Samuel Rothbort 

(1882-1971)

I had absolutely never heard of Samuel Rothbort when I saw this piece at the Greenwich Gallery in 2000. I really liked it, I was reminded of the texture and coloration of Ernest Lawson. When I realized that this picture is “rural Brooklyn,” I thought that was quite interesting… in fact it’s a row of chicken coops. When I looked up the Russian-born artist in Who Was Who, I was quite impressed by the size of his listing. Described as “self-taught,” Rothbort immigrated to New York in 1904 and apparently settled down in Brooklyn for the majority of his life. He was active in many organizations, exhibited widely, but refused to sell his work… which is a guaranteed way to compromise an artist’s long-term recognition and reputation. In 1948 the artist did open his studio-home in Brooklyn, the “Rothbort Home Museum of Direct Art.” It is interesting that within the next year or so after I acquired this piece, his works started appearing with some frequency at auction and in galleries. Apparently, all those paintings he didn’t sell were discovered by someone.