Lozowick, Louis, 1892-1973

Louis Lozowick (1892-1973) was a lithographer from New York, N.Y.

Born in Kiev, Russia and came to the U.S. at the age of 14. He was primarily known for his lithographs of New York City.

Louis Lozowick (1892-1973) was a lithographer from New York, N.Y.

Born in Kiev, Russia and came to the U.S. at the age of 14. He was primarily known for his lithographs of New York City.

Louis Lozowick (1892-1973) was a Ukrainian-American artist. Though he began his artistic career as a painter, he is best known for his lithographs of skyscrapers, constructions, and machinery.

He attended the Kiev Art School from 1904 to 1906 and emigrated to the United States at age 14 -- a tricky achievement since he came without passport or papers. Once in New York he took a series of factory jobs to pay for his art studies at the National Academy of Design (1912-1915) with Carlson, Leon Kroll, and others. In 1915 he entered Ohio State University, graduating in three years as a Phi Beta Kappa. In 1919, after a brief stint in the military, he left the United States to travel extensively throughout Europe, studying art and supporting himself by writing articles for various European publications.

Almost immediately upon his return to the United States, he began his "Machine Ornament" series, exploring the straight lines, contrasting light and shadow, and geometrical patterns of the urban landscape that would fascinate him for the next fifty years. In 1924 he had an exhibit at the New Art Circle and then another at Weyhe's; both Weyhe and Carl Zigrosser, then head of the gallery, encouraged Lozowick in his focus on the graphic arts. The young artist had a number of exhibits of his lithographs over the next few years at Weyhe's and at Whitney Studio on West 8th Street including his "Machine Age Exposition" in 1927. Throughout his career the complex architecture of the urban landscape -- bridges, scaffolding, train tracks, skyscrapers -- continued to intrigue him (though nature appears more frequently in pieces from his later years).

During the Depression Lozowick, like many of his fellow artists, created murals and prints for the WPA including a mural for the New York City General Post Office (1936). In 1931 he married Adele Turner, and in 1943 the couple moved to New Jersey where Lozowick remained for the rest of his career.

Lozowick was recognized several times during his career for the quality of his work. He received the Brewster Prize for lithography at the Chicago Art Institute (1929), first prize for lithography at the Philadelphia Art Alliance (1930), and first prize (and an award of $1,000) at the International Print Competition (1931). Hoboken, one of his lithographs, was included in the fifty best prints of the year by the American Institute of Graphic Arts (1929) and his work has since been included in several annual collections of best prints. His work is in the permanent collections of several museums including the National Gallery of Art, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, U.S. Library of Congress, and Smithsonian American Art Museum.

In addition to his accomplishments as a practicing artist, he taught at the American Art School in New York City for several years, was considered something of an authority on modern Russian art, designed stage sets for a production at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, and wrote extensively on the theatre. He was a member of the American Society of Painters, Sculptors, and Gravers, the American Artists Congress, An American Group, Inc., and American Print Makers.

Lozowick died in New Jersey in 1973.