Blumenfeld, Maurice (1918-1968)

Born to Russian parents in Tours, France, Blumenfeld immigrated to Brooklyn when he was three years old. He was a child prodigy, painting oils in his bedroom by age 10 and giving one of his paintings to President Franklin Roosevelt at age 15. In 1936, at age 17, Blumenfeld submitted his oil painting “Refreshments” to a prestigious National Academy of Design contest; the committee, apparently mistaking him for a messenger, awarded the work its Julius Hallgarten prize for artists under 35. Meanwhile, Blumenfeld was president of his high school oil painting club and voted “most modest boy” by its senior class (Brooklyn Daily Eagle 17 Mar. 1936: 3). After graduation, Blumenfeld worked for the Federal Art Project before enlisting in the US Army in 1940. After World War II, becomes a commercial artist for Triple Nickel Books (on its Davy Crockett series); for Topps Baseball Cards (in 1953); and Topps Trading Cards including Western Round Up, Mars Attacks, Battle, Batman, and Civil War News. Many of these series now are highly sought after by collectors. 1 work at the National Gallery of Art, which was created for the Index of American Design. 9 more images at FAP.

 

Works in the New Deal Collection at GVCA by Maurice Blumfeld:

Featured
Still Life with Wildflowers
Still Life with Wildflowers

This painting features a vase of flowers and a spilling fruit bowl on an upholstered chair. The left half of the painting is busier than the right, which gives a sense of unbalance. Warm colors are used, such as reds and pinks, and brush strokes are visible. The objects seem strangely placed and slightly disharmonious, as vases and fruit bowls are not usually displayed on chairs.

blumfeldGVCA