Description

A beautiful framed oil on canvas painting by listed artist Edna Reindel (American, 1894-1990) depicting a fine portrait of a seated lady circa 1945. Signed and dated upper right. From the Estate of Robert Mazet III. Measures approximately 30.5" x 24.5" and frame 32.5" x 28.5" x 1.5". Excellent condition. Reindel's works have sold for up to $30,000.

• Artist: Edna Reindel
• Title: Unknown Portrait
• Medium: Oil on Canvas
• Year: 1945
• Edition: Unique, Original Painting
• Size: 30 1/2 ins x 24 1/2 ins
• Signature: Hand signed by artist
• Provenance: From the estate of Robert Mazet III

Edna Reindel

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Edna Reindel was educated at the Pratt Institute, NY from 1920–1923. In the following years, she worked as a freelance illustrator and painter. After being awarded a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Fellowship 1926 and 1932, she lived and exhibited in New York. In the 1940s, Reindel moved to California. Edna Reindel died in Santa Monica, California in 1990 at age 96.

After emerging from the Pratt Institute, Edna Reindel illustrated children's books and book jackets (1926)

During the Great Depression, the Treasury Section of Painting and Sculpture (later Section of Fine Arts) commissioned Reindel to create murals and sculptures around the country. Some of these murals can still be viewed; for example, the 1939 mural Reindel painted of Eli Whitney-Experimenting with the First Model of the Cotton Gin—can be viewed at the Emmanuel County Courthouse in Swainsboro, Georgia. The mural depicts Whitney's 1791 experiments and demonstration of the cotton gin in Swainsboro, Georgia. As such, this Post Office mural and others like it serve as an examples of public art as part of New Deal era efforts.

Reindel had work featured in exhibits in California between 1938 and 1953; during this time, she also painted portraits of stars of motion pictures. In 1939, her work Contemplation was purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Also during this stretch, her work was exhibited in galleries that included the Stendahl Galleries, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Vigeveno Galleries.

In 1944, LIFE magazine published pieces from a series they commissioned from Reindel in 1943, entitled Women at War. These images were meant to display the experiences of working women supporting the war effort. Previously in 1937, LIFE magazine had included a featured piece on Reindel's Martha's Vineyard pieces including The Netmenders. In the 1943 series, with pieces like Calship Worker, Wilmington, California (1943), Reindel uniquely captured women workers in war time - from the lens of a working woman artist. LIFE published nine paintings developed from observations of women workers at and sketches of the Lockheed Air Craft Factory in Los Angeles. Reindel's work capturing Rosie the Riveter (1943) types helped to popularize the song "Rosie the Riveter." Four of these pieces are in the National Museum of Women in the Arts permanent collection.

In 1948 and 1949, Reindel achieved notoriety with works that focused on the fear and horror of the atom bomb. These works include Hiroshima (1949), The Praying Mothers (1949), and Angels Wept at Los Alamos (1949) and were part of a series known as “The Effects of War on People”. Throughout her career, Reindel also illustrated, sketched, created collages, and developed restoration skills. In the 1950s and 1960s, she worked in metal sculpture. During this time she also created teaching materials and wrote books about painting. Furthermore, Reindel painted portraits of the famous and their families—including those of Spencer Tracy and Gregory Peck.

Exhibited: Cororan Gallery biennials, 1930, 1937; Salons of America; Art Dir.Club, 1935 (medal); Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art Annual; 1935-1938, 1941; Beverly Hills Art Festival, 1939 (prize); WMAA, 1937-38, 1940, 1949; Carnegie Institute, 1937-38, 1944-46, 1947-49; Art Institute of Chicago;1934-35, 1945, 1948; Macbeth Gallery 1934, 1937, 1940, 1949;

Golden Gate International Exposition, 1939; Stendahl Gallery, Los Angeles 1939, 1940,:  Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1940;  Francis Taylor Gallery, Beverly Hills, 1941, 1942, 1945; Dallas, Tx;  Baltimore, ME; Vigevano Gallery Los Angeles, 1953

Awards:  Tiffany Foundation Fellow, 1926, 1932; Beverly Hills Art Festival, 1939

Works Held:  Metropolitan Museum of Art;  Dallas Museum; Whitney Museum of American Art; U.S. Post Office Swainsboro, GA; Ball State Teachers College; Canajoharie Art Gallery; Life Magazine Collection; New Britain Art Institute;  Labor Building, Washington DC; murals, Fairfield Court, Stamford, CT; Gov House, St. Croix, Virgin Islands; WPA mural