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Alexander Kruse  Alexander Zadine Kruse American, (1886-1988) "On the Fire Escape" One of ten original paintings by the artist Born to impoverished Jewish German and Russian immigrants, Kruse was raised in the overcrowded Lower East Side of Manhattan where areas housed over 700 people per acre. Despite difficult surroundings, the young Kruse studied art alongside the Soyer brothers, Jacob Epstein, Leon Kroll, and Abraham Walkowitz. Later Kruse studied with Emil Carlson and the American Eight especially John Sloan, Robert Henri, and George Luks. Unlike his mentors who depicted the dire economic conditions of Depression era Manhatten, Kruse portrayed the noble character of the laborer and the refreshment he found in un-crowded parks and the countryside. In 1933, the Brooklyn Museum of Art selected one of his etchings for its exhibition, “The One Hundred Best Prints of the Year of American and European Artists.” Kruse also taught and published widely on the subject of art. He authored East of Broadway, a novel describing the poverty of his youth, and the best selling book How to Draw and Paint that sold over 300,000 copies. Other works by Kruse are held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Museum of Modern Art in Russia, and the Bibliotechque Nationale in Paris. For more information, visit http://www.putnam.k12.ga.us/pchs/Teachers/lindseyswymer/kruse/home.htm. 2004 Gift to the Museum from Mrs. Bettijune Kruse in memory of Benedict and Alexander Kruse. Previous • Back to List • Next |