BOULDER, COLO.- The upcoming auction by Artemis Fine Arts in Louisville, Colorado, scheduled for 6 November 2025 (9:00 PM GMT-6), includes five compelling works by the Austrian-born American painter and art-therapy pioneer Edith Kramer. Below is a full article presenting each painting in turn, followed by commentary on Kramer’s artistic/therapeutic legacy, and thoughts for prospective bidders (or simply admirers) of her work.

Artist Background

Edith Kramer (1916–2014) was born in Vienna, Austria, studied under Friedl Dicker (a Bauhaus graduate) in Prague, and in 1938 emigrated to the U.S. to escape the Nazi threat.

She is recognized not only for her work as a painter in a social-realist mode (especially industrial and urban motifs) but also as a pioneer in the field of art therapy — emphasising the concept of art as therapy rather than simply art in therapy.

Kramer’s dual identity as artist and therapist provides a rich context for understanding her paintings: they are not only expressive works of art but also deeply informed by her concern for human experience, particularly of displaced, working-class, or wounded communities.

Below are the five lots by Kramer in the auction, each with description, art-historical/biographical commentary, and why it might be of interest.

1. “Backyard with Ailanthus Tree”, 1941



Details: Oil on linen, 32″ L × 26″ W (81.3 × 66 cm). Signed lower right. Created in 1941. Provenance: private Denver, Colorado collection. Estimate: USD 5,000-7,500; starting price USD 2,500.

Commentary:

This early-war-era painting captures an urban New York backyard scene with a prominent ailanthus tree (a non-native species, originally from China, but widespread in urban settings). The choice of tree might carry symbolic weight: a hardy species thriving even in tough urban soil, mirroring themes of refuge, adaptation, and resilience — apt for an émigré artist like Kramer.

The vantage point – observing the rooftops, fire-escapes, urban grit – aligns with Kramer’s formative years in New York after emigration, and her attention to working-class or refugee contexts.

For bidders: Given the date (1941) and scale (moderate), this work offers a strong early example of Kramer’s urban realist phase, and would appeal to those interested in mid-20th-century immigrant-artist narratives.

2. “Man on Lathe II”, 1949



Details: Oil on linen, 23″ L × 22″ W (58.4 × 55.9 cm); framed size 23.5″ × 22.625″. Signed & dated lower right. Estimate: USD 5,000-7,500; starting price USD 2,500.

Commentary:

Kramer’s own wartime experience working in a Soho machine-shop in New York during WWII resonates deeply here: she sketched machinists in their industrial environment and later produced paintings of them.

This painting, dated 1949, falls squarely into her “industrial” period of the 1940s-50s, where she used Social Realist style to depict labor and the working class. The subject — a man at a lathe — underscores the importance of labor, machinery, the human body in work, and the artist’s alignment with real-world settings rather than purely genteel or academic studio scenes.

For collectors: This piece offers both social-historical relevance (post-war America, industrial imagery) and the significance of Kramer’s personal experience. Its size is comfortable for many private collections.

3. “Man in a Machine Shop”, 1955



Details: Oil on linen, 35″ L × 31″ W (88.9 × 78.7 cm); framed size 35.5″ × 31.5″. Signed & dated lower right. Estimate: USD 6,000-9,000; starting price USD 3,000.

Commentary:

This is a larger format than “Man on Lathe II”, suggesting Kramer treated the topic of industry and labor with greater ambition at this stage.

The 1955 date places it in an era of post-war economic growth and modernization in the U.S., when machine labour, factories, and production were significant cultural and economic themes. Kramer’s Brooklyn/NYC environs (and her earlier machine-shop experience) give this work authenticity.

For a serious collector: This is among the larger and more imposing works of this thematic strand; its scale makes it a statement piece. Attention should be given to condition (canvas relined, any visible abrasions) as noted in the lot description.

4. “Exposed Exterior”, 1960



Details: Oil on linen, 26″ L × 17″ W (66 × 43.2 cm). Signed & dated. Estimate: USD 6,000-9,000; starting price USD 3,000.

Commentary:

This painting addresses the massive urban renewal/demolition around the construction of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) in New York. The lot description frames it as a “poignant visual rebuttal” to working-class neighborhood displacement (e.g., Red Hook, Cobble Hill).

Thematically, this shifts Kramer from the interior industrial setting toward the urban landscape, and carries a socio-political dimension: critique of urban planning, displacement, working-class communities.

For viewers/collectors: The subject matter has strong resonance for those interested in urban history, social justice, and mid-20th-century American urban transformation. Its modest size makes it more accessible for display in a private setting.

5. Mixed Media Collage – “NYC Subway Platform”, 1992



Details: Mixed media collage composed of thousands of tiny strands from books, magazines, tax forms, bills; size 37.5″ L × 57.75″ W (95.2 × 146.7 cm). First‐time auction appearance. Estimate: USD 10,000-15,000; starting price USD 5,000.

Commentary:

This work stands apart from the four oils: it is a late-career mixed-media piece (1992) and speaks directly to Kramer’s continual experimentation and relevance. According to the lot information, it even served as template for a large subway mosaic for the NYC Transit Authority, installed in 1994.

The subject – a subway platform, commuters awaiting trains – again aligns Kramer with urban life, public transit, modern everyday existence; but the material and technique (use of tax bills, energy bills, magazines) adds conceptual depth: layering of modern life, history, economy, human movement.

For serious collectors: This is likely the highlight lot of the Kramer works in this sale. The fact it is a one-of-a-kind collage, large format, late-career maturity, direct link to a public mosaic installation enhances provenance and significance. Condition details will matter.

Also: note that the bidding estimate is the highest of the five works, reflecting its premium status.