Hugo Gellert

Hugo Gellert (Budapest 1892 - 1985 New York)

American illustrator, and socialist activist.  

These 2 charming gouache paintings recently showed up and drew my attention: on first sight, they could be mistaken for woodblock prints (I wished they were). They are reminding of classic Greek vase paintings or French classic mythology book or poems illustrations.

They also resemble the "Clair-Obscure" technique prints by French painter and printmaker Felix Valloton. The 1898 photo of reclining Marie de Reignier ("nue allongée) was composed by French photographer Pierre Louys.  

"Collecting art without knowing (at least something) about the artist

is like collecting stamps without a catalogue". 

Some initial background research resulted in the following résumé: 

Gellert, Hugo (Hungarian: Gellért Hugó), born Hugó Grünbaum (Budapest 03-05-1892 - 09-12-1985 New York City)

Illustrator and muralist. In 1906, his Jewish family immigrated to the United States, arriving and settling in New York City and changed their surname from Grünbaum into Gellert. He was the oldest of 6 children. 

Studied at the Cooper Union and the National Academy of Design. He is known as a fervent socialist and member of the Communist Party of America. His nickname is the Honoré Daumier of the American left.

He married expressionist painter Livia Cinquegrana (Australia 1894 - 1988).

He was a contributing and cover designing artist to "the Masses" and was a founding editor of “the Liberator” and the “New Masses”. Gellert occupied a seminal position in organising the John Reed Club and the Artists' Union.

He is known to have created several covers for innovative American monthly magazine of socialist politics “the Masses” in 1916 and 1917 magazine which appeared between 1911 and 1917. The magazine was founded by Dutch immigrant Piet Vlag* .

https://lapetitemelancolie.net/tag/hugo-gellert/  for feather reading.

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* Vlag, Piet (Netherlands, ? - ? )

In 1905 Piet Vlag is said two have been “an eccentric Dutch socialist” and “an East Side Socialist and advocate of worker cooperatives who immigrated to America in 1905 and starting his career as manager and cook in basement restaurant of New York Rand School of Social Science (1906-1956), a school for workers and socialists which was associated with the Socialist Party. 

See: https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2022/06/socialism-greenwich-village-the-masses/ 

In 1911 he  is mentioned as founder and publisher of the magazine “the Masses”, a socialist, activist and critic magazine to enrich and educate the masses (working class people) “weather they liked it or not”. It is mentioned “he had knowledge of the Arts & Crafts movement and its school which were becoming popular in the Netherlands since 1890s”. The magazine became controversial, suspicious and banned because of its opposing taking part in WW-I . It’s first volume was published in Januari 1911.

Piet(er) Vlag’s identity is not yet established. In Dutch official sources most persons born 1850-1885 named Pieter Vlag seem to have been born in either a family in Ellewoutsdijk (prov. Zeeland) or in Oudenhoorn (prov. Zuid-Holland) . 

It is said he left the Magazine and New York disillusioned 18 months later (….. summer of 1912....) to Florida. However: no further traces of Piet (Pieter) Vlag could be found.   

Piet Vlag's portrait by an unknown artist Polpini (?) 
(probably appeared in one of the first volumes of the Masses)

All information concerning Piet Vlag would be much welcomed !

(All pictures borrowed freely from the Internet for academical and non commercial use).