LOUIS MICHEL EILSHEMIUS American, 1864 – 1941 Two works (double sided artwork): Dreams, circa 1917 Oil on (paper) board. Double sided artwork. Each side is signed. Framed. Not examined out of frame. 13 x 18.5 inches; frame: 20 x 25.5 inches $2,500-3,500
ARTIST PROFILE: Louis Michel Eilshemius was a prolific and eccentric American painter who transitioned from a traditional academic style to a highly personal, visionary aesthetic. Born into a wealthy family in New Jersey and educated in Europe and at the Art Students League of New York, he spent much of his career as a self-proclaimed "Grand Master" and "Mahatma," though his work was largely ignored or ridiculed by the mainstream art world for decades. His style eventually evolved into "primitive" and dreamlike depictions of landscapes and nymphs, often characterized by painted-on frames and a moody, poetic atmosphere. Recognition finally arrived late in his life—most notably championed by Marcel Duchamp in 1917—but Eilshemius had by then succumbed to bitterness and physical decline, ultimately dying in poverty and obscurity in New York City.
