I'm Not Telling

What's on your mind? Only the subject knows for sure, and he's been sworn to secrecy. This handsome, untitled painting of a pensive man is by artist Samuel Brecher, and one of the world-class portraits available through the Pantages Portfolio.

Samuel Brecher (1897-1982) was born in Austria but spent most of his adult life in New York City. He is best known for his oil on canvas portraits and landscapes. Professionally, he was also an art instructor and participated in the WPA teaching project from 1933 through 1938.  Brecher taught painting classes at the Newark School Fine & Industrial Arts from 1946 through 1974. He won many awards and exhibited extensively throughout his career, starting in 1924. Brecher's works are included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, the Newark Museum of Art, Florida Southern College, and several museums in Israel, among many others.

Bird's The Word

Hunting for a perfect selection from the Pantages Portfolio? Well, all signs point to this great oil on board painting of a Pointer hard at work by artist Lawrence Lebduska. You can practically hear the wings flapping and panicked cries of the birds as the dog approaches.

Lawrence H. Lebduska (1894-1966) was born in America but moved to Germany with his parents when he was a child. He started out studying stained glass making but then discovered painting. He returned to the United States just before World War I and made a name for himself painting murals. He had his first solo exhibit in 1936; it is said that this show was the reason Abby Aldrich Rockefeller began collecting folk art. Lebduska's work is included in the permanent collections of many major museums, including the MoMA in NY, the Milwaukee Art Museum in WI; the Phoenix Art Museum in AZ, and many others.