Lawrence H. Lebduska (1894-1966) was an American artist who became known as a housepainter. Born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Maryland on September 1, 1894, his parents moved to Leipzig, Germany when he was 5. While in Germany, he studied stained glass under Josef Svoboda. Lebduska returned to the United States in 1912, first settling in Baltimore and later moving to New York.

Professional life

Lebduska was commissioned by interior designer Elsie de Wolfe to paint murals. He contributed to many group shows and had his first one-man show in 1936, which is said to have inspired

Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Abigail Greene Aldrich Rockefeller (October 26, 1874 – April 5, 1948) was an American socialite and philanthropist. She was a prominent member of the Rockefeller family through her marriage to financier and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller ...

to begin her folk art collection. Lebduska did a number of projects for the WPA, but his work was relatively underappreciated until a gallery show six years before his death. Despite that, his works were frequently exhibited at a number of galleries, the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

, He has pieces in the permanent collection of a number of museums including the

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds o ...

, MoMA, and the

Wadsworth Athenaeum The Wadsworth Atheneum is an art museum in Hartford, Connecticut. The Wadsworth is noted for its collections of European Baroque art, ancient Egyptian and Classical bronzes, French and American Impressionist paintings, Hudson River School lands ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lebduska, Lawrence 1894 births 1966 deaths Federal Art Project artists American expatriates in Germany People from Baltimore Date of death missing Place of death missing