Artist

Morris Kantor

born Minsk, Russia (now Belarus) 1896-died Nyack, NY 1974
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Morris Kantor, © Peter A. Juley & Son Collection, Smithsonian American Art Museum J0001756
Born
Minsk, Russia
Died
Nyack, New York, United States
Active in
  • New York, New York, United States
Biography

Born in Russia, brought to the United States in 1906, lived in New York City. Painter who explored futurism, Cubism, and other styles as alternatives to the realism that characterizes his best-known work.

Charles Sullivan, ed American Beauties: Women in Art and Literature (New York: Henry N. Abrams, Inc., in association with National Museum of American Art, 1993)

Works by this artist (22 items)

Martin Lewis, R.F.D., 1933, drypoint and aquatint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Frank McClure, 1979.98.159
R.F.D.
Date1933
drypoint and aquatint on paper
Not on view
Martin Lewis, H'anted, 1932, drypoint, sandpaper ground, on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chicago Society of Etchers, 1935.13.193
H’anted
Date1932
drypoint, sandpaper ground, on paper
Not on view
Martin Lewis, The Return, 1925, etching on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Nion McEvoy, 2014.39.5
The Return
Date1925
etching on paper
Not on view
Martin Lewis, Tree, Manhattan, n.d., drypoint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chicago Society of Etchers, 1935.13.194
Tree, Manhattan
Daten.d.
drypoint
Not on view

Related Books

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1934: A New Deal for Artists
During the Great Depression, president Franklin Delano Roosevelt promised a “new deal for the American people,” initiating government programs to foster economic recovery. Roosevelt’s pledge to help “the forgotten man” also embraced America’s artists. The Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) enlisted artists to capture “the American Scene” in works of art that would embellish public buildings across the country. Although it lasted less than one year, from December 1933 to June 1934, the PWAP provided employment for thousands of artists, giving them an important role in the country’s recovery. Their legacy, captured in more than fifteen thousand artworks, helped “the American Scene” become America seen.