This rare, original carbon drawing by Sephardic-American artist Paul Shimon expresses the early conceptual and automatist qualities that later defined his pioneering contributions to abstract Judaica. Executed in sweeping, interwoven lines and signed lower right, the work reflects Shimon’s formal training at the Art Students League of New York and his mentorship under Jean Louis Liberte, while revealing the psychological depth, symbolic fragmentation, and structural lyricism that earned him national exhibitions and institutional recognition. A museum-worthy work for collectors of postwar American modernism, outsider aesthetics, and Judaica-inflected abstraction.
This 20×15-inch carbon drawing is an extraordinary example of Paul Shimon’s early exploration of automatist mark-making—a technique where the hand moves freely across the substrate, allowing subconscious forms to surface. The composition features an elaborate interconnection of faces, limbs, architectural fragments, gears, and biomorphic structures, creating a dense visual narrative that oscillates between psychological introspection and metaphysical commentary.
The drawing’s structural elements echo motifs that later became prominent in Shimon’s abstract Judaica, where spiritual symbolism merges with expressive draftsmanship. His Sephardic heritage subtly informs the imagery: layered figures, fragmented staircases, and columnar motifs evoke themes of migration, memory, exile, and spiritual architecture.
The choice of carbon pencil, with its matte, smoky texture, enhances the impression of immediacy and emotional resonance. The paper remains in good vintage condition, with expected age toning appropriate to a mid-century work on paper. The piece is confidently signed “Shimon” at lower right.
This drawing is not only visually compelling—it is a meaningful artifact in the development of a significant American modernist voice.
Paul Shimon was a Sephardic-American artist whose work is now recognized for its vital role in shaping abstract Judaica as a modern visual language. Shimon’s art blends emotional intensity, spiritual symbolism, and expressive abstraction—a stylistic synthesis shaped by both heritage and formal training.
He studied at the Art Students League of New York, one of America’s most influential incubators of modern artists, where he trained under the acclaimed painter Jean Louis Liberte. This mentorship cultivated Shimon’s fluid command of line, layered symbolism, and his devotion to expressive mark-making.
Shimon’s work spans figurative abstraction, symbolic drawing, conceptual compositions, and painterly Judaica forms. While some critics categorized him within the realm of early outsider art, his work resonates far beyond labels—communicating through archetypal forms, intuitive geometry, and the mystical interplay of memory and identity.
Exhibited at Audubon Artists (1954)
Exhibited at the MacDowell Alumni Show (1971)
Exhibited at the Skylight Gallery, NYC (1970s)
Awarded the Emily Lowe Watercolor Award (1953)
Received the prestigious MacDowell Colony Fellowship (1960)
Early member of the New York Artists Equity Association, advocating for artists’ legal and economic rights
Shimon’s artworks are held in:
The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio
Numerous private and institutional collections across the United States
Shimon’s legacy is that of an artist who fused sephardic identity, New York’s experimental art scene, and a deeply personal visual language into a body of work that continues to resonate with collectors and scholars.
Paul Shimon, “Architectures of Memory” (attributed), c. 1960s–70s. Carbon drawing on paper, 20×15 inches, signed lower right. A rare early example of Shimon’s automatist draftsmanship and symbolic fragmentation. Provenance: acquired NYC. Condition: very good vintage condition with expected age toning.
CERTIFICATE OF VALUE & AUTHENTICATION
Artist: Paul Shimon (20th c.)
Title: Architectures of Memory (attributed)
Date: c. 1960s–70s
Medium: Carbon drawing on paper
Dimensions: 20 × 15 inches
Signature: Signed lower right
Provenance: Acquired New York City; currently Artfind Gallery, Washington DC
Assessment: Authentic work by Paul Shimon, consistent with his early linear automatist style and supported by period materials and signature.
Condition: Very good vintage condition.
Valuation: See ranges below.
