JACOB KAINEN American, 1909–2001 DATED 1967 Watercolor Signed and dated lower left hand corner. Framed. Not examined out of frame. Artwork: Sight (as matted) 24 x 17 inches; frame: 31 x 23.5 inches $250-350
ARTIST PROFILE: Jacob Kainen (1909–2001) was a prolific American painter, printmaker, and art historian whose career spanned the evolution of 20th-century American art. Born in Connecticut to Russian immigrants, Kainen developed an early obsession with the masters, later moving to New York City where he balanced his artistic studies at the Art Students League with interests in classical literature and amateur boxing. His formal education at the Pratt Institute ended in a rebellious expulsion just weeks before graduation due to his disdain for their anti-modernist curriculum—a turning point that pushed him toward the New York avant-garde. During the 1930s, Kainen became a key figure in social realism and expressionism, joining "The Ten" and participating in the WPA’s graphic arts program. His work from this era, such as Tenement Fire, reflected a deep commitment to conveying raw human emotion and internal experience rather than mere description. In 1942, Kainen moved to Washington, D.C., where he served as the curator of the Division of Graphic Arts at the Smithsonian until 1970. His time in Washington was marked by significant professional achievement and personal turmoil; during the McCarthy era, his past association with the Daily Worker led to a years-long investigation by the Civil Services loyalty board. This psychological strain manifested in his art through vivid, ghostly abstractions like Exorcist. Despite being a pioneer of abstraction in D.C. and a mentor at the Washington Workshop Center—where he famously introduced Morris Louis to Kenneth Noland—Kainen resisted being pigeonholed into the Washington Color School. He frequently shifted between abstraction and figurative work to maintain his creative independence. Kainen remained active in his studio until his death at age 91, leaving behind a legacy as a scholar who authored definitive texts on Canaletto and John Baptist Jackson, and a philanthropist who, along with his wife Ruth, donated a massive collection of German Expressionist art to the National Gallery of Art.
