Harry Gottlieb
Encyclopedia
Harry Gottlieb was a painter, screen printer, lithographer, and educator based in New York City.
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From 1915 to 1917, Gottlieb attended the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. After a short stint as an illustrator for the U.S. Navy, Gottlieb moved to New York City; he became a scenic and costume designer for Eugene O’Neill’s Provincetown Theater Group. He also studied at the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts and the National Academy of Design
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-led movement in New York City where Gottlieb settled in 1918. He was also a pioneer in screen printing, which he learned while working for the WPA.
In 1935, he joined the Federal Art Project
; he was one of the first members of the WPA
/FAP’s Silk Screen Unit. Gottlieb remained active as a painter and screen printer after the closure of the Federal Art Project, and served as the first director of the short-lived American Artists School
in New York City. Gottlieb was a leader and active member of the Artists Union and the Artists Congress.
He lectured widely on art education and promoted the government support of artist and artistic projects.
His work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Brooklyn Museum, the Whitney Museum, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
. In 1923, Gottlieb settled in Woodstock, New York and in 1931, spent a year abroad studying under a Guggenheim Fellowship
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Harry Gottlieb was an adherent of the political theories of Karl Marx
and joined the Communist Party in the 1930's, remaining a lifelong member of the party.
Biography
Harry Gottlieb was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1895. He immigrated to America in 1907, and his family settled in MinneapolisMinneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
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From 1915 to 1917, Gottlieb attended the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. After a short stint as an illustrator for the U.S. Navy, Gottlieb moved to New York City; he became a scenic and costume designer for Eugene O’Neill’s Provincetown Theater Group. He also studied at the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts and the National Academy of Design
National Academy of Design
The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, founded in New York City as the National Academy of Design – known simply as the "National Academy" – is an honorary association of American artists founded in 1825 by Samuel F. B. Morse, Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E...
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Career
Harry Gottlieb was one of America’s first Social Realist painters, influenced by the Robert HenriRobert Henri
Robert Henri was an American painter and teacher. He was a leading figure of the Ashcan School in art.- Early life :...
-led movement in New York City where Gottlieb settled in 1918. He was also a pioneer in screen printing, which he learned while working for the WPA.
In 1935, he joined the Federal Art Project
Federal Art Project
The Federal Art Project was the visual arts arm of the Great Depression-era New Deal Works Progress Administration Federal One program in the United States. It operated from August 29, 1935, until June 30, 1943. Reputed to have created more than 200,000 separate works, FAP artists created...
; he was one of the first members of the WPA
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
/FAP’s Silk Screen Unit. Gottlieb remained active as a painter and screen printer after the closure of the Federal Art Project, and served as the first director of the short-lived American Artists School
American Artists School
The American Artists School was a progressive independent art school in New York City associated with socialism and the American Radical movement.The school was founded in April 1936 at 131 West Fourteenth Street...
in New York City. Gottlieb was a leader and active member of the Artists Union and the Artists Congress.
He lectured widely on art education and promoted the government support of artist and artistic projects.
His work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Brooklyn Museum, the Whitney Museum, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Personal life
Harry Gottlieb married Russian born artist and sculptor Eugenie Gershoy, and the couple joined the artist colony at Woodstock, New YorkWoodstock, New York
Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 at the 2000 census.The Town of Woodstock is in the northern part of the county...
. In 1923, Gottlieb settled in Woodstock, New York and in 1931, spent a year abroad studying under a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
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Harry Gottlieb was an adherent of the political theories of Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
and joined the Communist Party in the 1930's, remaining a lifelong member of the party.