John Decker (artist)

John Decker (b. Leopold von der Decken, November 8, 1895 – June 8, 1947) was a painter, set designer and caricaturist in Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s.

Artist and designer Leopold von der Decken changed his name to John Decker when he left Europe in 1921

Life and work

John Decker was born in Berlin, Germany. As a teenager, Decker lived in London, painting scenery in theatres; this was interrupted by the advent of the First World War, when he was arrested as an enemy alien and interned on the Isle of Man. In 1921, he changed his name to John Decker and emigrated to America,[1]: 24  where he worked as a cartoonist for the New York Evening World until 1928,[1]: 31  when he moved to Hollywood and took up fine art.

Many film stars, including Anthony Quinn, Errol Flynn, Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, and the Marx Brothers, commissioned Decker to paint their portraits,[1]: 4  and many of his works were used in films: the paintings of the frustrated artist protagonist in Fritz Lang's 1945 film Scarlet Street were actually by Decker. One of his most famous portraits, depicting his friend and drinking companion W.C. Fields as Queen Victoria, hung for many years at Chasen's Restaurant in West Hollywood, California. An oil painting of John Wayne, which Wayne commissioned Decker to paint in 1945, sold for $71,700 at a John Wayne estate auction conducted by Heritage Auctions on October 6, 2011.[2] Like his friends Fields and John Barrymore, the years of seemingly endless drinking sprees wreaked massive damage on his body, resulting in a premature death. Decker died in Hollywood on June 8, 1947, at age 51.[3]

Family background
Castle Ringelheim in Salzgitter, Germany, where Decker's father grew up

Decker's mother, Maria Anna Avenarius (1865–1918),[4] was an opera singer, performing Wagnerian operas in Berlin and Bayreuth.[1]: 9  Her father, Ferdinand Avenarius, was an actor.[4] Decker's father, Graf Ernst August von der Decken (1867–1934), grew up in the castle Ringelheim in Salzgitter, Germany, and became a reporter for British and German newspapers.[1][4] His parents met in the operas of Berlin and Bayreuth. In 1897, two years after their son's birth, they moved to London[1] and married in April 1898 in Greenwich.[5]

Decker's grandfather Graf Georg von der Decken was a member of the German Reichstag. Like his grandson, George was an artist and created huge oil paintings of his castle, paintings for the neighbouring church, and carved wooden sculptures.

Karikaturen in Greenwich Village Quill (1922)
Caricature of Betty Blythe by John Decker

The Silver Screen, caricature studies of Hollywood actors and actresses of the 1920s and 1930s to a mural decoration 1941:

References
  1. Jordan, C. Stephen. Bohemian Rogue: The Life of Hollywood Artist John Decker. Scarecrow Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8108-5159-8.
  2. Manning, J.A. (October 7, 2011). "Heritage Auctions John Wayne auction reaches $5,383,209 in sales". Movie Prop Collectors. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
  3. "John Decker Dies. Coast Artist, 52. Painted Portraits of Screen Stars in Styles of Masters. Won J. B. Payne Medal". New York Times. June 9, 1947. Retrieved 2007-08-21.
  4. Decken, Herwart von der and Thassilo von der Decken. Stammtafeln der Familie von der Decken, 1994, page 35.
  5. Ancestry.com Search for marriages in England and Decken

Further reading
  • Jordan, C. Stephen. Hollywood's Original Rat Pack: The Bards of Bundy Drive Scarecrow Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0810860322.
  • Mank, Gregory William with Charles Heard and Bill Nelson. Hollywood's Hellfire Club: The Misadventures of John Barrymore, W.C. Fields, Errol Flynn and "The Bundy Drive Boys". Feral Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1-932595-24-6.

Examples of Decker's work
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