Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 15

John Hultberg
Bay Area Figurative Abstract Gouache Painting "Video Tower" John Hultberg

1991

$1,200
£927.21
€1,071.94
CA$1,695.69
A$1,901.83
CHF 995.96
MX$23,109.03
NOK 12,646.98
SEK 11,990.23
DKK 8,001.47

About the Item

John Hultberg (1922-2005) Gouache (mixed media ) "Video Tower" 1991 Hand initialed lower right Measurements: 18.75" W x 11.75" H (framed); 6.75" W x 7.25" H (visible area of each painting). Provenance: Denise Bibro Fine Art John Hultberg (1922 – 2005) was an American Abstract expressionist and Abstract realist painter. Early in his career he was related to the Bay Area Figurative Movement; he was also a lecturer and playwright. John Hultberg was born in 1922 in Berkeley, California. Hultberg attended Fresno State College, graduating in 1943. During World War II, he was a Navy lieutenant. After the war, his education at the California School of Fine Arts (CSFA) (now the San Francisco Art Institute) was funded by the G.I. Bill. His teachers included Mark Rothko and Clyfford Still and he was a classmate of Richard Diebenkorn, who was also a mentor, James Budd Dixon, Walter Kuhlman, Frank Lobdell, and George Stillman, which whom he created a portfolio of 17 lithographs. This 1948 portfolio, titled Drawings, has been acknowledged as a landmark in Abstract Expressionist printmaking. The group has been referred to as "The Sausalito Six," because most, lived in Sausalito, north of San Francisco. Many of the "First Generation" artists in this West Coast movement were avid fans of Abstract Expressionism, and worked in that manner, until several of them abandoned non-objective painting in favor of working with the figure. Among these First Generation Bay Area Figurative School artists were: David Park, Richard Diebenkorn, Rex Ashlock, Elmer Bischoff, Glenn Wessels, Wayne Thiebaud, Raimonds Staprans, and James Weeks. The "Bridge Generation" included the artists: Henrietta Berk, Nathan Oliveira, Theophilus Brown, Paul Wonner, Roland Petersen, John Hultberg, and Frank Lobdell. He was also a contemporary of Clay Spohn and David Park. Hultberg studied at the Art Students League of New York beginning in 1952. Hultberg was first married to Hilary Blech. In 1961 Hultberg met fellow artist Lynne Drexler at The Artist's Club in New York. Artists there discussed abstract expressionism. Drexler and Hultberg were married and three years traveled and lived in Mexico, the West Coast and Hawaii. Then, they lived at New York's Chelsea Hotel in the late 1960s. Seeking a relaxing environment, the couple bought a house off the coast of Maine on Monhegan Island in 1971 and split their time between New York City and Maine, particularly spending the summers at their island house. By 1983, Drexler moved year-around and permanently near Lighthouse Hill on Monhegan Island, an artists' haven off the coast of Maine, where she had spent most summers since 1963. Hultberg did not like to live year-round, particularly during the harsh winters, at Monhegan Island and moved to Portland in 1985. Hultberg primarily made Abstract expressionist paintings that were minimalist and dark, and also made Surrealist invented landscapes with "linear perspectives and angular shapes." Hultberg was described as an Abstract realism, who combines "abstract" and "concrete" with attention to detail, bold color use, and strong design. Hultberg is known for his Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, and Minimalist paintings. His work is held in many collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Guggenheim Museum.In 1952 he was introduced at the Museum of Modern Art in a show of new artists. He lived for one year in Paris between 1954 and 1955 and gained a reputation there for his work. In 1955 he won the Corcoran Biennial first prize in Washington. His paintings were influenced by his time spent at Monhegan Island, and his career thrived after he moved to Portland. His work was shown in many galleries, including the Anita Shapolsky Gallery in New York City Martha Jackson Gallery and the Albright Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York, he gave lectures, and in 1985 he had an exhibition at the Portland Museum of Art. A play that he wrote was produced the University of Maine theatre department. He published the book Sole Witness, Vagabondage, a Paris Odyssey (1953–1955), his poetry and other books. He taught art in Hawaii and the West Coast. He was teaching at the Art Students League and was a full-time resident in New York by 1990. He taught until the week of his death at the Art Students League. His work was part of a group show at Aucocisco in Portland in February 2005, at which time he was living in New York City. Hultberg made a name for himself in the 1950s with powerful landscapes, fractured into slabs under ominous horizons; multiplicities of bizarre, huddled shapes; and dense, semi abstract urban wastelands dappled with harsh brilliance and vague human touches. Their air of mystery and forceful use of color earned him awards at exhibitions that began in the 1950s and continued for five decades. Select Public Collections: Guggenheim Museum, New York Metropolitan Museum of Art Museum of Modern Art, New York City Portland Museum of Art, Maine Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art Whitney Museum of American Art
  • Creator:
    John Hultberg (1922 - 2005, American)
  • Creation Year:
    1991
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 11.75 in (29.85 cm)Width: 18.75 in (47.63 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Minor wear commensurate with age, refer to photos.
  • Gallery Location:
    Surfside, FL
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU38215605922

