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    Lost Art Salon
    • | All Art
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      Leo Saal

      Leo Saal

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      Leo Saal (1912-1996)

      • The Collection
      • The Story


      • For over six decades, and through incredible circumstances, Leo Saal managed to draw, sketch, do printmaking, make collages and paint--often inspired by early references to turn-of-the-century Russian paintings. Recurring themes were frequently related to European history, the circus metaphor, mother and child, the beach, and Washington DC. Saal was primarily self-taught and created thousands of pieces with strong influences from Beckman, Picasso, Manet, Feininger, Velasquez and Goya.

        Leo Saal was born in the present-day Russian city of St. Petersburg at a time of great change. Then known as Petrograd, it was the capital of Czarist Russia and the center of the country's cultural and artistic life until the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, when it was renamed Leningrad. Saal lived through these and many other changes to see the city ultimately restored to its historic name of St. Petersburg after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

        His early life, though happy, was caught up in these and many other events surrounding the collapse of the Czars, in a series of revolutions and changes of government. A first revolution in 1905 faltered, to be followed by the harsh totalitarian regime of the Bolsheviks. Saal's family and their businesses survived the first revolution but not the second. During these turbulent times, Saal completed his high school education, and, not long thereafter, was sent to Soviet prison camp for the first time, as had his father before him. On his return to Leningrad, he worked in the city's nascent film industry until he was rearrested and sent to a Siberian labor camp ("The Gulag") at the age of twenty-one, where he survived due to his knowledge of photography and his filmmaking skills.

        After his release in the early 1930's he lived outside Moscow, married, and continued to pursue his interest in art and photography. Captured by the German army during the siege of Moscow, he was separated from his wife and would never see her again. After his release from a displaced person's camp at the end of WWII, Saal literally joined the circus, using his artistic talent to create set designs. Around this time, he remarried and found some success selling paintings. To support his new family, he took a job with the U.S. occupying forces in Munich, and later moved to Washington DC in the early 1950s to work for the CIA as a Russia analyst.

        The landscape was always a topic of choice for Saal. The Ruhr, Munich, Freiburg, Bethany Beach, Southern Shores, Cape Henlopen, Boothbay, Chincoteague, Ocean City, Old Rag Mountain, Lake George, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Salinas, Mount Diablo, Tuscany, Toledo, Rome, Hamburg, Paris, wherever he was, landscapes and city scenes would always inspire him.

        When Saal retired in his seventies from being a Russian analyst he was able to realize his dream of becoming a full-time painter, collage artist and printmaker. Abstractions and large-scale work became his focus for a time as he formed important friendships with local D.C. artists. He joined cooperative galleries and workshops, most notably Ann Zahn’s private print studio in Bethesda, Maryland. During that time, he revisited his circus, family and beach motifs using various print media.

        In the 1980s Saal added a new art studio wing to his home. Tuesday mornings became figure painting time with a live model for Saal and his group of D.C. artist friends. Prior to that he had studied figure drawing during night classes at the American University and also taken correspondence art courses. Painting the model brought back memories of one of his first jobs sketching asylum inmates in Germany.

        His use of color and his ability to depict fantasy through symbolism became especially strong in the last decade of his life. Leo Saal died at eighty-four in 1996. Saal once said, “painting is not reproduction of the visible but its discovery.”

        Leo Saal’s excellent memoir, “Crossings”, was published by Chronos Press in 1996. His three-part catalogue raisonné was published in 2012 by his daughter, Irene Holmes. Both can be purchased through Amazon.

        We want to thank Leo Saal’s daughter, Irene Holmes, for diligently cataloguing her father’s oeuvre and enabling us to represent this historical body of work and story.


