The WPA Artists

Klir Beck
Originally from Maine, Beck studied at the Art Student's League of New York. As state artist of Maine, he executed many projects for the Maine Planning Board, as well as numerous woodcarvings at the Washington, D.C. zoo.

Lampbert Bemelmann
No information is known about this contributor who executed the design of Harold Lawson for the Islamorada Hurricane Monument.

Walton Blodgett
Born in Ohio, Blodgett attended Grand Central Art School in New York, where he also studied under George Luks. His Key West work went to U.S. government buildings in Washington, D.C. and around the world. His illustrations also appeared in Fortune, Art News, and Scribners Magazine, and his work was exhibited at galleries and museums throughout the country.

Alfred D. Crimi
Born in Sicily, Crimi studied fresco painting in Rome, and was a member of the National Academy of Design. He created a fresco at the Post Office Department in Washington, D.C., as well as numerous other murals and mosaics around the country. His work has been exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art, the Chicago Art Institute and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He also has been an instructor at the City College of New York, Pratt Institute and Pennsylvania State University.

Adrian Dornbush
Born in the Netherlands, Dornbush studied in Europe and at Wisconsin University. He lectured at the Chicago Art Institute and exhibited his work in international watercolor shows. He was the first director of the Key West artists group.

William Hoffman
Originally from Savannah, Hoffman studied at the Art Student's League of New York, as well as in Munich and Paris. With his first wife, Martine, he painted murals in the Carnegie Library in Savannah. Hoffman left Key West in 1936, working as a designer for Philco. In 1965, he retired and returned to Key West with his wife, Julia.

Richard Jansen
From Milwaukee, Jansen studied in Milwaukee and at the Art Student's League in New York. He taught at the Layton School of Art, exhibited in many leading watercolor shows, and was a contributor to Fortune.

Avery Johnson
From Illinois, and a graduate of Wheaton College and the Chicago Art Institute, Johnson was a member of many watercolor societies. His work has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and is represented in numerous private collections, including that of the late president, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Johnson also taught at the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts, as well as other New Jersey Venues.

Henry La Cagnina
Born in New York, La Cagnina studied at Copper Union, the Phoenix Art Institute, and under numerous artists, including Norman Rockwell. He was associated with leading decorators in New York, and specialized in tapestries, screens and murals. He currently lives in North Carolina.

Sidney Laufman
Born in Cleveland, Laufman studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Student's League of New York. In the 1920s, he painted and exhibited in Europe, and his work is represented in the Whitney and Cleveland Museums and many private collections.

Harold Lawson
No information is known about him except for his design of the Islamorada Hurricane Monument.

F. Townsend Morgan
Originally from Pennsylvania, Morgan studied at Pratt Institute and the Art Student's League of New York. He is best known for his etchings shown in major print exhibitions. He succeeded Adrian Dornbush as the Director of Key West's artists group, and also worked as an instructor of printmaking during the latter phases of the WPA Art Program.

Peter Rotier
From Wisconsin, Rotier studied at the Art Student's League of New York and the Chicago Academy. He taught at the Milwaukee Art Institute and exhibited in New York, Chicago, Washington and international watercolor shows.

Richard Sargent
From Illinois, Sargent studied at the Washington Studio School and the Corcoran Academy. His work has been exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art and the Corcoran. He is best known as a watercolorist, and contributed frequently to Fortune and created many covers for the Saturday Evening Post.

Martha Watson Sauer
From Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Sauer studied with Henry Hensche and James Kirk Merrick. In 1938, she began teaching watercolor and weaving at Key West Art Center. She currently lives in Key West.

Erik Johan Smith
Born in the U.S., Smith studied in France, Italy and Sweden. His work is found in many private collections, as well as New York's Whitney Museum and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

Jeanne Taylor
From Holly Springs, Mississippi, Taylor studied at the St. Louis School of Art, and taught drawing and painting at the Key West Art Center. She directed excavation of East Martello Tower and became the first curator of the East Martello Museum.

Joan Van Breeman
The scarce biographical information indicates that Van Breeman lived in South Florida.

Stanley Wood
From Carmel, California, Wood studied at Dexel and the Philadelphia School of Architecture, and taught at the California College of Fine Arts. His paintings have been in the Brooklyn and Cleveland Museums, the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts, and many private collections. He also worked in almost every phase of pictoral arts, as well in architecture, and was a frequent contributor to Fortune.