Framed: 29 x 25 7/8
artist
Simkhovitch was born near the city of Kiev, Russia. When he was 7, he spent a year in bed with a severe case of measles. To amuse himself he used to sketch an old mill outside his window, and thus decided to become an artist. He studied at an art school in Odessa and was recommended to attend the Imperial Academy of St. Petersburg (a singular honor in Russia at the time) before the war and revolution. Swept up into the army before he could attend, his work was hung in the Museum of Revolution in Leningrad. He resumed his studies in 1914 and graduated four years later. He was sent to the United States in 1924 to do illustrations for Soviet textbooks. He quickly applied for and gained U.S. citizenship.
Simkhovitch integrated with the art world immediately and galleries such as Midtown Galleries and Marie Sterner took him on as part of their stable of artists. He also was employed by the WPA and executed major mural commissions throughout the country. One of his largest commissions was the Mississippi Court House. Life magazine profiled him twice with full-length features on his life here in this country as an artist. When he died at an early age, the Whitney Museum of Art in New York offered to do a retrospective and the widow denied the possibility and simply put his works away in storage.
Considered a master draftsman and an adherent of certain classicism, Simkhovitch’s compositions are often built up in a complicated but well-managed counterpoint. But at heart, he is a romanticist preferring the dreamy colors of a Russian fairy tale.
Description
Simka Simkhovitch arrived in New York from Russia in 1924 barely being able to speak a word of English. The artist brought several of his major paintings to America as they showed his skill in executing complex figural compositions, and revealed his belief in the value and relevance of the Old Masters. During his first years in this country, he worked as an illustrator for the Hollywood film writer, Ernest Pascal. This position provided the artist with basic sustenance while allowing him the opportunity to paint. It was not until 1927 when he participated in his first exhibition in America with the Mary Sterner Gallery. Marriage Bedwas painted in 1926, while he was working with Ernest Pascal. Simkhovitch had many of his peers model for him during this period to perfect his skills in portraiture, a profession that promised a steady income. Later in his career, portraiture was one of his strongest talents and helped him get commissioned for many significant murals including the Jackson, Mississippi Court House. Furthermore, this talent fueled him to win several Federal Arts Project competitions and guaranteed him a middle class lifestyle that few artists were able to obtain during the depression-era.
Simkhovitch was born near the city of Kiev, Russia. When he was 7, he spent a year in bed with a severe case of measles. To amuse himself he used to sketch an old mill outside his window, and thus decided to become an artist. He studied at an art school in Odessa and was recommended to attend the Imperial Academy of St. Petersburg (a singular honor in Russia at the time) before the war and revolution. Swept up into the army before he could attend, his work was hung in the Museum of Revolution in Leningrad. He resumed his studies in 1914 and graduated four years later. He was sent to the United States in 1924 to do illustrations for Soviet textbooks. He quickly applied for and gained U.S. citizenship.
Simkhovitch integrated with the art world immediately and galleries such as Midtown Galleries and Marie Sterner took him on as part of their stable of artists. He also was employed by the WPA and executed major mural commissions throughout the country. One of his largest commissions was the Mississippi Court House. Life magazine profiled him twice with full-length features on his life here in this country as an artist. When he died at an early age, the Whitney Museum of Art in New York offered to do a retrospective and the widow denied the possibility and simply put his works away in storage.
provenance
Estate of the Artist
exhibitions
Carnegie International, 1933—1945
National Academy of Design, 1926, 1942, 1946, 1948
Corcoran Biennial, 1935-1947
Art Institute of Chicago, 1932-1945
Pennsylvania Academy of Art, 1932-1947
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1940, 1942
Midtown Galleries, New York, 1941-1945
Milch Galleries, New York, 1933-1941, 1946-1949
Whitney Museum (numerous)
Wildenstein Galleries, New York (numerous)
The Wadsworth Atheneum, CT, 1947