Regional History Center Regional Collections Charles Turzak Woodcut Prints Finding AidTitle: Charles Turzak Woodcut Prints, 1934-1934
ID: RHC/RC/348
Extent: 0.5 Linear Feet
Date Acquired: 12/11/2015
Subjects: Artists, Turzak, Charles, United States. Works Progress Administration.
Charles Turzak was born August 20, 1899, in Streator, Illinois. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and became a well-known Chicago based artist in the late 1920s by gaining public attention from exhibiting and selling prints of Northwestern University and Chicago landmarks. In 1929 he traveled to Europe to study the master painting and returned to the U.S. during the beginnings of the Great Depression. History of Illinois in Woodcuts, a series of ten prints done in 1934, was made at the height of the Depression and is considered to be a turning point in Turzak’s career.
Turzak exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1940, and worked for the Works Progress Administration, completing a mural for the Chicago Post Office. In 1958, Turzak moved to Orlando, Florida were he focused on creating abstract works of art from the 1950s to the 1970s. He painted floral still lifes and marine scenes in the 1970s and 1980s. He died in 1985. Art from Turzak’s early career is a reflection of life during the Great Depression in Chicago and Illinois.
Repository: Northern Illinois University
Access Restrictions: There are no restrictions on access to the collection.
Use Restrictions: Copyright held by Charles Turzak.
Physical Access Note: Stored in the fire-proof safe. Please call the Center at 815-753-1779 to request the item in advance of your visit.
Acquisition Source: DeKalb Public Library
