Artist of the month, November - Samuel Kamen

A large body of Samuel Kamen's work appeared on ebay in the late 2000s. Most were abstracts, but there were numerous figural works. too,, mostly posed scenes of individuals. Several images were painted on X-Ray film, which, though not common, is not unusual. Most were painted on heavy paper. Remnants of that body of work still linger on ebay and other auction sites today and new works occasionally appear.

Kamen's biography from my art collection web site:

Samuel Kamen was born 15 June 1911 in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, a son of Mitchel and Ray Eisenberg Kamen. Mitchel Kamen was Jewish and immigrated to the US in 1888 from Russia. The parents of Ray Eisenberg Kamen were also Russian Jews, though she was born in New York and was about 14 years younger than Mitchell. Mitchell Kamen owned a clothing store during the censuses in 1910, 1920, and 1930. The Kamens retained their Jewish heritage and I found records of the bar-mitzvahs of Mitchell and Ray's three sons. I have found indications that Mitchell Kamen shortened his name from Kamenetzky. Samuel Kamen married Edith Segal after 1930. Segal was a well known poet and political activist. Segal was also well known for her career as a dancer. Kamen was a life long resident of Brooklyn.
Samuel Kamen was a painter, designer and lithographer. He studied at the Art Students League and National Academy of Design. He was best known as a watercolor artist, though many of his abstract and figural works in oils and acrylics have appeared in large numbers on ebay since the mid 2000s.
Samuel Kamen was listed Who's Who in American Art in 1959. His work was featured Artnews in 1946, in the January 1955 edition of American Artist magazine and again in American Artist in 1961. Kamen illustrated several of his wife's poetry books. Kamen's watercolor techniques are examined in Watercolor Your Way by Carl Schmalz 1978 and Watercolor Painting Step-by-Step by A. L Guptill. He exhibited widely, for instance, at the annual exhibition of the American Watercolor Society in 1944. Kamen's work was shown at the 75th Anniversary Exhibition of Painting & Sculpture by 75 Artists at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1951. Kamen was a member of the American Watercolor Society and Brooklyn Society of Artists and received awards for his work from both societies.

Samuel Kamen's death was reported in Jewish Currents magazine:

Jewish Currents - Volume 49 - Page 40, January 1995 The Kinderland Mishpokhe mourns with the Kamen Family and Edith Segal the passing of her husband, co-worker and helpmate SAMUEL KAMEN (June 16, 1911— Aug. 29, 1995) Sam participated actively in the cultural life of Camp and was our true friend. Board of Camp Kinderland We mourn the loss of SAMUEL KAMEN Artist and friend in the struggle for peace Sheila Cohen Berkowitz Shirley and Dudle Bernstein Doina and Danny Dubinsky Judy and Stretch Jacobs Annette and ...
Samuel and Edith Segal Kamen are buried in the Mount Lebanon Cemetery in Glendale, Queens County, NY, near Kamen's parents and other members of his family.

Works shown from my collection are:
unnamed, Samuel Kamen, 30" x 20", oil on heavy paper
unnamed, Samuel Kamen, 24" x 18", oil on heavy paper
unnamed, Samuel Kamen, 24" x 18", oil on heavy paper
unnamed, Samuel Kamen, 11.75" x 11", oil on heavy paper