Ben Stahl (1910-1987) American, Signed Original Charcoal Drawing. Depicts two women in scant clothing acting as circus performers, sitting in a tent with a clown and man on horseback traversing a midway in the background. Smudges of colored pencil have been added to create dimension. Signed and dated '85 bottom right, meaning it was created in one of the final years of the artist's life. 

Overall Size: 31 3/4 x 27 1/4 in. 

Sight Size: 19 x 15 1/4 in. 

Benjamin Albert Stahl, born in Chicago on September 7th, 1910, was an artistic prodigy who began his career as an illustrator and later served as an official U.S. Air Force artist during World War II. After moving to Sarasota, Florida in 1953 he became a prominent figure in the local art colony and taught at various institutions, including the Art Institute of Chicago, New College of Florida, and the Art Students League of New York. Stahl gained widespread recognition for his elaborate illustrations in publications like The Saturday Evening Post and for his contributions to advertising and movie posters, including Ben-Hur. He was a founding faculty member of the Famous Artists School and appeared on Bob Ross’ television series The Joy of Painting, where Ross referred to him as “one of the best painters in the country.” Beyond his painting and teaching, Stahl authored two novels, “Blackbeard’s Ghost” (later a Disney film) and its sequel, “The Secret of Red Skull.” However, his legacy is tragically linked to the unsolved 1969 theft of fifteen enormous religious paintings from his self-funded Museum of the Cross, a financial blow from which he never recovered, and Stahl died on October 19th, 1987 having never learned what became of his magnum opus.

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