MAX TURNER

LADY WITH PICK FAN

1990

Biography from the niece of the artist from during his lifetime. Paintings acquired from the artist.s estate. Max Turner 1925 - 2019 Max Lamar Turner Painter, Sculptor, Teacher and Author. Max Turner was born in Omaha, Nebraska on July 28, 1925. His father was Lance Howard Turner and his mother Mary Irene Turner. In 1927, his family moved to Bingham Canyon, Utah where Max's father extracted copper from a creek that he had diverted to pass through his garage. The town was located in a narrow canyon on the eastern face of the Oquirrh Mountains. In 1938, when Max was 13, his family moved to Midvale, Utah. After completing high school, Max went to work laying rail until he was inducted into the U.S. Navy to serve during W.W. II. There he took an aptitude test and was initially assigned to the medical corp., later transferring to the dental unit. Max was stationed at Port Hueneme, Ventura County, California through the end of the war. When he was discharged in 1946, he remained in Southern California, living in the Los Angeles area. He met a man named Larry Torres and they formed a partnership to do silk screen work primarily for the Colby Poster Printing Company. This lasted about 10 years until the Colby building caught fire and burned down. In 1958, Max began working for Slade Novelty company that made doll parts using a product called plastisol. A year later, Max began producing plastic parts through his own business. One day, a couple of kids brought in a shrunken skull they had made and asked Max if he could reproduce it. Max said he could and he looked around for a business to work with for this task. He ultimately decided he could create his own machine shop to make molds. As a result, Max purchased a lathe, drill press, grinder and other tools to create his own machine shop and went into business making molds. He built a clientele and in 1973, he moved his machine shop to Glendale, California. Painter, Sculptor, Teacher and Author: Max recalls the day when his interest in art took a new direction. He happened to be in a paint store to purchase some supplies when he saw a card posted on a wall that read, "Come paint with Connie Marlo". Max had been interested in art since his youth and he was frequently impressed with paintings displayed by local artists at various community events. Consequently, he decided to go to Connie's Saturday morning art class at a studio on North La Brea Avenue (between Sunset and Hollywood) in Los Angeles. But, as fate would have it, he immediately took a detour from this class when he found a piece of paper on the floor of the studio referencing another art class dealing with compositions, patterns, rhythms and color harmony. The instructor's name was Hal Reed, a former art student of the Russian/American Master, Nicolai Fechin. Hal owned the building (previously the Will Foster Studio) and had founded the Art League of Los Angeles. When Max found Hal, he asked Hal if he could join his class. Hal said "No, the class was full" but he said Max could monitor the class in the back of the classroom. Max took him up on the offer and began observing the weekly class. During the class, Hal told his students that they should practice what they were learning by going to "live model" classes. Max began attending these classes where he learned how to draw figures. After a few months, Hal and Max became good friends. Hal was so impressed with Max's work that he offered Max the opportunity to teach at another location that Hal was opening in the San Fernando Valley. Max accepted the offer and began teaching his own art class. For Max, it was a quick jump from learning to teaching. Max then found that several of his students had to commute to his art class from the west end of the "Valley". To better serve this group of students, Max decided to relocate to another studio in Calabasas. Max continued teaching, and at this time he was producing very impressive portraits, both oil paintings and charcoal drawings from live models (Max never worked from photos). Max demonstrated real talent, and the style of his drawings and paintings were being compared to those of Nicolai Fechin. And, like Fechin, Max also had an interest in sculpting. One day, Max decided to design and cast a bronze owl sculpture to put in his Calabasas Fine Art Gallery. Later, someone approached Max when he was at the foundry and asked him about his success selling the owl sculpture. The individual who asked this question was convinced that there was a broader market for these sculptures and he ordered a dozen of the owl sculptures from Max. This encouraged Max to do more castings. Some of the new castings were antique sculptures he found and reproduced. As this new business grew, he decided to establish his own foundry, employing up to 15 workers. The business continued