Whodunit?

 

I bought this painting from Bill at Long Beach Sunday. I believe that it may be a view of San Francisco near the Baker Hamilton building. It is signed M. Wolf. Nineteen forties, early fifties frame. Ashcan style.

Bill originally bought the painting from Cam.

Cam got it when he sold the estate of Arnold Wolf in Monterey, from Arnold's daughter Vivian, he thinks. He has long since lost contact info.

I am trying to figure out the name of the artist. I believe Arnold Wolf's wife was named Maxine and besides the daughter he had two sons, Gordon and Michael. So that is two m's that could be the artist. I would wager money it is a family member if not Arnold himself. Don't know his middle name.

I have tried to contact family members on Linked in and through internet sleuthing to no avail. Think the kids are in Tustin maybe, niece in Aptos. Can't get a call back.

Now Arnold Wolf was an interesting character. Here is his obituary. He was an industrial designer and the one time head of JBL. He designed the groundbreaking Paragon loudspeaker system in 1957. His wiki page says that his father was a photographer at RKO.

Paragon speaker

I don't know much about him but did see this and took note:

He was born in San Francisco on April 30, 1927. In the early 1930s, his family moved to the East Coast, eventually settling in New York City, where he attended the Bentley School in Manhattan and the Bronx High School of Science, graduating in 1943. In 1942-43, he performed as a radio actor in a number of network programs. When the family moved to Los Angeles, he went to work as a draftsman and perspective sketch artist at the RKO film studio. 

This excellent urban painting exhibits precisionist skills that a draftsman and technical perspective sketch artist would have. Could M be his middle initial?

We have a saying in the business, no mark, no money. People seem to want paintings from a known artist, irrespective of quality.

This is a long shot but if anyone out there knows the kids and they can put a name to the author of my canvas I would much appreciate it.