Gregory Orloff

American, 1890 - 1981


Known for his exquisite portraits of beautiful women and impressive views of urban life during the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, Gregory Orloff’s formidable talent and brash personality must have made him a memorable figure on Chicago’s art scene of the 1920s, '30s and '40s. The professional dancers Orloff painted were his friends and occasionally lovers; a fact not lost on his wife, who, it was reported in newspapers of the day, took him to court over his affairs.

Orloff came from Kiev, Russia to Chicago via New York, where he attended the National Academy of Design. At the Art Institute of Chicago Orloff was a student of Karl Buehr. A well-traveled and highly social man, he was a member of the Society of Independent Artists, the Chicago Society of Artists, the Woodstock Art Association and the South Side Art Association. His work was shown at the Art Institute of Chicago every year between 1925 and 1935 and at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Annual of 1929.

Gregory Orloff’s paintings have been exhibited at such institutions as the Art Institute of Chicago; the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia; the Illinois State Museum, Springfield; the Delphic Studios Exhibition, New York; the New Jersey State Museum Exhibition, Trenton; the Riverside Museum Exhibition, New York and the Terra Museum of Art, Chicago, among others. Orloff’s work is represented in the permanent collection of the Illinois State Museum, Springfield, IL.

  • Untitled (Michigan Dunes Scene), ca. 1920s
    Watercolor and pencil on paper
    6 x 7 inches

    Provenance: Estate of the artist

    #10765
  • The Poet, 1928
    Oil on canvas
    28 x 24 inches

    Signed and dated Gregory Orloff, '28 lower right.

    #2264
  • The Three Graces, ca. 1927
    Graphite on paper
    9 x 7 inches
    #15452
  • The Park Bench, ca. 1927
    Graphite on paper
    6 3/4 x 6 1/2 inches

    Provenance: Estate of the artist.

    #5986
  • Untitled (City Courtyard, Chicago), ca. 1930
    Graphite on paper
    10 x 6 1/4 inches
    #10893
  • Untitled (Lincoln Park, Chicago), ca. 1930
    Watercolor on paper
    7 1/2 x 7 3/4 inches

    Provenance: Estate of the artist.

    #10890
  • Untitled (Seated Woman in an Interior), ca. 1929
    Watercolor and graphite on paper
    4 x 2 inches
    #10783
  • Untitled (Hawker, Maxwell Street, Chicago), ca. 1930
    Watercolor and graphite on paper
    4 x 4 1/2 inches
    #10784
  • Untitled (Still Life and City Window), ca. 1930
    Watercolor and ink on paper
    6 3/4 x 4 1/2 inches
    #10892
  • Untitled (Summer Landscape), ca. 1930
    Pastel on paper
    6 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
    #10889
  • Untitled (Figure), ca. 1927
    Monoprint on Japan paper
    6 x 5 inches
    #10931
  • Untitled (Chicago Street Scene with Snow), ca. 1929
    Block print on paper
    5 1/4 x 4 3/4 inches
    #10779
  • Untitled (Fort Dearborn & Modern Skyscapers), ca. 1930
    Block print in colors, on paper
    9 1/4 x 7 inches
    #10929
  • Untitled (Factory Scene), ca. 1928
    Block print on paper
    7 1/4 x 8 3/4 inches

    Signed with initials G.O. in plate, lower right.

    #10925
  • Untitled (The Statue of Liberty), ca. 1930
    Block print on paper
    9 1/2 x 6 inches
    #10785
  • Untitled (Woman Looking Out of Window), ca. 1930
    Block print on paper
    4 x 3 3/4 inches
    #10919
  • Untitled (City Scene with Roses), ca. 1928
    Block print on paper
    8 1/2 x 5 1/4 inches
    #10924
  • English Hunting Scene, ca. 1930
    Block print on paper
    9 3/4 x 11 inches

    Signed Gregory Orloff lower right and initialed G.O in plate lower left; titled lower left

    #10916
  • Untitled (Warrior on Horse), ca. 1930
    Block print on paper
    6 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches
    #10778
  • Cabaret, ca. 1934
    Block print on paper
    11 1/4 x 8 1/4 inches

    Signed lower right; titled lower left

    #10935
  • Untitled (Seated Nude Playing a Violin), ca. 1920s
    Block print on paper
    5 1/4 x 5 inches

    Signed in plate G. Orloff, lower left.

    #10773
  • Untitled (Seated Nude with Sunflowers), ca. 1920s
    Block print on paper
    7 1/4 x 5 1/2 inches
    #16057
  • Untitled (Figure), ca. 1920s
    Block print on paper
    4 1/2 x 4 inches
    #16059
  • Untitled (Figure), ca. 1920s
    Block print on paper
    4 1/2 x 4 inches
    #16060
  • Untitled (Women Picking Apples), ca. 1930
    Block print on paper
    6 3/4 x 4 inches
    #10786
  • Untitled (Two Women Reading), ca. 1920s
    Block print on paper
    4 x 6 inches
    #10770
  • Untitled (Figure), ca. 1920s
    Block print on paper
    4 1/2 x 3 inches
    #16061

Known for his exquisite portraits of beautiful women and impressive views of urban life during the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression, Gregory Orloff’s formidable talent and brash personality must have made him a memorable figure on Chicago’s art scene of the 1920s, '30s and '40s. The professional dancers Orloff painted were his friends and occasionally lovers; a fact not lost on his wife, who, it was reported in newspapers of the day, took him to court over his affairs.

Orloff came from Kiev, Russia to Chicago via New York, where he attended the National Academy of Design. At the Art Institute of Chicago Orloff was a student of Karl Buehr. A well-traveled and highly social man, he was a member of the Society of Independent Artists, the Chicago Society of Artists, the Woodstock Art Association and the South Side Art Association. His work was shown at the Art Institute of Chicago every year between 1925 and 1935 and at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Annual of 1929.

Gregory Orloff’s paintings have been exhibited at such institutions as the Art Institute of Chicago; the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia; the Illinois State Museum, Springfield; the Delphic Studios Exhibition, New York; the New Jersey State Museum Exhibition, Trenton; the Riverside Museum Exhibition, New York and the Terra Museum of Art, Chicago, among others. Orloff’s work is represented in the permanent collection of the Illinois State Museum, Springfield, IL.

14-119 Merchandise Mart Plaza
Chicago, Illinois 60654

(312) 644-8855
info@richardnortongallery.com

Gallery Hours
Monday through Friday
9 am to 5 pm