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Manuel Tolegian (1911-1983)
Untitled (Grimes Canyon Landscape)
1950
Oil on board
24” H x 30” W (image size)
30” H x 36” W (frame size)
Signed lower left: Tolegian
Estimated value: $1,000 - $2,000
Artist Biography
Born in Fresno, California, in 1911, Manuel Tolegian moved to Los Angeles with his family at the age of nine. He studied at Manual Arts High School, where he became friends with writer William Saroyan, for whom he composed the folk music for Saroyan’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Time of Your Life. He was also friends with fellow artist Jackson Pollock, with whom he studied, shared a studio, and traveled between Los Angeles and New York during their formative years. At the Art Students League of New York, Tolegian studied with John Sloan, Thomas Hart Benton, John Steuart Curry, and George Grosz.
Tolegian illustrated several books, including editions of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám and The Dove Brings Peace. During World War II, he served as a correspondent in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. After the war, he settled in Sherman Oaks, California, where he remained until his death in 1983.
A Social Realist during the 1930s, Tolegian first became known for paintings addressing social issues before later specializing in realistic still lifes. He was also a writer, musician, and inventor of the first power easel. His work is represented in the collections of the Crocker Art Museum, the University of Arizona, the Chico Public Library, the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., and other institutions.
Auction Information
The 16th Annual Fine Art Auction Fundraiser
Saturday, August 15, 2026
The silent auction starts at 3:00 PM.
The live auction starts at 4:00 PM.
Auction admission: $15.00 SPAM members, $20.00 Non-members
All proceeds benefit the Santa Paula Art Museum, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization #2478728.
All major credit cards, check, and cash are accepted.
Sales tax will be applied to all hammer prices. There is no buyer’s premium.