      View the Exhibition Page
      View All _|_ View Available _|_ View Sold
      Cubist Seated Figures <br>1982 Monotype <br><br>#B5191
      Cubist Seated Figures
      1982 Monotype

      #B5191
      Leo Saal Sold $1,350
      Seated Male Portrait <br>1963 Acrylic <br><br>#C0393
      Seated Male Portrait
      1963 Acrylic

      #C0393
      Leo Saal $3,295
      Winter Forest Scene <br>1970 Oil <br><br>#C0398
      Winter Forest Scene
      1970 Oil

      #C0398
      Leo Saal $1,475
      Reclining Figure by the Window <br>1968 Oil <br><br>#B5381
      Reclining Figure by the Window
      1968 Oil

      #B5381
      Leo Saal $3,450
      <i>Diamond Point, NY</i> <br>1994 Oil <br><br>#B6523
      Diamond Point, NY
      1994 Oil

      #B6523
      Leo Saal On Hold
      Surreal Coastal Scene with Figures <br>1990 Oil <br><br>#B6338
      Surreal Coastal Scene with Figures
      1990 Oil

      #B6338
      Leo Saal $1,675
      <i>Lake George, WY</i> <br>1984 Acrylic <br><br>#B6551
      Lake George, WY
      1984 Acrylic

      #B6551
      Leo Saal On Hold
      Quiet Hillside Scene <br>1960-1970s Oil <br><br>#B6267
      Quiet Hillside Scene
      1960-1970s Oil

      #B6267
      Leo Saal Sold $1,195
      <i>Three Aerialists</i> <br>1984 Oil <br><br>#B6255
      Three Aerialists
      1984 Oil

      #B6255
      Leo Saal $4,450
      Minimalist Cool Toned Abstract <br>1974 Collage <br><br>#B6294
      Minimalist Cool Toned Abstract
      1974 Collage

      #B6294
      Leo Saal On Hold
      Bold Abstract Collage, 1974 <br><br>#B5970
      Bold Abstract Collage, 1974

      #B5970
      Leo Saal Sold $1,450
      1970s Collage on Paper Abstracted Landscape <br><br>#B6176
      1970s Collage on Paper Abstracted Landscape

      #B6176
      Leo Saal $695
      Abstracted Circus Figure <br>1974 Collage <br><br>#B6124
      Abstracted Circus Figure
      1974 Collage

      #B6124
      Leo Saal On Hold
      Late 20th Century Torn Paper Collage on Board <br><br>#B6125
      Late 20th Century Torn Paper Collage on Board

      #B6125
      Leo Saal On Hold
      Landscape Through An Open Window <br>1986 Etching <br><br>#B5183
      Landscape Through An Open Window
      1986 Etching

      #B5183
      Leo Saal Sold $850
      Expressionist Figure Scene <br>1973 Acrylic on Canvas <br><br>#B5391
      Expressionist Figure Scene
      1973 Acrylic on Canvas

      #B5391
      Leo Saal Sold $7,950
      Circus Performer with Horse <br>1949 Watercolor <br><br>#B5164
      Circus Performer with Horse
      1949 Watercolor

      #B5164
      Leo Saal $1,275
      View of the Eiffel Tower <br>1986 Lithograph <br><br>#B5193
      View of the Eiffel Tower
      1986 Lithograph

      #B5193
      Leo Saal Sold $785
      Abstracted Circus Figure <br>1974 Collage <br><br>#B5180
      Abstracted Circus Figure
      1974 Collage

      #B5180
      Leo Saal Sold $685
      <i>Ship</i> <br>1973 Collage <br><br>#B5194
      Ship
      1973 Collage

      #B5194
      Leo Saal Sold $975
      Blue, Yellow Red Chevron Bands <br>1974 Acrylic on Canvas <br><br>#B5611
      Blue, Yellow Red Chevron Bands
      1974 Acrylic on Canvas

      #B5611
      Leo Saal Sold $2,950
      <i>Street with Washington Monument</i> <br>1967 Acrylic <br><br>#B5192
      Street with Washington Monument
      1967 Acrylic

      #B5192
      Leo Saal $1,875
      Modernist Female Portrait <br>1963 Oil <br><br>#B5492
      Modernist Female Portrait
      1963 Oil

      #B5492
      Leo Saal $4,850
      Serene Maryland Meadow Scene<br>1969 Oil <br><br>#B5508
      Serene Maryland Meadow Scene
      1969 Oil

      #B5508
      Leo Saal Sold $785
      Deconstructed Cubist Nudes <br>1947 Mixed Media <br><br>#B5186
      Deconstructed Cubist Nudes
      1947 Mixed Media

      #B5186
      Leo Saal Sold $1,250
      Cubist Interior Scene with Figure <br>1978 Etching <br><br>#B5163
      Cubist Interior Scene with Figure
      1978 Etching

