89:. He is definitely a rare find in the art world." In fact, Courlander was affectionately dubbed "Grandpa Moses" by the Detroit press; other times he was referred to as "Grandpa Courlander of Michigan." Courlander's paintings included landscapes, still lifes, country scenes, and historical and religious occasions. Courlander's specific subject matter varied widely, ranging from village and farm scenes of the 1870s to St. Patrick Day parades, circus themes, the backwoods and hills of Michigan and Indiana, fishing scenes, horseracing, and scenes of pre-1900 Chicago. Following his successful first show, Courlander attracted considerable attention and his paintings were exhibited at other galleries in New York, New Jersey, and Michigan. In 1958, several of his paintings were selected for the
67:, Germany). David Courlander had four sisters: Anna, Etta, Bertha, and Julia; one brother, Eli; and one known half-brother, Israel Harris Courlander. David married Tillie Oppenheim in 1895 and they had two daughters, Adelaide Courlander (became Frane) and Berthe Courlander (became Langer, then Nichols); and one son,
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on
September 10, 1866. The Courlander family soon moved to Detroit, where they lived on Gratiot Avenue (which Courlander described as a mud road with wooden sidewalks). As a young man, Courlander worked in a general merchandise store in Frankfort Station, Illinois, and subsequently worked in Kansas
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gallery in New York. Reeves
Lewenthal, director of the gallery, said that it was the first time in the gallery's history that the works of an untutored artist had qualified for such a show. Said Lewenthal, " is a fantastic primitive who paints completely from memory. He has an inventive spirit
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Courlander began painting in 1952 when he was 85 years old and continued until a few months prior to his death in 1961. Courlander began to exhibit his paintings (both oils and watercolors) at various community centers in the
Detroit area, and in 1953 had a one-man show at the
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City and other
Midwestern cities as a window dresser. He had a men's tailoring establishment of his own in Indianapolis and during World War I, moved (with his wife, the former Tillie Oppenheim, and their three children) to Detroit. During the
22:(September 10, 1866 – June 12, 1961) was a self-taught ("primitive") artist who painted scenes of everyday American life. He began painting when he was 85 years old (he lived to age 94). Many of his paintings now reside in the
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Noble, William (April 15, 1953). "Fantastic
Primitive: A Detroiter Hailed as 'Grandpa Moses' Thrills New York Critics With Paintings".
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93:'s national touring exhibition of American Primitive Artists. Eight paintings by David Courlander are currently in the
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of the 1930s, after the death of his wife, he lived with his daughter, Adelaide, and her family on a farm near
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26:'s permanent collection and have been put on public display as part of various Smithsonian art exhibitions.
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318:"Grandpa, 89, Makes Splash in Art World: Retired and Restless, He Found Himself with a Water Color Set".
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Self-Taught, Outsider and Folk Art: A Guide to
American Artists, Locations and Resources
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David
Courlander was the son of Jewish family, Aaron Jacob Courlander (born in
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2nd Annual
Artists' Exhibition, Temple Israel Sisterhood, Detroit, MI, 1958.
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97:'s permanent art collection, and his paintings have been displayed by the
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301:"National Museum of American Art and Its Renwick Gallery Events".
284:"National Museum of American Art and Its Renwick Gallery Events".
266:"National Museum of American Art and Its Renwick Gallery Events".
470:"Grandpa Lays Down his Brush: Death Ends Career Begun at 85".
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A Voice for the People: The Life and Work of Harold
Courlander
453:"Detroit's 'Grandpa Moses': Beginner at 86, Success at 88".
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Mulligan, Charles (June 14, 1953). "In the Art
Galleries".
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Ten Mile Branch Jewish Community Center, Detroit, MI, 1956.
141:'s American Primitive Paintings Traveling Exhibition, 1958.
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Chronicle: Publication of Historical Society of Michigan
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Courlander, Harold (1991). "How I Got My Log Cabin".
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63:, modern-day Latvia) and Adelaide Hirsch (born in
206:, Department of Special Collections, Boston, MA.
157:, Annual Exhibition for Michigan Artists, 1954.
85:uniquely his own. He is on the same level as
541:"Collections Search Center: David Courlander"
215:New Mexico Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, NM.
144:Kundig Center, Detroit, Michigan, circa 1953.
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160:Rabin and Krueger Gallery, Newark, NJ, 1954.
218:The Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque, NM.
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210:University of Michigan Museum of Art
459:. December 5, 1954. pp. 12–13.
198:National Museum of American History
133:National Museum of American History
103:National Museum of American History
603:20th-century American male artists
487:"World Adventure Series Program".
245:Smithsonian Museum of American Art
123:Smithsonian Museum of American Art
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593:American people of German descent
175:"G" Gallery, New York, NY, 1958.
335:"Successful Artist at Ninety".
187:Smithsonian American Art Museum
180:Museums and special collections
119:National Museum of American Art
99:Smithsonian American Art Museum
24:Smithsonian American Art Museum
588:People from Bay City, Michigan
583:20th-century American painters
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476:. June 13, 1961. p. 16A.
34:David Courlander was born in
502:Sellen, Betty-Carol (2016).
339:. December 1956. p. 13.
125:), "In Their Own Way," 1981.
148:Associated American Artists
82:Associated American Artists
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539:Smithsonian Institution.
489:Detroit Institute of Arts
402:Artist Dies in Detroit".
155:Detroit Institute of Arts
135:, Granite Gallery, 1983.
337:National Jewish Monthly
304:Smithsonian Institution
287:Smithsonian Institution
270:Smithsonian Institution
194:Smithsonian Institution
164:New York Public Library
139:Smithsonian Institution
129:Smithsonian Institution
115:Smithsonian Institution
95:Smithsonian Institution
91:Smithsonian Institution
598:Painters from Michigan
578:American male painters
321:The Detroit Free Press
204:Mugar Memorial Library
324:. September 10, 1955.
150:, New York, NY, 1953.
365:Jaffe, Nina (1997).
491:. January 11, 1959.
519:"In Their Own Way"
405:The Bay City Times
240:"David Courlander"
36:Bay City, Michigan
200:, Washington, DC.
189:, Washington, DC.
166:Exhibition, 1956.
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41:Great Depression
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16:American painter
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573:1961 deaths
568:1866 births
546:January 28,
524:January 28,
373:. pp.
251:January 27,
101:and by the
562:Categories
225:References
30:Early life
65:Barweiler
400:Bay City
61:Courland
381:
238:SMAA.
51:Family
57:Mitau
548:2018
526:2017
398:"Ex-
379:ISBN
375:5–12
354:: 2.
268:The
253:2018
192:The
185:The
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