Denis O’Connor Watercolor - Hillsides 1960

Rare Denis O'Connor - Watercolor - Hillsides 1960 oranges, blues and greens 22”h x 28.5”w (Frame) 13”h x 21”w (Sight)

Denis O’Connor, a mosaic muralist who worked with the Millard Sheets Studio, executed massive portraits of idealized California life at many Home Savings of America buildings in the 1960s and 1970s as part of an ambitious public art program.

“The volume of work that he did was pretty much unprecedented, except for the Italian masters,” Lillian Sizemore, a mosaic historian and artist, told The Times on Wednesday. “Certainly, in the U.S., he was definitely a master.”

O’Connor, a British immigrant, was a foot soldier in a unique American campaign to bring art to the people.  

The grand-scaled bank buildings -- with marble exteriors and interiors featuring colorful tile murals, stained glass and sculptures -- turned the Home Savings branches into instant landmarks in California communities that often lacked distinctive structures. Many of the buildings and artwork were designed by Millard Sheets, an artist and architect who often signed the murals, although assistants did most of the actual work.

“Millard was a master visionary, and he would find people to execute these architectural visions. He was a big personality and because of that . . . Denis wasn’t always given the credit he was due,” said Sizemore, who studied with O’Connor last year.

Over 19 years, O’Connor produced about 80 mosaics for Home Savings, Sizemore said. Washington Mutual took over Home Savings in 1998, but many examples of O’Connor’s exacting artistry still stand. The murals were meant to reflect California history, family life and local landmarks and often were specific to a bank’s geographic location.

“Everyone seems to love the one he did at Sunset and Vine,” said Sizemore of the Hollywood-influenced work that features Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins among the dozen scenes of movie characters.