstadt worked extensively on murals during the 1930's some of which was done under the auspices of the WPA art programs. In 1935 he joined Mexican mural painter, David Alfaro Siqueiros who had established the Siqueiros Experimental Workshop in New York. Murals seemed to be Ferstadt's calling. He made "technological innovations in the mural format, including collapsible, revolving, electronic and motorized murals."[6] Ferstadt was an organizer for the AFL's Mural Painter's Guild. In 1937 he supervised a mural at Hunter College in New York. A photograph in the Smithsonian archives shows him painting the mural, Famous Women in Mythology, which is supposedly at Hewley College at 66 Second Ave in New York City. This location was most likely the Anderson Theater which opened in 1926 for Yiddish productions of both vaudeville and films. His painting, Night Life, was on display in 1937 at the Galleries of the Architectural League, an exhibition of models of proposed murals for World's Fair. For the 1939 World's fair in New York, Ferstadt painted two murals at the nearby entrance to the Flushing Meadows subway: Security-Work and Democracy - Peace. "Ferstadt actually made his living by creating strange and fascinating narrative-picture poems called comic strips for this new thing called the comic book, which had been invented only a few years before."[3] As early as 1926 Ferstadt was producing the comic strip, The Kids on Our Block, for the New York Evening Graphic. He also illustrated a children's book titled, Peek-a-Boo. "Ferstadt went into comic book art in the 1930s. He worked through studios like Demby, Eisner/Iger and Funnies Inc. From 1942 to 1945, he had his own shop, the Ferstadt Studio, which employed among others Harvey Kurtzman. Ferstadt has done art on titles by Quality Comics (Plastic Man, The Human Bomb), Fox (The Bouncer), Timely/Atlas (Red Raven, The Vision, Whizzer), National/DC (Flash, Green Lantern) and Harvey (The Black Cat, Captain Freedom)."[7] Ferstadt died of a heart attack at a camp in Phoenicia, New York in the summer of 1954. His works are in many collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Tel-Aviv Museum, New York Public Library, and the Biro-Bidjan in Russia. Sources: (1) Ancestry.com (2) Archives of American Art, Smithsonian, aaa.si.edu. (3) Callahan, Bob, "Two Fisted Truth: Harvey Kurtzman and the birth of Cold War comics," LAWeekly.com, January 3, 2003. (4) Falk, Peter Hastings, Who Was Who in American Art: 1564-1975, Sound View Press, 1999. (5) JewishVirtualLibrary.com. (6) Kleeblatt & Chevlove, Painting a Place in America: Jewish Artists in New York 1900-1945, Jewish Museum of New York. (7) Lambiek.net. (8) New York Times, "Rejected Painting Wins Show Honor," January 24, 1935. (9) New York Times, January 14, 1947. (10) New York Times, "World's Fair Proposals," March 28, 1937. Written and submitted by Steven Wasser.
Louis Ferstadt (1900-1954) Young Woman 1938 The stylized portrait with distant figures is painted in egg tempera on smooth Masonite and signed within the image left side. The work is titled on the frame verso in an unknown hand, along with the artist's name. A resident of Boston, Louis Ferstadt attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. A year before this work was painted, he worked on murals as part of the WPA's Federal Art Project. A photograph from January of 1937 in the Archives of American Art shows him at work with the Federal Art Project in New York. Throughout the 1930s he maintained a connection with the arts in both cities. Canvas measures 20 x 16 with a framed size of 26.25 x 22.25 inches. Without proof of exemption, be aware that internet sales tax applies to all Internet transactions and local sales tax may apply to local pick-up transactions. We happily provide seamless in-house packing and shipping services on nearly everything we sell. Until further notice, we cannot offer international shipping in-house.
