Lawrence H. Lebduska (1894-1966) was an American artist who became known as a housepainter.[1] Born in Baltimore, Maryland on September 1, 1894, his parents moved to Leipzig, Germany when he was 5. While in Germany, he studied stained glass under Josef Svoboda.[2] [3] Lebduska returned to the United States in 1912, first settling in Baltimore and later moving to New York.[4]
Lebduska was commissioned by interior designer Elsie de Wolfe to paint murals. He contributed to many group shows and had his first one-man show in 1936, which is said to have inspired Abby Aldrich Rockefeller to begin her folk art collection.[5] Lebduska did a number of projects for the WPA,[6] but his work was relatively underappreciated until a gallery show six years before his death.[3] Despite that, his works were frequently exhibited at a number of galleries, the Museum of Modern Art,[7]
He has pieces in the permanent collection of a number of museums including the Smithsonian American Art Museum,[3] MoMA,[8] and the Wadsworth Athenaeum.[9]