for many years, up until the late 1990's when Max got tired of the foundry business and sold it. Max, who was now in his 70's, decided to move on to his next venture as an artist, dedicating himself to doing the actual sculpting of original art. He loved the creativity of sculpting and he had his sculptures cast at local foundries, ironically the same ones that used to be his competition. Max was now fully engaged in his new artistic direction and, over time, he produced a large body of work. He created very impressive sculptures, including about 100 full-size sculptures. He sold some of these to high-end clientele, the Foundry at SLS Las Vegas, and to Hollywood studios. Even though Max now seemed to be totally in his element, he somehow also found time to continue to teach painting classes at the California Art Institute in Westlake Village in Los Angeles. At the institute, he specialized in figure work. Max continued to draw, paint and teach, but he says he stopped sculpting when he turned 90. Max produced four books showcasing his drawings and paintings. The first is "Faces, The Drawings of Max Turner", copyright 2000, that showcases nearly 100 of his portrait drawings. Within the "Acknowledgements" section, he lists Hal Reed and Joseph Nordmann, two former students of Nicolai Fechin. In 2006, Max produced his second book titled "Figures and Faces", reflecting not only portraits but also figure drawings and paintings. It is a wonderful book of Max's work, but it is currently difficult to find. The third book is titled "Faces 2, The Paintings and Drawings of Max Turner", copyright 2009, which includes 75 portrait paintings and drawings. In the "Preface" of this book, Max describes growing up in a small and isolated mining town during the Great Depression. He states that as a kid, he had little exposure of any culture or view of what the rest of the world was like. His neighbor was the trash collector and Max would sometimes go through his truck looking for anything of value. Among other things, he found magazines like Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping and Red Book, with covers that frequently showed drawings or paintings of faces. Max states that these images were the very first source of inspiration for him. He says that he began looking more carefully at people's faces and if they had character, he would draw them. By drawing them, Max says that he was making them part of his world, his world of "Faces". In 2018, Max published his newest book showcasing his drawings and paintings. It is titled "Max Turner's Figure Sketches". This softbound book includes 76 pages and over 120 drawings and paintings. In the Introduction, Max explains "I have found that when approaching the figure, one should begin with the gesture. After having captured the essence or feeling of the pose, one can then proceed to build on it." The figure sketches in this wonderful book reflect a Master's work that consistently captures the "gesture"-showing the emotion, movement and expression. Two more books are on the horizon for Max, both dealing with his passion for sculpting. His first, "The Sculpture of Max Turner" is a compilation of his commercial and noncommercial pieces throughout his career. The second, "Terra Cotta Sculpture by Max Turner" is a complete collection of figures done at the California Art Institute. These much anticipated books should be out later in 2018. Max now considers himself primarily a sculptor. But others in the art world are more than impressed with his drawings and paintings as well. His portraits are often described as having a Fechin-esque appearance, referring to the style of Nicolai Fechin. When Max observed those first art classes given by Hal Reed, it should be noted that Hal had previously been a student of the Russian/American Master Nicolai Fechin in the early to mid-1950's. In fact, Hal was a student in the last art class that Fechin taught before he unexpectedly died in 1955. Hal was so strongly influenced by Fechin that he later produced two 30-minute art instruction videos as part his Art Video Productions wherein he specifically described Fechin techniques that he learned in Fechin's class. The Fechin style and techniques were in play when Max later met Hal. Over the years, many of Max's art students, art collectors, gallery owners, as well as the Director of the Monterey Museum of Art have commented on the Fechin-esque qualities of Max's wonderful charcoal drawings and paintings. So, while Max may consider himself primarily a sculptor, his drawings and paintings are also impressive and very much sought after. When Nicolai Fechin died in 1955, three of the nine students in his last art class became life-long friends. Max subsequently became friends with not only Hal Reed, but also with prior Fechin students Joseph Nordmann and Albert Londraville...