More From This Seller

View All
Large John Hultberg SF Bay Area Artist Abstract Expressionist Oil Painting
By John Hultberg
Located in Surfside, FL
John Hultberg Oil on canvas Panorama of pictures. 1998 Hand signed lower right, J. Hultberg ‘98. Artist, date, and title written on verso. Canvas 25.5”H x 35”W, Frame 26”H x 35.5”...
Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

1974 California Bay Area Abstract Expressionist Bold Oil Painting Don Clausen
By Don Clausen
Located in Surfside, FL
Don Clausen American (b. 1930) Untitled (1974) Oil on board Hand signed lower left and verso Framed 11.25 X 13.5 sight 9 x 11.25 inches Don Clausen is an American Postwar & Contem...
Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

1970s Bay Area Figurative Abstract Lithograph Serigraph Greenhouse John Hultberg
By John Hultberg
Located in Surfside, FL
John Hultberg (1922-2005) Lithograph Serigraph Greenhouse Hand signed lower right and hand numbered edition of 200 Sheet size 26" x 34 Image Size: 24 x 32 inches John Hultberg (1...
Category

1970s Abstract Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Large Harry Bertschmann Swiss American Abstract Expressionist Outsider Painting
By Harry Bertschmann
Located in Surfside, FL
Harry Bertschmann (Swiss American, born 1931). Acrylic painting on paper. Artist signature to lower right. Provenance: Joy Moos Gallery (this was exhibited at the Outsider Art Fair) ...
Category

20th Century Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

Large California Modernist Abstract Laddie John Dill Abstract Oil Painting Art
By Laddie John Dill
Located in Surfside, FL
Laddie John Dill (American, b. 1943) Untitled Oil painting on canvas mounted on panel Hand signed Laddie Dill (verso) 36 x 72 inches. (with frame 37 X 73) Laddie John Dill was born ...
Category

1980s Post-Modern Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Board

Abstract Expressionist 1980s Painting Miami Woman Modernist Lynne Golob Gelfman
By Lynne Golob Gelfman
Located in Surfside, FL
Lynne Golob Gelfman, American (1944-2020) Abstract Composition Acrylic polymer on paper Hand signed and dated recto Sheet: 22 x 30 inches Frame dimensions: 26 x 33 frame with glazing...
Category

1980s Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Acrylic

You May Also Like

The Tower of the Times - Painting by Paolo Cantù - 2020
Located in Roma, IT
The Tower of the times is a beautiful acrylic painting realized by the Italian artist Paolo Cantù in 2020. This is an original abstract artwork with bright and lively colors. Hand...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Vintage Mid-Century Modern Abstract Figurative Framed Oil Painting - Montage
Located in Bristol, GB
MONTAGE Size: 101.5 x 33 cm (including frame) Oil on Canvas A unique elongated and narrow semi-abstract figurative composition, executed in oil onto canvas. Reminiscent of a film s...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lighthouse, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By Hal Mayforth
Located in Yardley, PA
acrylic on canvas - 31”H x 45”W - ships in tube Bold structural brush strokes surrounded by textured off whites and grays. The textured surface is alive with traces of previou...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Verticality - Abstract Expressionist Composition in Acrylic on Paper
Located in Soquel, CA
Verticality - Abstract Expressionist Composition in Acrylic on Paper A bold abstract painting by California-based artist, Ricardo de Silva (American/Brazil, 20th C). A blue and red ...
Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Acrylic

5844 - Tall Original Figurative Abstract Artwork
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Blurring the distinction between figure and abstract settings, Swiss artist Edith Konrad’s spectral forms—human in shape—inhabit muted abstract environm...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Mixed Media

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil

Bay Area Abstract Expressionist Oil on Illustration Board Honora Berg Berkeley
By Honora Berg
Located in Soquel, CA
San Francisco Bay area abstract expressionist painting by Honora Berg (American, 1897-1985). A nocturnal setting adds more interest and dimension. Estate stamp on verso "Estate of Honora Berg-Larry Miller Fine Art" Unframed. 36"H x 30"W. Larry Miller 1958-2003, Larry was a specialist in bay area abstract artists and purchased numerous bay area artists estates. He purchased the entirety of the Honora Berg Estate and we purchased many of those works directly form Larry. Honora Berg, an Abstract Expressionist and Bay Area Figurative School artist, studied at the San Francisco Art Institute with David Park, Elmer Bischoff and James Budd Dixon...
Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Illustration Board