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    Lost Art Salon
    • | All Art
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      Calvin Anderson

      Calvin Anderson

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      Calvin Anderson (1925-2023)

      • The Collection
      • The Story
      • Calvin Anderson is a Bay Area painter, printmaker, and designer.  He studied at CCAC & Art Center College in the 1940s and was a commercial art director in SF for 40 years.  He taught Design at SFAI in the 1960s and created graphics for the SF Ballet for 20 years.  Anderson lived in Pacific Heights for 15 years and now resides in the East Bay.

        Cal Anderson was born in Livermore, California in 1925.  He gravitated towards art at a young age, recalling that he was a good student “but when it came to doing anything visual, that was my place.  I knew it.”  In high school Anderson worked part time at his father’s auto shop, helping to paint pin stripes on cars and arranging artistic window displays for the shop.  His teachers in high school were very supportive of Anderson as an artist, and helped him enter a painting in the State Fair Art Contest.  At 16, he received a scholarship to the Summer Session at California College of Arts and Crafts and loved it so much he returned for another year to study with Wolfgang Lederer and Alexander Nepote.  He became close friends with Lederer, and when Anderson entered the US Army Engineer Corps during WWII as a map maker, Lederer sent him the watercolors with which he painted scenes of the Pacific where he was stationed.  There are a handful of pieces in the Lost Art Collection from this period, including watercolors and pastels of Japan.

        Anderson returned to CCAC from 1944-1946 and then enrolled at Art Center College in Los Angeles.  The curriculum at Art Center was much more commercially-driven, and many of his early illustrations come from his years at Art Center.  After studying advertising design for two years he was eager to enter the workplace.  A child of the Depression, Anderson was practical and knew he needed to have a job, and commercial art was a way to utilize his passion to make a living.  He moved to the east coast to work as the art director for the advertising firm N.W. Ayer in Philadelphia from 1948-1950.  He met his future wife Elizabeth (Betty) at Ayer, and from there he went on to work as a graphic designer for CBS in New York, where he stayed until 1953 when they moved to the Bay Area.  

        The abstract paintings in the Lost Art Collection date from the late 1950s when Anderson and his family- wife Betty and children Eric, Sara, and Scot were living in a Joseph Eichler home in Terra Linda, San Rafael.  Anderson had a studio in the garage of every home the family lived in, and it was there that he explored the one genre which had rarely had a place in advertising - abstraction.  His colorful compositions from this era show an awareness of and fondness for Modern Art and particularly Abstract Expressionism.  Anderson is an avid museum-goer, and his time on the East Coast broadened his horizons by exposing him to new museums and different art than he had experienced in California.  His work from this period feels influenced by the New York trends at the time but in a more California palette, as he was experimenting and developing his own style of abstraction.

        In 1962, Anderson was offered a teaching position at the San Francisco Art Institute (then known as the California School of Fine Arts) and he became the founding chairman of the Design Department.  He had hoped to bridge the gap between commercial art and fine art and get to know the artists on staff, but that didn’t happen, although he recalled that “Elmer Bischoff and Frank Lobdell were always very accepting.”  He stayed at SFAI until 1968.

        Anderson worked as an advertising art director for Cunningham & Walsh, and later at Kenyon & Eckart, Johnson & Lewis, and Marshack.  In the 1960s, Anderson began working on promotion graphics for the San Francisco Ballet.  At the time, the Ballet was not as culturally appreciated as the SF Opera and Symphony, and their budget for graphic work was so small that Anderson’s agency soon dropped them as clients.  Anderson loved the work so much that he continued on free of charge for many years.  After retiring in the 1980s, Anderson formed his own agency, Cal Anderson Design, to work mainly for non-profit arts institutions.  He designed hundreds of posters, programs, and advertisements for the Ballet, as well as for Theatre Flamenco, the L.J. and Mary C. Skaggs Foundation, and Humanities West.  Two of his designs from the 1960s are held in the permanent collection of SFMOMA.  Through the relationships he made working with the SF Ballet, Anderson also designed books, theater productions, and exhibitions from the 1960s into the 1990s.

        In the 1990s, Anderson began taking printmaking classes at City College of San Francisco’s Fort Mason studio.  For nearly a decade he spent several hours a week there and was extremely prolific; there are roughly one thousand prints from this time in the Lost Art Collection.  He felt that printmaking was accessible with the large studio (being too messy to do at home) and enjoyed the routine and social aspects of working in Fort Mason.  He never intended to show his prints and simply enjoyed creating them for his own artistic fulfillment.  Anderson’s prints are mainly abstract and often monochromatic, displaying his Modernist sensibilities and a knack for exploring Expressionist compositions in his own, contemporary style.