"MEJOR SOLAS" OIL AND ACRILIC ON CANVAS SIGNED AND DATED 2010 EXHIBITED MUSEO DEL BANCO CENTRAL DE COSTA RICA 47.5 X 59 INCHES Sofía Ruiz was born in ...

Size with frame: 34 x 28 Inches Reza begun studying art seriously at age 15 and was studying at the institute of art in Iran where he graduated with highest honors. He also studied...

YURI MARTINEZ RAMOS "HOME FIRE OIL ON CANVAS, SIGNED CUBAN-AMERICAN, C.2006 20 X 16 INCHES Home Fire" brings me back to my childhood home when my grandpa visited us every day smoking his pipe and conversing good moments. Yuri Martinez Ramos was born in Havana, Cuba on November 24, 1964. He studied at the Elemental School of Plastic Arts from 1975 – 1979 and the National School of the Arts from 1979 – 1983. Martinez’ figurative paintings have been compared to Botero because of his satirical social commentary. His style, however, is uniquely his own with typically vibrant Latin colors and use of expressive magical realism. His paintings tell his story and the story of the Cuban dilemma. Martinez was granted permission by the US Justice Department after much effort with Cuban authorities to come to the US with his family and pursue his career outside Cuba. He now lives and works in Texas. Papillon Gallery...

RICHARD GEIGER "RELAXING" OIL ON CANVAS, SIGNED HUNGARIAN, C.1930 28 X 39 INCHES FRAMED 36.5 X 46 INCHES Richard Geiger 1870-1945 Richard Geiger was born in Vienna and first studied at the Vienna Art Institute with the academic painter Christian Ludwig Von Griepenkerl and, subsequently, in Paris with Francois Flameng...

BUCKLEY MACGURRIN "ALEXANDRIA" OIL ON CANVAS, SIGNED, TITLED AMERICAN, DATED 1949 EXHIBITED: DALZELL-HATFIELD GALLERY 14 X 20 INCHES Buckley MacGurrin 1896 –1971 Buckley MacG...

Portrait of Young Girl is an artwork realized by Pietro Alimonti, 1969. Oil on Canvas. 49 x 39 cm ; 88 x 68 cm. Handsigned in the lower left margin. Good conditions!

Portrait of Young Lady French School, early 1900's period oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 26 x 21 inches provenance: private collection, Paris condition: very good and sound condition

Lady in Gondola, Venice French/ Italian School, mid 20th century, indistinctly signed oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 39.5 x 28.75 inches provenance: private collection, Provence c...

