ADOLF DEHN (1895 – 1968)
ORIGINAL ART FOR THE COVER OF THE NEW MASSES, c.1930. Original ink drawing. Signed in ink lower right. Sheet and image 19 1/2 x 15 inches. The New Masses was published from 1926 – 1948. It succeeded the The Masses 1912-17. Both Publications had a left leaning Marxist perspective. Many prominent artists and writers appeared in the many issues. Aside from Adolf Dehn, among the contributors were, Rockwell Kent, William Gropper, John Sloan, Louis Lozowick, Art Young, Hugo Gallert, Harry Sternberg, Boardman Robinson, Jan Matulka, Wanda Gag and Otto Soglow. Some of the writers and composers were Aaron Copeland, Ernest Hemingway, Dorothy Parker, Upton Sinclair and many others. Dehn also illustrated for The New Yorker and Vanity Fair. He produced a large body of lithographs for Associated American Artists (AAA) as well as many privately printed. He was also a Regionalist painter.
This very rare ink drawing does not appear to have been published. So it is likely the only record of the image and a scarce example of Dehn’s contribution to the New Masses. Other Dehn drawings have been located in the New Masses.