      #B5163
      Leo Saal $950
      <i>Connecticut Avenue</i> <br>1956 Oil on Canvas Paper <br><br>#B5165
      Connecticut Avenue
      1956 Oil on Canvas Paper

      #B5165
      Leo Saal $1,350
      Abstracted Lounging Figure <br>1994 Mixed Media <br><br>#B5244
      Abstracted Lounging Figure
      1994 Mixed Media

      #B5244
      Leo Saal $1,450
      Forms in Abstraction <br>1974 Collage <br><br>#B5166
      Forms in Abstraction
      1974 Collage

      #B5166
      Leo Saal Sold $850
      Monochromatic Winter Scene <br>1986 Etching <br><br>#B5182
      Monochromatic Winter Scene
      1986 Etching

      #B5182
      Leo Saal Sold $785
      Monochromatic Tree-Lined Lane <br>1986 Etching <br><br>#B5184
      Monochromatic Tree-Lined Lane
      1986 Etching

      #B5184
      Leo Saal Sold $785
      Circus Scene with Horse <br>1947 Gouache <br><br>#B5200
      Circus Scene with Horse
      1947 Gouache

      #B5200
      Leo Saal Sold $1,165
      Sightseeing at a Bridge <br>1978 Etching <br><br>#B5203
      Sightseeing at a Bridge
      1978 Etching

      #B5203
      Leo Saal Sold $785
      Conductor at the Stand <br>1946 Ink Wash <br><br>#B5218
      Conductor at the Stand
      1946 Ink Wash

      #B5218
      Leo Saal Sold $745
      Boothsbay, Maine <br>1969 Oil <br><br>#B5635
      Boothsbay, Maine
      1969 Oil

      #B5635
      Leo Saal Sold $985
      San Francisco Skyline <br>1980 Linoleum Block Print <br><br>#B5190
      San Francisco Skyline
      1980 Linoleum Block Print

      #B5190
      Leo Saal Sold $885
      Organic Forms in Abstraction <br>1973 Collage <br><br>#B5212
      Organic Forms in Abstraction
      1973 Collage

      #B5212
      Leo Saal $950
      Monochrome Winter City Scene <br>1986 Etching <br><br>#B5168
      Monochrome Winter City Scene
      1986 Etching

      #B5168
      Leo Saal Sold $750
      Artist at Work <br>Mid Century Watercolor <br><br>#B5196
      Artist at Work
      Mid Century Watercolor

      #B5196
      Leo Saal Sold $750
      <i>Big Top Tattoos</i> <br>1973 Collage <br><br>#B5195
      Big Top Tattoos
      1973 Collage

      #B5195
      Leo Saal Sold $1,250
      Circus Scene with Tiger <br>1973 Etching <br><br>#B5199
      Circus Scene with Tiger
      1973 Etching

      #B5199
      Leo Saal Sold $875
      Artist Self Portrait <br>1948 Graphite <br><br>#B5202
      Artist Self Portrait
      1948 Graphite

      #B5202
      Leo Saal Sold $975
      Abstracted Figures & Horse <br>1949 Oil on Paper <br><br>#B5204
      Abstracted Figures & Horse
      1949 Oil on Paper

      #B5204
      Leo Saal Sold $1,650
      Leo Saal Self Portrait <br>1951 Graphite <br><br>#B5217
      Leo Saal Self Portrait
      1951 Graphite

      #B5217
      Leo Saal $975
      <i>After Gromaire</i> <br>1954 Ink <br><br>#B5223
      After Gromaire
      1954 Ink

      #B5223
      Leo Saal Sold $695
      Modernist Abstract Collage <br>1974 <br><br>#B5245
      Modernist Abstract Collage
      1974

      #B5245
      Leo Saal $1,385
      View of Treasure Island <br>1974 Acrylic & Pastel <br><br>#B5246
      View of Treasure Island
      1974 Acrylic & Pastel

      #B5246
      Leo Saal Sold $1,575
      Serene Coastal View <br>1970-90s Oil <br><br>#B5486
      Serene Coastal View
      1970-90s Oil

      #B5486
      Leo Saal $2,350
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