Lot #3: Vintage "June In December Wedding" Surreal Art Print Artist Signed 4/300 Jan Balet 37"

Jan Balet (1913-2009) was born in Bremen, Germany and spent the first years of his life on the northeastern shore of Lake Constance. His schooling began there and, as a result of his more-than-mischievous conduct, continued somewhat tempestuously, until he eventually focused his efforts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. Under Professor Olaf Gulbransson, he developed his artistic skills and found ways to think about and express his unique vision. The composition required for advertising and the reduction of details necessary for illustrating stories became his forte. Balet learned to create concise scenes depicting his own creative narratives, full of ironic wit and engaging paradox.In 1938, he made the decision to leave his brief service in the German army by obtaining a short-term visa, allowing him to follow his friend, Fritz Wallach, to the United States. Although he had to cease all contact with his family at home to protect them from military reprisals, Jan stayed in the U.S. in protest of the military's anti-Semitism. During his more than 25 years there, spent mostly in New York City, Jan developed a very successful commercial art career, designing for major companies and eventually going out on his own as a commercial illustrator. His years in New York also saw Jans ventures into the world of childrens books, both as author and illustrator. During this time, he enjoyed ongoing exposure to both classical and contemporary artists works, had the opportunity to travel, and took an interest in American folk art, amassing a significant collection of his own.