        Thanks to the Anderson family for bringing this collection to Lost Art Salon and to Cal for sharing his artwork and story with us.
      View All _|_ View Available _|_ View Sold
      Composition with French Newspaper <br>20th C. Monotype and Collage<br><br> #C2362
      Composition with French Newspaper
      20th C. Monotype and Collage

      #C2362
      Calvin Anderson $445
      Soaring Angel <br>20th C. Monotype<br><br>#C2360
      Soaring Angel
      20th C. Monotype

      #C2360
      Calvin Anderson $650
      Muted Stylized Portrait of a Young Woman <br>1940s Acrylic <br><br>#B6388
      Muted Stylized Portrait of a Young Woman
      1940s Acrylic

      #B6388
      Calvin Anderson $1,250
      Abstracted Cityscape Sketch <br>20th Century Graphite <br><br>#A5407
      Abstracted Cityscape Sketch
      20th Century Graphite

      #A5407
      Calvin Anderson $265
      Minimal Portrait of a Gentleman <br>20th Century Ink Wash<br><br>#A5324
      Minimal Portrait of a Gentleman
      20th Century Ink Wash

      #A5324
      Calvin Anderson $345
      Whimsical Figure Playing the Banjo <br>20th Century Etching <br><br>#A4442
      Whimsical Figure Playing the Banjo
      20th Century Etching

      #A4442
      Calvin Anderson $395
      <i>Native Village (Philippines)</i> <br>1944 Conte Crayon <br><br>#C1083
      Native Village (Philippines)
      1944 Conte Crayon

      #C1083
      Calvin Anderson $195
      <i>Letey</i> <br>1945 Ink & Charcoal <br><br>#C1086
      Letey
      1945 Ink & Charcoal

      #C1086
      Calvin Anderson Sold $235
      Sold
      <i>Nadzab</i> <br>1944 Watercolor <br><br>#C1088
      Nadzab
      1944 Watercolor

      #C1088
      Calvin Anderson $350
      <i>Dulag, Letey</i> <br>1945 Watercolor <br><br>#C1077
      Dulag, Letey
      1945 Watercolor

      #C1077
      Calvin Anderson On Hold
      <i>Letey</i> <br>1945 Watercolor <br><br>#C1081
      Letey
      1945 Watercolor

      #C1081
      Calvin Anderson $195
      Modernist City Scene <br>1943 Watercolor <br><br>#C1089
      Modernist City Scene
      1943 Watercolor

      #C1089
      Calvin Anderson $485
      <I>Step out in Levi's</I> <br>20th Century Pastel<br><br>#97756
      Step out in Levi's
      20th Century Pastel

      #97756
      Calvin Anderson $295
      Gentleman Reading <br> 20th Century Gouache on Paper Board<br><br> #A5405
      Gentleman Reading
      20th Century Gouache on Paper Board

      #A5405
      Calvin Anderson $445
      <I>Typhoon</I> <br>20th Century Monotype <br><br>#97635
      Typhoon
      20th Century Monotype

      #97635
      Calvin Anderson $435
      Abstracted Inflexible Forms <br>20th Century Monotype <br><br>#A4452
      Abstracted Inflexible Forms
      20th Century Monotype

      #A4452
      Calvin Anderson $445
      <I>Falling Collage</I> <br>20th Century Monotype <br><br>#A2247
      Falling Collage
      20th Century Monotype

      #A2247
      Calvin Anderson $485
      Movement & Color Study <br>20th Century Monotype <br><br>#C0255
      Movement & Color Study
      20th Century Monotype

      #C0255
      Calvin Anderson $485
      Geometric Abstract Deconstruction <br>20th Century Monotype <br><br>#C0244
      Geometric Abstract Deconstruction
      20th Century Monotype

      #C0244
      Calvin Anderson $565
      Vibrant Brushstroke Abstract <br>20th Century Monotype <br><br>#C0237
      Vibrant Brushstroke Abstract
      20th Century Monotype

      #C0237
      Calvin Anderson $650
      Cool-Toned Minimalist Abstract<br> 20th Century Monotype<br><br>#A2244
      Cool-Toned Minimalist Abstract
      20th Century Monotype

      #A2244
      Calvin Anderson Sold $435
      Sold
      Contrasting Colors & Forms <br>20th Century Monotype <br><br>#A2245
      Contrasting Colors & Forms
      20th Century Monotype

      #A2245
      Calvin Anderson Sold $435
      Sold
      Monochromatic Artist Proof <br>20th Century Monotype <br><br>#99637
      Monochromatic Artist Proof
      20th Century Monotype

      #99637
      Calvin Anderson $375
      Loose & Geometric Abstract <br>20th Century Monotype<br><br>#C0250
      Loose & Geometric Abstract
      20th Century Monotype

