Herschel Levit

Herschel "Harry" Levit (May 29, 1912 – June 1, 1986) was an American social realist artist, designer, illustrator, author, and educator. In the 1930s and 1940s, he was active in the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). He was a Professor emeritus at Pratt Institute, teaching from 1947 to 1977 and teaching at Parsons School of Design, from 1977 to 1986.[1]

Herschel Levit
Born(1912-05-29)May 29, 1912
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJune 1, 1986(1986-06-01) (aged 74)
Alma materPennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Employer(s)Pratt Institute (1947–1977),
Parsons School of Design (1977–1986)
Known forartist, designer, illustrator, author, educator
MovementSocial realism
SpouseJanice Hackenburg
Children1

Biography

Herschel Levit was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 29, 1912, to parents Annie and Isadore Levit.[2][3] His father Isadore had immigrated from Russia.[3] In 1922, his family moved to the town of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania.[2] He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (from 1934 to 1936).[4] In 1939, he was married to Janice (née Hackenburg), and they had a daughter.[5][6][7]

During the 1930s and 1940s, he worked in lithography and as a muralist for the Federal Art Project sponsored by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in Philadelphia.[8][9][10]

Levit taught abstract design and advertising design courses at Pratt Institute,[4] from 1947 until 1977. After his retirement from Pratt he started teaching photography courses at Parsons School of Design from 1977 until 1986.[1] Levit's students included Steve Frankfurt, Bob Giraldi, George Lois, Sheila Metzner, Steve Horn, Stan Richards, and Len Sirowitz.[11]

Levit's work is included in many public museum collections including the National Gallery of Art,[12] the Whitney Museum of American Art,[13][14] the Metropolitan Museum of Art,[15] Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts,[16] and others. His work was included in the exhibition, Modern Art in Your Life (1949) at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, New York.

Murals
Crispus Attucks (1943) mural by Herschel Levit, in Washington, D.C.

Publications

As illustrator
  • Phillips, Alexander M. (1947). The Mislaid Charm. Herschel Levit (Illustrator). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Prime Press. OCLC 1132507.
  • Mann, John Harvey (1966). Louis Pasteur, The Germ Killer. Herschel Levit (Illustrator). New York City, New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. OCLC 2455517.
  • Schiller, Barbara (1971). The Wandering Knight. Herschel Levit (Illustrator). Dutton Books. ISBN 9780525422006.

As author
  • Levit, Herschel; Guggenheim, Edith Harris (1972). Grosset's just point! a picture dictionary for travellers. Grosset & Dunlap. ISBN 9780448006543.
  • Levit, Herschel; Piranesi, Giovanni Battista (1976). Views of Rome, Then and Now. Dover Publications. ISBN 9780486233390. OCLC 995349438.

References
  1. "Herschel Levit". ADC Global Network. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  2. "Great Mural By Former Town Man". Newspapers.com. Republican and Herald. 11 November 1942. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  3. "Isadore Levit". Republican and Herald. 1940-10-17. p. 4. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  4. "Receives Promotion At Pratt Institute". Newspapers.com. Republican and Herald. 23 April 1954. p. 7. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  5. "Lecture on Hebrew Manuscripts". Newspapers.com. The Herald-News. 23 March 1979. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  6. Bernstein, Leonard (2013-10-29). The Leonard Bernstein Letters. Yale University Press. p. 264. ISBN 978-0-300-18654-3.
  7. "Marriage Set By Lois Levit". Times Machine. The New York Times. March 2, 1969. p. 73. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  8. Langa, Helen (2004-03-25). Radical Art: Printmaking and the Left in 1930s New York. University of California Press. p. 230. ISBN 978-0-520-23155-9.
  9. Francey, Mary (1988). Depression Printmakers as Workers: Re-defining Traditional Interpretations (exhibition). Boise Art Museum, Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Utah Museum of Fine Arts, University of Utah.
  10. Shaw, Michael (25 December 1938). "Exhibitions and Studio Chips". Newspapers.com. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 28. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  11. Marinese, Jaclyn (2004-09-21). "Inspiring professor who promoted the love of art". amNY. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  12. "Herschel Levit". National Gallery of Art (NGA). Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  13. Cascone, Sarah (2015-04-13). "Whitney Names 407 Artists for Inaugural Show". Artnet News. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  14. "Herschel Levit". Whitney Museum of American Art. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  15. "Take It Away! (1945)". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  16. "Herschel Levit, "Portrait of Marian Anderson" (ca. 1963)". PAFA - Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. 2014-12-28. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  17. Who's Who in American Art: A Biographical Directory. R. R. Bowker. 1973. p. 445. ISBN 978-0-8352-0611-2.
  18. "Mural Dedicated At Rowen School". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 1940-10-23. p. 13. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  19. Newman, Paul L. (June 28, 2018). "Recorder of Deeds Building: Levit Mural - Washington, D.C." Living New Deal. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  20. Park, Marlene; Markowitz, Gerald E. (1984). Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal. Temple University Press. p. 58. ISBN 978-0-87722-348-1.
  21. Timeline: A Publication of the Ohio Historical Society. The Society. 1989. p. 12.

Further reading
  • Goldwater, Robert (1949). Modern Art in Your Life (exhibition). Museum of Modern Art Bulletin. Vol. 17. Paul Rand (Cover design). New York City, New York: Museum of Modern Art.
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