Category: Uncategorized

“Gravel Art” Mosaic – artist unknown – circa 1957

The mid-20th Century in America brought about many changes – social, political, and economic. The American middle-class flourished and began buying, among other things, art that was being mass produced.

Some call it kitschy, some call it crass, I just love most of it.

Take the “gravel art” piece shown above. These were made from kits which came complete with gravel, string (for the border edges between colors), glue and a design pre-printed on a board. Like the paint-by-number kits of the day these came in a wide variety of designs. The one shown above – hip, cool and oh, just so mid-century – is one of the nicest we have ever seen and the best executed. Truly a work of art.

Mass produced prints also provided many in mid-America with access to art as they had never had before. Once again, designs varied, but images began shifting from the traditional and religious prints which were so popular before the War to more modern works.

Vladimir Tretchikoff was one of the most commercially successful artists. Chinese Girl, shown below, is regarded as one of the top selling art prints of all time.

Chinese Girl– Vladimir Tretchikoff – 1950

Tretchikoff was said to be second only to Picasso in popularity and his prints sold widely throughout the world.

Vladimir Tretchikoff died just a little over year ago in Cape Town. The New York Times obituary tells the wonderful story of “The King of Kitsch”.

Zulu Maiden– Vladimir Tretchikoff – 1952

There are many other great examples of this type of art – everything from Picasso and Rothko prints to paint-by-numbers kits and paintings from Sears and Roebuck. Everyone needed some art for their new home in the suburbs and there were artists and manufacturers ready to provide art to the new middle-class in America.

As Andy Warhol said, “An artist is somebody who produces things that people don’t need to have.”

While I certainly appreciate and collect fine art there will always be place in my heart, and in my home, for little of this high-stlye, low-brow art.

As I begin this blog I thought it might be a good idea to share a bit about myself.

I am an avid collector of 20th Century modern design and art.  My wife and I are the owners of The Purple Moon in Charleston, WV – the state’s only mid-century modern gallery.  The shop is an extension of our obsession – we are collectors first and dealers second.  We love the thrill of the hunt in finding great, vintage mid-century modern housewares and furnishings. We then equally enjoy matching those items up with someone who will treasure the piece forever and make it part of their everyday life.

Style is personal and in our gallery we help people realize their style.

This blog is not intended as a commercial for our business.  Our purpose here is to share and learn about the fabulous design sensibility which grew during the beginning of the atomic age.  Obviously, we won’t cry if you stop by our shop either in person or online – but will be just as happy if you leave a comment here about you latest flea market find.

We’ll be sharing great finds, discussing designers and makers, and generally doing what we love to do – immersing ourselves in mid-century design.

We do travel and shop a lot and go to many auctions, antique shops, malls and flea markets. We’ll share our experiences from those visits here to help you in your own quest to build your collection. Feel free to leave comments about your latest adventure.

Thanks for stopping by.  We hope you’ll come back.