WPA Era Scene
1930-40s Grease Pencil
#D0363
$885
Basil Hawkins
This 1930-40s grease pencil on paper scene is by Basil Gilmore Hawkins (1903-1980). Hawkins was an American artist whose work is closely tied to the Works Progress Administration of the 1930s and 40s. As a WPA artist under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, he belonged to a generation tasked with documenting and interpreting everyday American life during the Great Depression. His work is held in major institutional collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the University of Michigan, and the Library of Congress. During his time he was considered one of the leading Michigan artists.
Hawkins trained at the Flint Institute of Arts under Jaroslav Brozik. The Institute now holds a significant body of his work. During the 1930s, he completed WPA-era murals for the Flint Public Library, Hurley Hospital, and Flint Public Schools.
In 1942, Hawkins relocated to Arizona, where he continued his artistic and commercial practice. In the early 1950s his work evolved toward abstracted landscapes and abstract surrealism influenced by Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) and Frantisek Kupka (1871–1957).
1930-40s
Grease Pencil on Paper
13"x15" framed, 8"x10" unframed
Estate stamped lower right. Framed in a restored vintage wood decorative crossed corner frame with leaf detailing and a gold metallic fillet using archival spacers behind conservation clear glass. Excellent vintage condition.
