'The Doctor's Office' by Justin Murray, Works Progress Administration, Chouinard, San Francisco Museum of Art, Oakland Museum

Description

Signed lower right, 'Justin Murray' (American, 1912-1987), titled, verso, 'The Doctor's Office' and painted circa 1945.

Born in Minneapolis, Justin … more Signed lower right, 'Justin Murray' (American, 1912-1987), titled, verso, 'The Doctor's Office' and painted circa 1945.

Born in Minneapolis, Justin Murray moved to Alameda, California with his family in 1928. In 1933, after receiving a scholarship to the Chouinard School of Art, he moved to Los Angeles to further his studies. Later in the 1930's, he became active with the Federal Art Project, later the WPA, while also painting theatrical scenery and murals. In 1938, Murray moved to San Francisco where he continued to paint and exhibit professionally. He also developed a career as a successful caricaturist with his satirical work appearing regularly in Coast magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle. In 1940, he turned his hand to graphic work, creating thousands of prints of cable cars and other subjects of local color and interest.

Over the course of a long career, Justin Murray exhibited widely and with success, including at the San Diego Museum, 1936; San Francisco's Maxwell Gallery, 1944; the San Francisco Museum of Art, 1957, and, regularly, at the Mendocino Gallery from 1974-87. He was an active member of both the Los Angeles Art Association and the San Francisco Art Association and his works are held in private and public collections nationwide including the permanent collections of the San Diego Museum, the Oakland Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Art, the Library of Congress and the New York Graphic Society, among others.

Reference:
Artists in California 1786-1940, Third Edition, Edan Milton Hughes: Crocker Art Museum, Sheridan Books 2002, Vol. 2, p. 799; Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975: 400 Years of Artists in America, Peter Hastings Falk, Sound View Press 1999, Vol. 2, p. 2374; et al. less