Paul Lauritz (1889-1975)

“Pounding Surf, Coast of Maine”

Date unknown (circa 1945)
Oil on canvas on wood

26” H x 36” W (image size)
32” H x 42” W (frame size)

Signed lower left: Paul Lauritz

Estimated value: $2,000 - $2,500

Additional Information

Throughout his career, historic California artist Paul Lauritz (1889-1975) was honored with numerous awards from museums, expositions, and clubs throughout California. One of those awards came in 1942 from the Santa Paula Art Show for Lauritz’s painting entitled “Pounding Surf” (pictured below). The annual Santa Paula Art Show was established in 1937 by the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce, and the Chamber offered purchase prizes to the best oil painting and the best watercolor painting in each year’s show through the early 1980s. Lauritz was awarded purchase prizes by the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce a total of seven times. The City of Santa Paula, the Blanchard Library, and the Santa Paula Unified School District retain ownership of the nearly 300 paintings that were purchased over the course of four decades, but the Museum is thrilled to offer an equally striking “Pounding Surf” painting by Paul Lauritz in this year’s auction.

Artist Biography

Paul Lauritz was born in picturesque Larvik, Norway in 1889. The region's beauty attracted many artists and Lauritz seized the opportunity to observe them as they worked. One of the artists, an English watercolorist, gave Lauritz private lessons in exchange for his family providing room and board. Lauritz also studied at the Larvik Art School before emigrating to Vancouver, Canada at the age of sixteen. Lauritz later moved to Portland, Oregon where he worked as a commercial artist.

In 1912, Lauritz and his wife moved to Alaska in search of gold. Although Lauritz did not find his fortune in Alaska, he found inspiration for several paintings and met artist Sydney Laurence (1865-1940), one of Alaska’s most important historical artists, with whom Lauritz exhibited.  

In 1919, Lauritz relocated to Los Angeles, California where he opened a studio. He gained early recognition with his portraits, snow scenes, and seascapes, one of which was commissioned by the king of Norway. In addition to painting along the coast of Southern California, he traveled and painted extensively in the Sierra Nevada region as well as the deserts of California, Mexico, and Nevada.

Lauritz taught at the Chouinard School of Art and the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. He served as president of the California Art Club for two years and was a member of the Painters and Sculptors Club of Los Angeles; the Los Angeles Municipal Art Commission; the Laguna Beach Art Association; the Royal Society of Art in England; and the Salmagundi Club in New York.

Auction Information

The 13th Annual Fine Art Auction Fundraiser
Saturday, August 19, 2023
The silent auction starts at 3:00 PM.
The live auction starts at 4:00 PM.
Auction admission: $15.00 SPAM members, $20.00 Non-members

All proceeds benefit the Santa Paula Art Museum, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization #2478728.

All major credit cards, check, and cash are accepted.
Sales tax will be applied to all hammer prices. There is no buyer’s premium.

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