Offering of the Day: A Vivid Study of a Pineapple by Carl William Broemel (1891-1984), a well known watercolorist associated with the Cleveland School of artists

Carl William Broemel (5 Sept. 1891-23 May 1984)

Study of a Pineapple

Pen and ink and watercolor heightened with white on paper

15 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches

Framed: 27 x 23 inches

Signed lower right in image: Carl Broemel

$15,000

The son of Anna (Vlasteck) and Fred Charles Broemel, an architectural sculptor, Carl William Broemel was born in Cleveland's old German district around Scovill and East 22nd Street. He became the youngest student in the Cleveland School of Art, graduating with a  

degree in decorative design in 1909.

After studying in Europe and New York, Broemel returned to Cleveland where he

established a commercial art studio in the Hanna Building. It is known that he exhibited watercolors and oils annually in Cleveland’s May Show from 1923-40 as well as showed his works in local venues such as the Webb C. Ball Co. and the Korner & Wood bookstore.

Between 1935 and 1937 Broemel became Cleveland’s first supervisor of the WPA Federal Art Project's District 4. One of his most noteworthy contributions was his use of a ‘guild system’ allowing all members of his unit to participate in a single studio regardless of formal training. Their artworks were produced in a cooperative manner. Broemel served as a regional art juror for the 1939 New York World's Fair and opened a studio in New York the following year before moving to Sharon, Connecticut. There, he exhibited in such places as the Albany Institute of History and Art and also served as a staff artist for the U.S. Air Force. Alongside his artwork, Broemel also served as President of the Cleveland Society of Artists and the New York Artists Guild. He moved to Daytona Beach, Florida shortly before

his death.

With his wife, Ruth, Broemel had three children: Phyllis, Carl Broemel, Jr., and Charlotte.