Metro 2nd Class
Clement Haupers (1900-1982), Metro 2nd Class, aquatint and etching, 1928, signed, titled, numbered (6/20), dated and inscribed “Paris.” In very good condition, slight toning and remains of prior hinging, on Van Gelder Zonen cream wove paper with margins, the full sheet, 4 x 5 3/4, the sheet 9 7/8 x 12 1/2 inches, archival mounting.
A fine fresh impression, with the various aquatint tonalities contrasting vividly.
A fascinating study of rush hour in a Paris Metro 2nd Class car.
Haupers studied in Paris with the Cubist painter André Llote, who influenced his style and perspective. Upon completing his studies in France, Haupers returned to Minnesota where he became an influential teacher at the St. Paul School of Art. He rose to prominence in 1935 as the state and regional director of the New Deal’s Federal Art Project in Minnesota, which hired unemployed artists to decorate public buildings and parks.
In 1981 Clement Bernard Haupers was the first recipient of the “Minnesotan of the Year” award. He was born and died in the same house in St. Paul.