Stunning signed and dated modernist oil on canvas by Argentinian painter Alfredo Guttero. The work depicts a portrait of a young Argentinian woman. It is beautifully and the brush strokes make it almost pointillist like. This work has come from the collection of the esteemed Jewish art collector Gaston Prosper Levy and was gifted top him by the painter. Prosper Levy held one of the most important collections of modern French art - many of the works were taken by the Nazis from his home in France in 1940. This work has been assessed by the Art Loss Register and is not recorded on their database. Signature: Signed, dedicated and dated 1918 upper right Dimensions: Framed: 29"x24.5 Unframed: 26"x21.5" Provenance: Original exhibition number to frame The collection of Gaston Prosper Levy Alfredo Nicolás Guttero was born in Buenos Aires on May 26, 1882. He studies music as a child and from an early age he shows his drawing abilities. He starts a law career which he quits two years later to start painting full time. Ernesto de la Cárcova and Martín Malharro encourage him towards this change and, in 1904 he gets a scholarship to travel to France to further his work. His scholarship only lasted a year, but with his family’s help and his work related to decorative art, he manages to stay in Paris until 1917, where he studies under Maurice Denis. He moves to Spain, and towards 1917, he studies in Madrid and La Coruña. Then he moves to Segovia in 1918. In this occasion he takes parts in a collective exhibition of Argentine painters and sculptors, together with artists such as Fray Guillermo Butler and Pablo Curatella Manes, among others. After his passing through Germany, Austria and Italy, in 1925 he settles in Genova where he holds an exhibition of his entire artistic production to date. After 23 years in Europe, on September 26, 1927, Guttero arrives in Buenos Aires, and on October 20, he holds an exhibit at Asociación Amigos del Arte. That same year, the Comisión Nacional de Bellas Artes acquires for the Museo Nacional his piece: Mujeres indolentes (Indolent women). A week later he takes part in the Feria del Boliche de Arte invited by Leonardo Estarico and Atalaya. Upon his return from Genova, he continues his investigation and development of the pictorial techniques denominated by him as “cooked plaster”, a technical procedure based on a paste of plaster with pigments mixed in with glue that the artist generally applied mounted on wooden supports. As of this moment, Guttero starts in Buenos Aies an intensive array of exhibits and other activities which make a big impact on the local cultural scene, apart from continuing with his personal art production. Between 1927 and 1932, the year of his sudden death, Alfredo Guttero takes part, among other projects, in the “3ª Exposición Comunal de Artes Aplicadas e Industriales 1927- 1928”, where he is awarded the Grand Prize in the Sección Pintura Decorativa; and the “X Salón de Otoño de Rosario” (1928) where he gets the Gold Medal for the Figure category; he presents works in the exhibits organized by Ateneo Popular de la Boca (1928); “XVIII Salón Nacional“ (1929) and is awarded the Second Municipal Prize for his work Playa (Beach). In 1929, he organizes the “Nuevo Salón” in Buenos Aires, Rosario and La Plata. He presents his work at the “XIX Salón Nacional de Bellas Artes” where he gets the First Prize in painting with his work Feria (Street market); in September of that same year he inaugurates his fourth individual exhibition at Amigos del Arte and participates in the selection of paintings which will appear in post cards that this institution would print eventually. In 1930 he is named artistic advisor of the Asociación Wagneriana and director of its Plastic Arts Section. That same year he organizes the “Salón de Pintores Modernos. Primer Grupo” in Buenos Aires; exhibits at Amigos del Arte, at the “Salón de Pintores y Escultores Modernos” and at show rooms in Rosario and Santa Fe. In January, 1931 he takes part in the “First Baltimore Pan-American Exhibition of Contemporary Paintings” and is awarded the Museum of Art Award with his piece Anunciación (Announcement), which he later donates to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de Buenos Aires. That same year he organizes exhibits of Miguel Carlos Victorica and Demetrio Urruchúa in Amigos del Arte and, in May, Guttero presents his work at the Salón Centenario de Montevideo, “Primer Grupo Argentino de Pintores Modernos”. In June he directs together with Falcini, courses on Plastic Art and works on stage scenery for the Colón Theater. Also in 1931, he organizes the “Salón de Pintores Modernos” in Amigos del Arte and takes part at the Salón Nacional, being awarded the Eduardo Sívori Prize. On April 15, 1932 they open together with Pedro Domínguez Neira, Raquel Forner and Alfredo Bigatti the Cursos Libres de Arte Plástico (Free plastic art courses). That same year Guttero is awarded the First Municipal Prize for his work Oda (Ode). In November, he is invited to take part in the “Salón de Arte del Cincuentenario de La Plata” and, on December 1, he dies in Buenos Aires at the age of 50. The following year, between October and November, the Dirección Nacional de Bellas Artes organizes...

The Courtship by Maria Tort Xirau (Catalan, 1924-2018) signed lower corner dated 1991 oil painting on canvas, framed canvas: 42 x 29.5 inches framed: 48 x 36 inches Very good condition. Provenance: from the artists estate, France Maria Tort Xirau ( Figueres , 26 May 1924 – 6 June 2018) was a painter and photographic and cinematographic editor from Emporda. She developed a long professional career in leading photographic studios, in films for The Walt Disney Company and also in advertising claims for companies such as Educa Borràs . The second half of her life was dedicated to painting, exercising a luminous, varied and nostalgic chromatic style in the techniques of oil and watercolor and with exhibitions of her work in Barcelona and Figueres. The Biographical Dictionary of Art Empordà defined Tort Xirau's work as "a painting that is characterized by the strength of the strokes, the vividness and brightness of the chromatic range and exudes mastery of the photographic technique. A mixture of nostalgia and tenderness is evident.". Tort Xirau's paintings were exhibited in the two towns where she spent her life: in 1992 she exhibited his work at the Caixa de Figueres Exhibition Hall. Two years later, she did it at Sala Conex in Barcelona and in 2007 and 2013 the Consortium of Sant Ferran Castle and the Figueres Town Council organized tribute exhibitions. In 2013, she ceded to the council of the city of Figueres her work Mercat de la plaça de l'Ajuntament , watercolored on paper around 1991, which is exhibited in the rest room of the building. On June 6, 2018, she died in Figueres at the age of 94, receiving the apostolic blessing . Two years after her death, part of her paintings were included in the exhibition Paint, create, live. Women artists in the Alt...

The Embrace by Maria Tort Xirau (Catalan, 1924-2018) signed lower corner dated 1991 oil painting on canvas, framed canvas: 42 x 29.5 inches framed: 4...