      #C0250
      Calvin Anderson $650
      Vibrant Abstracted Forms <br>20th Century Monotype <br><br>#C0260
      Vibrant Abstracted Forms
      20th Century Monotype

      #C0260
      Calvin Anderson $495
      Bold Monochrome Abstract <br>20th Century Monotype <br><br>#B6883
      Bold Monochrome Abstract
      20th Century Monotype

      #B6883
      Calvin Anderson Sold $1,950
      Sold
      Modernist Monochrome Abstract <br>20th Century Monotype <br><br>#B6888
      Modernist Monochrome Abstract
      20th Century Monotype

      #B6888
      Calvin Anderson Sold $1,950
      Sold
      Vintage Industrial Scene <br>1946 Watercolor <br><br>#B6610
      Vintage Industrial Scene
      1946 Watercolor

      #B6610
      Calvin Anderson $450
      Vintage Still Life with Cactus <br>1942 Watercolor <br><br>#B6646
      Vintage Still Life with Cactus
      1942 Watercolor

      #B6646
      Calvin Anderson $485
      Watm Modernist Still Life <br>1948 Watercolor <br><br>#B6649
      Watm Modernist Still Life
      1948 Watercolor

      #B6649
      Calvin Anderson $485
      Charming Vintage City Scene <br>1945 Watercolor <br><br>#B6629
      Charming Vintage City Scene
      1945 Watercolor

      #B6629
      Calvin Anderson Sold $450
      Sold
      Vintage Industrial Cityscape <br>1946 Watercolor <br><br>#B6632
      Vintage Industrial Cityscape
      1946 Watercolor

      #B6632
      Calvin Anderson $450
      <i>Letey</i> <br>1945 Watercolor <br><br>#B6616
      Letey
      1945 Watercolor

      #B6616
      Calvin Anderson $395
      Vintage Street Corner Scene <br>Mid 1940s Watercolor <br><br>#B6622
      Vintage Street Corner Scene
      Mid 1940s Watercolor

      #B6622
      Calvin Anderson $385
      <i>Letey</i> <br>1945 Watercolor <br><br>#B6635
      Letey
      1945 Watercolor

      #B6635
      Calvin Anderson $395
      Modernist Neighborhood Scene <br>1943 Watercolor <br><br>#B6639
      Modernist Neighborhood Scene
      1943 Watercolor

      #B6639
      Calvin Anderson Sold $445
      Sold
      Vintage Coastal Abstract <br>Mid 1940s Watercolor <br><br>#B6653
      Vintage Coastal Abstract
      Mid 1940s Watercolor

      #B6653
      Calvin Anderson $445
      Modernist Backstreet Scene <br>1946 Watercolor <br><br>#B6657
      Modernist Backstreet Scene
      1946 Watercolor

      #B6657
      Calvin Anderson On Hold
      Abstracted Boats at Harbor <br>Mid 1940s Watercolor <br><br>#B6666
      Abstracted Boats at Harbor
      Mid 1940s Watercolor

      #B6666
      Calvin Anderson Sold $565
      Sold
      Still Life with Fruit & Jug <br>1942 Watercolor <br><br>#B6567
      Still Life with Fruit & Jug
      1942 Watercolor

      #B6567
      Calvin Anderson $395
      <i>Letey</i> <br>1945 Watercolor <br><br>#B6569
      Letey
      1945 Watercolor

      #B6569
      Calvin Anderson $445
      <i>Nadzar</i> <br>1945 Watercolor <br><br>#B6571
      Nadzar
      1945 Watercolor

      #B6571
      Calvin Anderson $395
      <i>Letey</i> <br>1945 Watercolor <br><br>#B6582
      Letey
      1945 Watercolor

      #B6582
      Calvin Anderson $350
      Figures at the Beach <br>Mid 1940s Watercolor <br><br>#B6584
      Figures at the Beach
      Mid 1940s Watercolor

      #B6584
      Calvin Anderson $450
      Color Field Abstract <br>1940-50s Tempera Paint <br><br>#B6552
      Color Field Abstract
      1940-50s Tempera Paint

      #B6552
      Calvin Anderson Sold $585
      Sold
      1940-50s Modernist Woodblock Abstract Scene <br><br>#B6554
      1940-50s Modernist Woodblock Abstract Scene

      #B6554
      Calvin Anderson $695
      Rose Colored Still Life <br>1942 Watercolor <br><br>#B6557
      Rose Colored Still Life
      1942 Watercolor

      #B6557
      Calvin Anderson Sold $445
      Sold
      Colorful Gestural Abstract <br>1940s Tempera Paint <br><br>#B6560
      Colorful Gestural Abstract
      1940s Tempera Paint

      #B6560
      Calvin Anderson $585
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