Eugene C. Fitsch

Fitsch was a painter, printmaker, and stage designer, born in Alsace-Lorraine, France. He immigrated to the United States in 1913, at the age of 21, where he initially worked as a bookbinder for the Buffalo Public Library. Fitsch received his first major art education through the Albright Art Gallery (now known as the Albright-Knox Art Gallery) before moving to New York City to attend the Art Students' League, courtesy of a scholarship. He was later be hired by the League to teach etching and lithography in 1925.

Fitch, with the help of Louis Schanker, William Gropper, Margaret Bourke-White and several other artists of the day, founded the American Artists School in 1936. Theatrically, Fitsch produced sets for Broadway, the Greenwich Village Playhouse and the Provincetown Playhouse. His theatrical endeavors had such a impact on his life, many of his prints feature behind the scene views.