Adolf Dehn

http://harmonmeek.com/artists/dehn.html 2-1-2011Born in Waterville, Minnesota, Adolf Dehn created artwork from the age of 6 and after formal training began to create ink drawings and lithographs by 1920 for sale. The lithography medium was so dear to him that by 1967 he had created some 637 images, which were documented in a catalogue raisonne by the Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul. (That museum, as well as the Portland Museum of Art in Oregon, have in their permanent collections all images). Dehn left Minnesota for Europe in the early 1920’s and his cabaret, park scenes, burlesque and landscapes of the roaring 20’s in Europe represent most of his imagery. He returned to the Midwest during the depression and lived on the sales of lithographs and by 1936 started working in color in the watercolor medium. His Midwest, and later northeast farmscapes, became his favorite subjects during the 1930’s and 40’s. He also spent much time in his eventual home of New York City and also captured the essence of the city’s burlesque, Central Park, Harlem night clubs, and high society. His works are in the permanent collections of nearly 100 museums of which more than 20 have collections of 25 to 250 works. His estate has been represented by this gallery since 1970 and has had seven exhibitions since 1981 including a major retrospective in 2002 with a catalogue which is available for $20. The Harmon-Meek Gallery has prints, drawings, and watercolors from estate.. Source: Askart.comBorn in Waterville, Minnesota, he became a master lithographer and noted painter of landscapes in watercolor and oil. He studied at the Minneapolis School of Fine Arts and then received a scholarship to the Art Students League in New York. During the 1920s, he spent eight years in Europe and got an early reputation as a satirical lithographer. In 1936, he gave up the print medium for watercolor and then added oil to his media. From 1939 to 1951, he traveled world wide. In 1943, he won First Prize at the International Watercolor Exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago. He was also a member of the Guggenheim Foundation.