Louis "Lou" Goodman Ferstadt (American, 1900-1954). "East River Firehouse" oil on board, n.d. Signed in lower left and title inscribed on verso. A delightful painting titled "East River Firehouse" by American muralist and comics artist Louis Goodman Ferstadt. Rendered in distinct dots of color reminiscent of the Pointillist technique, the piece depicts a bustling bayside view of the East Hudson River with men and women gathered around the docks as the towering New York skyline rises in the far distance. A steamboat appears to approach the dock where ship laborers are gathered as two women and a man sit upon the rocky shore, gazing off into the cityscape, which includes the characteristic pointed arches of the Brooklyn Bridge and the tapered silhouette of the Empire State building. A larger gentleman opposes these viewers, facing left as he stands beside a brick edifice. Size of painting: 20" W x 16.125" H (50.8 cm x 41 cm); of frame: 26" W x 22.125" H (66 cm x 56.2 cm) Noted for his interest in Communism and knack for representing the common man, Ferstadt's use of sharp spots of color to form a complete image could perhaps be seen here as a metaphor for the diverse pallet of individuals who make up the buzzing metropolis of New York City itself. About the artist: "Louis Goodman Ferstadt was born in Barrasstechky [sic], Ukraine, on September 24, 1900, and came to America with his family when he was ten years old. Fie wrote later in life that the date of his birth was always remembered because it coincided with a severe pogrom which occurred in his village. Ferstadt studied painting at the Art Institute of Chicago beginning in 1918, while supporting himself by working evenings on the art staff of the Chicago Tribune. In 1923 he won a scholarship to the Art Students League and came to New York, where he studied with Kenneth Hayes Miller. When his scholarship funds ran out, he enrolled at the Educational Alliance Art School and later taught an art class there. In the 1920s he painted representational works in a subdued palette. He made his living as a cartoonist for the New York Evening Graphic, illustrated a children's book and was a free-lance commercial artist. Ferstadt had his first one-man show at the Society for the Advancement of Judaism in New York in 1928 and exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum in 1932. In 1935 he joined the Mexican mural painter David Alfaro Siqueiros and others in organizing the Siqueiros Experimental Workshop in New York. The group's artists explored the potential use of synthetic and industrial materials in public works of art. Ferstadt's commitment to mural painting as a public art form coincided with his social consciousness. In the 1930s he worked to unionize muralists in the Mural Artists Guild, a local of the American Federation of Labor, and was a member of the Artists Equity Association. In his murals of the period, he combined abstraction with classical realism, allowing form and color to assert themselves without giving up representation. He also supervised a mural project for the Fine Arts Project of the WPA in 1937 at Hunter College in New York. His work was included in the collection of the Birobidzhan Museum that was established in the Jewish autonomous region of the Soviet Union with the assistance of leftist American artists near the end of the decade. The artist frequently adopted diverse styles in the late 1930s to express different emotions and states of mind. Ferstadt also made technological innovations in the mural format, including collapsible, revolving, electronic, and motorized murals. In 1939 he created a mural for the subway entrance to the New York World's Fair depicting workers across America at home, at work and coming to the Fair. A section of the mural represented Ferstadt's faith in technology in an abstracted vision of the 'World of Tomorrow.' Ferstadt showed at the Bonestell Gallery in the 1940s, although from 1940 to 1946 he completed few new paintings and devoted much of his time to writing and drawing for comic books. He died in 1954." ("Painting a Place in America: Jewish Artists in New York, 1900-1945. A Tribute to the Educational Alliance Art School." Edited by Norman L. Kleeblatt and Susan Chevlowe. New York: The Jewish Museum, 1991, pp. 170) Provenance: private southern California, USA collection, acquired on December 31, 2021 as lot 50; ex-Brandywine Valley Auctions, Exton, Pennsylvania, USA, acquired November 2019; ex-Doyle Auctioneers & Appraisers, New York, New York, USA All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #186350
Louis Goodman Ferstadt (American, 1900/1954), “Farm Tragedy”, mixed media on plaster on panel, unsigned, "New York Artists Equity Association, New York, NY" label en verso, 22 1/8 in. x 32 in., framed. Provenance: Estate of the artist; by descent to the artist’s sister; by gift to the Artist Equity Association, New York, NY; Private Collector, New York; Barridoff Auctions, New York, NY, Aug. 5, 2011, lot 186; private collection
LOUIS GOODMAN FERSTADT (Ukrainian/American, 1900 oil on canvas. Signed lower right. 24 inches high x 34 inche wide. Total Framed measures 29 inches high x 38 inches wide.