Artist: Paul Shimon
Private Collection, New York City
Artfind Gallery, Washington DC (current owner)
This rare, original carbon drawing by Sephardic-American artist Paul Shimon expresses the early conceptual and automatist qualities that later defined his pioneering contributions to abstract Judaica. Executed in sweeping, interwoven lines and signed lower right, the work reflects Shimon’s formal training at the Art Students League of New York and his mentorship under Jean Louis Liberte, while revealing the psychological depth, symbolic fragmentation, and structural lyricism that earned him national exhibitions and institutional recognition. A museum-worthy work for collectors of postwar American modernism, outsider aesthetics, and Judaica-inflected abstraction.
This 20×15-inch carbon drawing is an extraordinary example of Paul Shimon’s early exploration of automatist mark-making—a technique where the hand moves freely across the substrate, allowing subconscious forms to surface. The composition features an elaborate interconnection of faces, limbs, architectural fragments, gears, and biomorphic structures, creating a dense visual narrative that oscillates between psychological introspection and metaphysical commentary.
The drawing’s structural elements echo motifs that later became prominent in Shimon’s abstract Judaica, where spiritual symbolism merges with expressive draftsmanship. His Sephardic heritage subtly informs the imagery: layered figures, fragmented staircases, and columnar motifs evoke themes of migration, memory, exile, and spiritual architecture.
The choice of carbon pencil, with its matte, smoky texture, enhances the impression of immediacy and emotional resonance. The paper remains in good vintage condition, with expected age toning appropriate to a mid-century work on paper. The piece is confidently signed “Shimon” at lower right.
This drawing is not only visually compelling—it is a meaningful artifact in the development of a significant American modernist voice.
Paul Shimon was a Sephardic-American artist whose work is now recognized for its vital role in shaping abstract Judaica as a modern visual language. Shimon’s art blends emotional intensity, spiritual symbolism, and expressive abstraction—a stylistic synthesis shaped by both heritage and formal training.
He studied at the Art Students League of New York, one of America’s most influential incubators of modern artists, where he trained under the acclaimed painter Jean Louis Liberte. This mentorship cultivated Shimon’s fluid command of line, layered symbolism, and his devotion to expressive mark-making.
Shimon’s work spans figurative abstraction, symbolic drawing, conceptual compositions, and painterly Judaica forms. While some critics categorized him within the realm of early outsider art, his work resonates far beyond labels—communicating through archetypal forms, intuitive geometry, and the mystical interplay of memory and identity.
Exhibited at Audubon Artists (1954)
Exhibited at the MacDowell Alumni Show (1971)
Exhibited at the Skylight Gallery, NYC (1970s)
Awarded the Emily Lowe Watercolor Award (1953)
Received the prestigious MacDowell Colony Fellowship (1960)
Early member of the New York Artists Equity Association, advocating for artists’ legal and economic rights
Shimon’s artworks are held in:
The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio
Numerous private and institutional collections across the United States
Shimon’s legacy is that of an artist who fused sephardic identity, New York’s experimental art scene, and a deeply personal visual language into a body of work that continues to resonate with collectors and scholars.
Paul Shimon, “Architectures of Memory” (attributed), c. 1960s–70s. Carbon drawing on paper, 20×15 inches, signed lower right. A rare early example of Shimon’s automatist draftsmanship and symbolic fragmentation. Provenance: acquired NYC. Condition: very good vintage condition with expected age toning.
CERTIFICATE OF VALUE & AUTHENTICATION
Artist: Paul Shimon (20th c.)
Title: Architectures of Memory (attributed)
Date: c. 1960s–70s
Medium: Carbon drawing on paper
Dimensions: 20 × 15 inches
Signature: Signed lower right
Provenance: Acquired New York City; currently Artfind Gallery, Washington DC
Assessment: Authentic work by Paul Shimon, consistent with his early linear automatist style and supported by period materials and signature.
Condition: Very good vintage condition.
Valuation: See ranges below.
Artist: Paul Shimon
Private Collection, New York City
Artfind Gallery, Washington DC (current owner)
