Michael Fenga

Michael Fenga was an artist whose documented professional activity is concentrated in the mid-1930s, specifically spanning the years 1935 and 1936. His known output consists entirely of design studies and renderings created for the Index of American Design, a major federal arts initiative focused on documenting historical American decorative and folk arts.

A total of fifteen works attributed to Fenga are represented in major museum collections, confirming his specialized contribution to this governmental documentation project. These essential historical records are held in the National Gallery of Art, a significant repository for American design archives. Among the documented objects are meticulous studies for specialized items, including a Compote, a Mustard Pot, a Rattle, a Ring, and a Silver Bowl.

Fenga’s precise and informative drawings serve as critical documents reflecting the period's systematic effort to catalogue American craftsmanship. Because these archival images reside in the public domain, Michael Fenga prints are frequently utilized by historians and researchers today. The availability of these renderings as high-quality prints ensures the continued preservation and study of the historical decorative arts Fenga recorded.