Louis Goodman Ferstadt Ukrainian/American, 1900-1954 East River Firehouse Signed FERSTADT (ll); inscribed as titled on the reverse Oil on Masonite 16 1/8 x 20 1/8 inches
Louis Goodman Ferstadt Ukrainian/American, 1900-1954 Washington Square, 1933 Signed Louis G. Ferstadt (lc); inscribed as titled on the reverse Gouache on paper 22 1/4 x 28 1/2 inches
Louis G. Ferstadt (American 1900-1954)- ''Harold''- oil on panel, ca. 1928, signed Louis G. Ferstadt upper left, paint starting to lift in some areas. 28 x 24'' Provenance: Vixseboxse Art Gallery, Cleveland, OH
Night Life, Oil on board, 18 x 33 in (45.7 x 83.8 cm), dated lower left, "32, PROVENANCE: From the Steven and Stephanie Wasser Collection (Wellesley, MA.). Assembled from 2003-2013 focusing on the experience of being an American through the eyes of Jewish American artists working between 1925-1950. Many pieces in the collection were featured in an exhibition of the National Museum of American Jewish History (Philadelphia, PA.). http://www.theartblog.org/2013/04/jewish-artists-in-america-1925-45-at-the-national-museum-of-american-jewish-history-adversity-low-wages-and-the-capitalists-laugh/
Child Labor, Egg tempera on board, 31 x 23 in (78.7 x 58.4 cm), verso, "From the Estate of Louis Ferstadt," c. 1935, PROVENANCE: From the Steven and Stephanie Wasser Collection (Wellesley, MA.). Assembled from 2003-2013 focusing on the experience of being an American through the eyes of Jewish American artists working between 1925-1950. Many pieces in the collection were featured in an exhibition of the National Museum of American Jewish History (Philadelphia, PA.). http://www.theartblog.org/2013/04/jewish-artists-in-america-1925-45-at-the-national-museum-of-american-jewish-history-adversity-low-wages-and-the-capitalists-laugh/
Night Life, Oil on board, 18 x 33 in (45.7 x 83.8 cm), dated lower left, "32, PROVENANCE: From the Steven and Stephanie Wasser Collection (Wellesley, MA.). Assembled from 2003-2013 focusing on the experience of being an American through the eyes of Jewish American artists working between 1925-1950. Many pieces in the collection were featured in an exhibition of the National Museum of American Jewish History (Philadelphia, PA.). http://www.theartblog.org/2013/04/jewish-artists-in-america-1925-45-at-the-national-museum-of-american-jewish-history-adversity-low-wages-and-the-capitalists-laugh/
LOUIS FERSTADT (RUSSIAN-AMERICAN 1900-1954) Untitled (Dreams), oil on canvas 61 x 86.5 cm (24 x 34 in.) signed lower left PLEASE NOTE If you will be bidding live on auction day, please note that Session I of the Auction (Asian and Russian Fine & Decorative Art), starts at 10:00 AM New York Time and goes from Lot 1 through Lot 254. Session II of the Auction (European, American and International Fine & Decorative Art) starts at 3:00 PM New York Time and goes from Lot 500 through Lot 676. We sell approximately 70 lots per hour.
Louis Goodman Ferstadt (American, 1900-1954); Untitled (Protection of the Child by Child Labor Laws); Oil on panel (framed); 31" x 23"; Provenance: Estate of the artist; Private Collection, New York
Louis Goodman Ferstadt (American, 1900-1954); Untitled (Night Life); Oil on panel (framed); 33" x 18"; Provenance: Estate of the artist; Private Collection, New York
LOUIS GOODMAN FERSTADT (Ukrainian/American, 1900-1954) Fanciful Landscape Oil on canvas 24 x 34 inches (61.0 x 86.4 cm) Signed lower left: Louis / Ferstadt
LOUIS GOODMAN FERSTADT (Ukrainian/American, 1900-1954) Fanciful Landscape Oil on canvas 24 x 34 inches (61.0 x 86.4 cm) Signed lower left: Louis / Ferstadt PROVENANCE: Estate of the artist; Bright Hill Literary Center, Treadwell, New York; Private collection, New York, acquired from the above.
Provincetown, 1930, edition of 50. Signed and dated "1930 Louis G. Ferstadt." in pencil l.r. and in the matrix l.l., titled in pencil l.l., annotated on the reverse. Lithograph on paper, image size 8 3/4 x 11 7/8 in. (22.2 x 30.2 cm), matted. Condition: Margins approximately 1/2 inch with repaired losses, soiling, creases.
dated. Ferstadt studied with Kenneth Hayes Miller and at the Art Students League in New York. He was a member of National Society of Mural Painters and exhibited extensively in the 1920s-30s at the Salons of America, Art Institute of Chicago, National Academy of Design, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. His work is in many collections including the Walker Art Center, Art Students League, New York Public Library. He was also an illustrator and invented the "collapsible mural".
