Franz Kline (1910-1962)

Franz Kline arrived in New York in the summer of 1938 and was immediately captivated by the bustling city. Often the artist would wander around the city sketching images of locals engaged in daily activities, as seen in this work. In the present work, Kline chose to portray a market on the Lower East Side filled with neighborhood shoppers busy purchasing their everyday staples. With a proven interest in showcasing his local surroundings, Kline was chosen to produce a series of murals for his local haunt, the Bleecker Street Tavern in 1940. Kline was asked to depict images of entertainers from the New York City stage and, not surprisingly, the artist drew heavily upon his familiarity with the singers and dancers who frequently performed in nearby taverns.