Bidspirit auction | Elsa Jemne ”Space for Door

Elsa Jemne ”Space for Door 2” Painting 1930 - Elsa Laubach Jemne (American, 1887-1974). Oil on canvas painting titled ”Space for Door, ” 1930-1931. Depicting a nude figure atop a black horse amidst a mythical scene. Signed and dated along the lower right; titled and inscribed ”Right Panel No. 2” along the lower center. With a label from Grand Avenue Gallery and a handwritten note reading, ”Study for panel No. II 'Generation of Power' Mural painting in Northern States Power Bldg, St Paul” along the verso. The painting possibly served as a mock-up for one of Jemne's murals. Lot Essay: Elsa Jemne, born Laubauch, was a Minnesota artist well known for her large-scale murals created for public buildings, including courthouses, post offices, and civic spaces. In addition to her reputation as an accomplished muralist and her distinctive fresco-inspired technique, she was also a skilled easel painter. Born in Saint Paul, Jemne began studying at the St. Paul School of Art in 1910, while supporting herself via a job as a commercial artist, work she resented for its limitations in creative expression. Determined to pursue serious artistic training, Jemne attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia in 1912, one of the most prestigious art schools in the nation. In 1914, Jemne won a fellowship that allowed her to travel and work in Europe, where Italy’s churches and monasteries sparked her interest in fresco techniques and greatly influenced her artistic style. Her travels were cut short by the outbreak of World War I in 1914, forcing her to navigate wartime Europe before returning to the United States. After graduating and returning to Minnesota, Jemne quickly gained recognition. In 1917, she won a gold medal at the Second Annual Northwestern Exhibition for her painting ”The Red Haired Girl, ” which exemplified her characteristic flattened forms and matte, fresco-like surfaces. During the 1920s, she also produced a series of works for the Great Northern Railway, depicting Glacier National Park and members of the Blackfeet tribe. These portraits and images of pristine landscapes were intended to be part tourist advertisement, part historical record, and part Wild West fantasy. Jemne’s greatest accomplishments came through her public murals, many of which were created during the 1930s through federal art programs such as the Treasury Department’s Section of Fine Arts and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Her murals often depicted themes of Minnesota’s landscape, industry, and identity, while weaving in whimsical, dream-like motifs. Jemne continued teaching, exhibiting, and painting until she suffered a stroke in 1962; by then, her work had been widely recognized in exhibitions, including a retrospective at the Walker Art Center in 1957. Jemne passed away in Saint Paul on June 26, 1974. Sight; height: 30 1/2 in x width: 39 1/2 in. Framed; height: 31 1/2 in x width: 41 in depth: 1 1/2 in. Condition: The colors are bold and bright. There are some losses to the pigment throughout. Along the upper right corner, portions of the canvas have become visible due to losses to the pigment. Some crazing throughout. Stretcher bar marks are lightly present. There are several small areas that fluoresce under UV light. Light wear to the frame. Not inspected out of frame.