Ernest Fiene (November 2, 1894 – August 10, 1965) was a 20th-century American graphic artist who primarily worked in New York City and Woodstock, New York. Fiene was known primarily for his varied printed works, including lithographs and etchings. His notable work includes cityscapes, views of New York City in particular, landscapes and other figural art.

Biography

Ernest Fiene was born in Elberfeld, Germany on November 2, 1894 to Henry and Maria Fiene. He left Germany in 1912. Traveling first to the Netherlands, he continued on to the United States. From 1914 to 1918 he studied at the National Academy of Design in New York City, and from 1916 to 1918 at the Beaux Arts Institute. In 1923, Fiene continued his study of printmaking at the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may stu ...

. In 1921 he married Jeannette Etarre. In 1923, he had his first solo show at the Whitney Studio Club. The show was successful, and he secured an art dealer. His work was decidedly modern, depicting modern life and industry through color and shape through precisionism. From 1928 to 1929 Fiene studied in Paris and traveled in France. In 1932, he was awarded a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

which allowed him to study mural painting in Italy. His work was sold as lithographs through the

Associated American Artists Associated American Artists (AAA) was an art gallery in New York City that was established in 1934 and ceased operation in 2000. The gallery marketed art to the middle and upper-middle classes, first in the form of affordable prints and later in ...

' (AAA) mail-order catalogs for $5 each. Through his association with AAA, Fiene was hired in 1940, along with eight other prominent American artists, to document dramatic scenes and characters during the production of the film '' The Long Voyage Home'', a cinematic adaptation of

Eugene O'Neill's Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Eugene (actress) (born 1981), Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and former member of the sin ...

plays."Cover Article, American Artist Magazine, September, 1940, pp. 4-14"
/ref> His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held duri ...

. In 1945 he divorced his first wife and married Alicia Wiencek (1918–1961) on August 13, 1945, who was one of his students at the Arts Students League. Fiene re-established his relationship with the Art Students League in 1948, returning to teach classes in painting and drawing there. In 1948, he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member, and became a full Academician in 1952. In the 1950s he also served on the faculty of the Famous Artists School in Westport, Connecticut. Fiene died of a heart attack in Paris in 1965.

References

External links

''The Long Voyage Home'' Artist Portraits and Paintings
at The Ned Scott Archive *
Ernest Fiene: Issue 1 of Younger artists series
', by William Murrell (1922) {{DEFAULTSORT:Fiene, Ernest 1894 births 1965 deaths German emigrants to the United States American graphic designers Art Students League of New York faculty Art Students League of New York alumni Section of Painting and Sculpture artists Olympic competitors in art competitions 20th-century American printmakers 20th-century American male artists