Harold Anchel (1912-1980)
An American artist whose work spanned the Great Depression, World War II, and Modern art in New York from the '50's to the late '70's. The youngest member in the WPA lithography project, Anchel went on to become an Abstract Expressionist painter of the New York School. His work is on display in museums and galleries across the nation including The Metropolitan Museum of Art (17 pieces), The Baltimore Museum of Art, The Smithsonian, The National Gallery and The Philadelphia Museum of Art. Among his major influences were his teachers, George Grosz, Morris Cantor, Vaclav Vytlacil, and the work of Arshile Gorky as well as Monet.
Employment Projects:
- Federal Art Project, Graphic Arts Division (1937-1942). He demonstrated lithography at the 1939 World's Fair in New York.
- U.S. Army 1943-45 Camouflage Battalion (During WWII was drafted and was an artist in residence. He would paint insignias on planes and buildings. He was then assigned to the camouflage unit in Walterboro, South Carolina where he designed, built, and clothed, puppets that he then used to teach camouflage techniques to visiting troops who were going overseas.