Theodore Lukits - Exhibitions of The Roaring Twenties

Exhibitions of The Roaring Twenties

From the mid-1920s through the early 1930s, Lukits had a number of solo exhibitions in and Southern California. The fall of 1926 may have been his successful season. He had an exhibition at the Southby Salon on Larchmont Boulevard that opened on September 23. The review in the Sunday Los Angeles Times stated "The exhibit was opened on Thursday evening by a reception at which Anita Stewart was hostess. About 100 people attended. The event of the evening was the first showing of the artist's striking portrait of Ethel Wade."

Lukits studied with Richard Miller, Charles W. Hawthorne, Housep Pushman, George Bellows, Robert Henri, Karl Buehr and Wellington J. Reynolds. He won the Bryan Lathrop traveling scholarship from the Chicago Art Institute which took him to Rome. He recently restored the much valued old portrait of St. Francis at Santa Barbara Mission and completed a portrait of Colonel Oliver S. Hershman, ex-owner of the Pittsburgh Press Newspaper. Lukits is a brilliant young painter with real portrait talent and an eye for rich, warm, color."

In November he had a showing in the Salon of the famed Hollywood restaurant the Montmatre Cafe. Owned by Eddie Brandstatter, the Montmatre was the place where film stars and society figures went to see and be seen. It was famous for its dance contests which were invariably won by the young Joan Crawford. Lukits showed his work. which included portraits, landscapes and marines at the Montmatre during the month of November and along with Count Tolstoy and the actress Dolores Del Rio, he was the guest at a pair of receptions.