Far fewer circa-1940s drawings by Boleslaw Cybis have been found, no doubt because he was busily engaged in settling into his new life in America. Only one item shown below is actually dated as that decade, although several have been attributed (by outside sources) to that timeframe.
This pastel-on-paper drawing of a long-haired woman was described by the seller only as “after 1939”. It’s unclear whether the dimensions of 16″ wide and 22″ high referred to the image only, or to the overall framed size. Signed B Cybis in pencil at the lower right.
Kamelot Auctions listed this pencil and watercolor drawing under the title Blue Pearl in March 2020, as per that penciled title on the framing backer. Signed B Cybis in pencil, the woman’s clothing style fits with the 1940s; the image area is approximately 13” x 11”. The local Trenton framing shop (“Collectors Gallery”) also stamped the backer; the inclusion of a zip code (06618) in the address indicates that the framing was done after 1963, possibly shortly before the studio operation moved into the new building on Norman Avenue in 1969. The backing was in poor condition, showing water damage and spots of black mold.
This mixed-media drawing of an amphora has a rather ‘archeology/antiquity’ style about it. The framing backerboard was in the same poor shape as Blue Pearl. Signed B Cybis at the lower right, the image size is approx. 13” x 11”. 
A similar drawing of the same size, in the same sale, was listed by the auctioneer as “Hand in Jar” but a more accurate description would be jar with primitive Lescaux-style motifs; signed B Cybis at lower right. The vessel shape instantly reminded me of a plastic gallon-size milk container, although I don’t think they had those during the 1940s!
The 1970-71 Cybis in Retrospect museum exhibit catalog mentioned “graphite pencil and watercolor renderings by Boleslaw Cybis illustrating preliminary designs for vases with classical motif, c. 1943” but included no photographs. I don’t know if either of the foregoing would fit the description of “classical motif”, although perhaps the Amphora might.
This fourth drawing in the same size and identical framing as the foregoing was described by the auctioneer as a “talisman doll” but it could also be called a Female Fetish.
One of the relatively few original pieces of art in the 1970-71 Cybis in Retrospect museum exhibit were two conte drawings, both described as circa 1940 but not pictured in the catalog. They were loaned to the show by Marja Cybis’ brother and sister-in-law, Casimir and Helen Tym. One is a drawing of two large trees, named Twins; the other, titled Lost, shows “a stallion in the distance.” These were done in the same medium as the original Folio One drawings and were approximately the same size (18″ x 24″.) At least they will be easy to identify if either of them ever show up for sale online in the future!
A real oddity in the show was a trio of framed black-and-white photocopies of original sketches by Boleslaw Cybis illustrating “heating ducts in studio for distribution of heat, c. 1942”. This would have been the Church Street studio although it’s not known which building(s) were depicted. It was probably one of the two accessory buildings because the brick carriage house containing the kilns was already brutally hot due to their operation.
Running Woman is signed and dated: B. Cybis and 10-3-48 at the lower right and also a faux signature Boleslaw Cybis (see the 1930s Drawings post for an explanation of the these) on the reverse side. It was described as gouache, pencil on paper and measures roughly 18″ x 23”. At least we have a firm date on this one (either March 10th or October 3rd, depending on whether Boleslaw’s date notations had become Americanized.) The presence of the faux signature on the reverse, and the slight but noticeable difference in the handwriting of the signature above the date, makes one wonder a bit about provenance and authenticity. That said, the style of the female figure is extremely similar to many of his earlier work, as is the use of the sanguine color. The variation in signature, and the mood of the painting, could also be due to other factors. I tend to believe that this is probably a Boleslaw Cybis work that was retained and eventually sold by either the Tym family or the Chorlton-owned studio. If the date is indeed legitimate (the ca.-1990s Chorlton studio had a bad habit of putting signatures and years on legacy items willy-nilly based purely on guesses), this is the latest known Boleslaw Cybis drawing or painting.
I have never seen any Cybis paintings or drawings that were created between 1950 and his death in 1957.
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Name Index of Cybis Sculptures
Visual Index (for human figures/busts only)
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