JACK PERLMUTTER American, 1920–2006 Colorful Tunnel Oil on board Signed, titled and inscribed lower left. Framed. Not examined out of frame. sight (as matted): 23 1/4 in. x 29 1/4 in; Frame: $400-600
ARTIST PROFILE: Jack Perlmutter was a prominent Washington, D.C. painter and printmaker who emerged as one of the city's most celebrated artists between the 1940s and 1980s. Despite being entirely self-taught and never attending college, Perlmutter’s expertise led him to become a Professor of Art and Chairman of the Printmaking Department at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, as well as the Curator for the prestigious Cosmos Club. Originally from the Bronx, he moved to D.C. in his twenties and mastered the technical craft of lithography while creating nautical charts for the Navy’s Hydrographic Office—a skill he continued to utilize during his service in World War II. His artistic style, which he described in the 1950s as "abstract realism," was deeply influenced by his love for urban life and featured bold, energetic compositions. These works often depicted vibrant scenes of motion, such as crowded streets and railroad tracks, overlaid with colorful, semi-abstract linear forms. Perlmutter's career reached impressive heights; he operated a local greeting-card business, was later commissioned by NASA to document Apollo and space shuttle missions, and saw his work represented in galleries worldwide. Today, his legacy is preserved in the permanent collections of major institutions, including the National Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
