Arthur R. Lehmann
American, 1913 - 1988Arthur and Zenia, 1948
On view
Oil on canvas
Dimensions44 × 30 in. (111.8 × 76.2 cm)
Gift of the Lehmann Family, 2014.1
This double portrait is a self-portrait of the artist Arthur Lehmann and his wife Zenia. Created after his return from World War II, this painting reveals an intimate moment in front of a bedroom mirror, as well as the tense emotions that many couples felt after being reunited. The bottle he holds and his averted gaze alludes to the struggles many men felt in returning to domestic responsibilities after the horror and trauma of war. The scar on the right side of Zenia's back was from an operation on her lungs done while her husband was away at war.
Bronx-born and Detroit-raised, Lehmann worked in a variety of mediums with an artistic career spanning five decades. A graduate of Cass Technical High School in Detroit, he furthered his education at various Detroit art academies, including Robert A. Hertzberg and the John P. Wicker Schools of Fine and Applied Arts. He was greatly moved by the struggle of the common man and the impact of the labor movement. Inspired by Thomas Benton Hart and Diego Rivera, he joined the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and worked on various commissions under the guidance of Charles Pollack. He was involved in the vibrant Detroit artist community having exhibited at the DIA, Scarab Club, Detroit Artist Market, and various other Detroit galleries. He accepted a position at General Mills as an illustrator, eventually leaving for other commercial art endeavors in order to raise his family.
