Emil Holzhauer (German-American, 1887-1986), Industrial Neighborhood

Watercolor and gouache on paper, signed at lower left, matted, and framed below glass.

Sheet sight 22 x 30 in.; Frame dimensions 34 3/8 x 42 1/8 in.

From the Collection of Mr. Jonathan P. Alcott, Raleigh, North Carolina

Born in Schwabisch-Gmund, Germany, Emil Holzhauer moved to New York City in 1906. He attended evening classes at the New York School of Art in 1909 where he studied with Robert Henri who became a friend and inspiration to Holzhauer throughout his career. In 1913, he attended the Armory Show and was inspired by the work of American and European modernists. He held his first solo exhibition in 1915 and exhibited regularly in New York thereafter. He taught at the Chicago Art Institute and spent many years in residence in the South, beginning in 1940, when he was invited to teach at the Asheville School for Boys in North Carolina, followed by a professorship at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia from 1942 to 1953.

Holzhauer became identified with the American Scene movement in art. The subject of this painting was common for his oeuvre, which consisted of working-class homes and neighborhoods, treated in a unique way that conveyed the beauty and simplicity he found in them. In 1953, he relocated to Niceville, Florida where he taught until 1972, and died in 1986.

Very good condition, not examined outside the frame.