20th Century Abstract Paintings

Ronnie Landfield (1947- American) "Untitled" 1982 Acrylic on Paper Dimensions: Sheet 30" X 42" Frame 32 X 44 Hand signed and dated lower right Provenance: Denman Associates, Seattle gallery Ronnie Landfield (American, 1947-) is an abstract painter. During his early career from the mid-1960s through the 1970s his paintings were associated with Lyrical Abstraction (related to Postminimalism, Color Field painting, and Abstract expressionism), and he was represented by the David Whitney Gallery and the André Emmerich Gallery. Landfield is best known for his abstract landscape paintings, and has held more than seventy solo exhibitions and more than two hundred group exhibitions. Born and raised in Pelham Parkway in the Bronx, Landfield first exhibited his paintings in Manhattan in 1962. He continued his study of painting by visiting major museum and gallery exhibitions in New York during the early sixties and by taking painting and drawing classes at the Art Students League of New York and in Woodstock, New York. He graduated from the High School of Art and Design in June 1963. He briefly attending the Kansas City Art Institute before returning to New York in November 1963. At sixteen Landfield rented his first loft at 6 Bleecker Street near The Bowery (sublet with a friend from the figurative painter Leland Bell), during a period when his abstract expressionist oil paintings took on hard-edged and large painterly shapes. In February 1964, Landfield traveled to Los Angeles; and in March he began living in Berkeley where he began painting Hard-edge abstractions primarily painted with acrylic. He briefly attended the University of California, Berkeley and the San Francisco Art Institute before returning to New York in July 1965. From 1964 to 1966 he experimented with minimal art, sculpture, hard-edge geometric painting, found objects, and finally began a series of 15 - 9' x 6' mystical "border paintings". After a serious setback in February 1966 when his loft at 496 Broadway burned down, he returned to painting in April 1966 by sharing a loft with his friend Dan Christensen at 4 Great Jones Street. The Border Painting series was completed in July 1966, and soon after architect Philip Johnson acquired Tan Painting for the permanent collection of The Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery in Lincoln, Nebraska. In late 1966 through 1968 he began exhibiting his paintings and works on paper in leading galleries and museums. Landfield moved into his loft at 94 Bowery in July 1967; there, he continued to experiment with rollers, staining, hard-edge borders, and painted unstretched canvases on the floor for the first time. Briefly in 1967-1968 he worked part-time for Dick Higgins and the Something Else Press. Landfield was part of a large circle of young artists who had come to Manhattan during the 1960s. Peter Young, Dan Christensen, Peter Reginato, Eva Hesse, Carlos Villa, William Pettet, David R. Prentice, Kenneth Showell, David Novros, Joan Jonas, Michael Steiner, Frosty Myers, Tex Wray, Larry Zox, Larry Poons, Robert Povlich, Neil Williams, Carl Gliko, Billy Hoffman, Lee Lozano, Pat Lipsky, John Griefen, Brice Marden, James Monte, John Chamberlain, Donald Judd, Frank Stella, Carl Andre, Dan Graham, Robert Smithson, Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, Kenneth Noland, Clement Greenberg, Bob Neuwirth, Joseph Kosuth, Mark di Suvero, Brigid Berlin, Lawrence Weiner, Rosemarie Castoro, Marjorie Strider, Dorothea Rockburne, Leo Valledor, Peter Forakis...

Title: Post Impressionist French Harbour Scene of Saint Servan with Boats and Church By Fanch Lel Signed: Yes Size: 9.5 x 13 inches (height x width) Oil painting on board, unframed C...

Roland Ayers (1932-2017). Improvisation, 2nd Series, #5. Ink on paper, measures 19 x 24 inches. Unframed and unmounted. Signed and dated lower right, titled lower left. There are a few minor areas of loss in margins as depicted in close-up photos. Additionally, there a a few minor tears in margins. Ayers holds the distinction of having participated in the first important survey of African-Americans, Contemporary Black Artists in America, a 1971 show at The Whitney. Biography: Artist and art educator, Roland Ayers was born on July 2, 1932, the only child of Alice and Lorenzo Ayers, and grew up in the Germantown district of Philadelphia. Ayers served in the US Army (stationed in Germany) before studying at the Philadelphia College of Art (currently University of the Arts). He graduated with a BFA in Art Education, 1954. He traveled Europe 1966-67, spending time in Amsterdam and Greece in particular. During this period, he drifted away from painting to focus on linear figurative drawings of a surreal nature. His return home inaugurated the artist’s most prolific and inspired period (1968-1975). Shorty before his second major trip abroad in 1971-72 to West Africa, Ayers began to focus on African themes, and African American figures populated his work almost exclusively. In spite of Ayers’ travel and exploration of the world, he gravitated back to his beloved Germantown, a place he endowed with mythological qualities in his work and literature. His auto-biographical writing focuses on the importance of place during his childhood. Ayers’ journals meticulously document the ethnic and cultural make-up of Germantown, and tell a compelling story of class marginalization that brought together poor families despite racial differences. The distinctive look and design of Germantown inform Ayers’ visual vocabulary. It is a setting with distinctive Gothic Revival architecture and haunting natural beauty. These characteristics are translated and recur in the artist’s imagery. During his childhood, one of the only books in the Ayers household was an illustrated Bible. The images within had a profound effect on the themes and subjects that would appear in his adult work. Figures in an Ayers’ drawing often seem trapped in a narrative of loss and redemption. Powerful women loom large in the drawings: they suggest the female role models his journals record in early life. The drawings can sometimes convey a strong sense of conflict, and at other times, harmony. Nature and architecture seem to have an antagonistic relationship that is, ironically, symbiotic. A critical turning point in the artist’s career came in 1971 when he was included in the extremely controversial Whitney Museum show, Contemporary Black Artists in America. The exhibition gave Ayers an international audience and served as a calling card for introductions he would soon make in Europe. Ayers is a particularly compelling figure in a period when black artists struggled with the idea of authenticity. A questioned often asked was “Is your work too black, or not black enough?” Abstractionists were considered by some peers to be sell-outs, frauds or worse. Figurative* work was accused of being either sentimental or politically radical depending on the critical source. Ayers made the choice early on to be a figurative artist, but considered his work devoid of political content. Organizations such as Chicago’ s Afri-Cobra in the late 1960‘s asserted that the only true black art of any relevance must depict the black man and woman...

Vibrant modernist oil painting of an abstract lighthouse by Costello (American, 20th Century), circa 1970. Purchased as part of collection. Signed and dated on verso. Unframed. Image...

Nude Models by Therese Hummel (French, 1911-1999) oil on canvas, unframed canvas : 15 x 18 inches Provenance: private collection of this artists work, Paris Condition: sound and good...

Abstract Expressionist Composition by Jacques COULAIS (1955-2011) painting on canvas unframed: 39.5 x 39.5 inches condition: very good provenance: all the paintings we have for sal...

3057 Figurative Cubic/Surreal oil painting Set in a vintage gilt wood frame

Title: Impressionist French Gouache of Sacré-Cœur Paris in Snow with Figures By Fanch Lel Signed: Yes Size: 15.75 x 11.75 inches (height x width) Gouache painting on board, unframed ...

Enamel on canvas "Untitled" signature on the back. Certification by the artist is present. Archived in 1997 Monte Titano Arte General Archive of Mario Schifano's paintings n. 713/9...

Cubist Portrait of a Musician Marcel Seignobos (1892-1972) signed oil on canvas, unframed Canvas : 22 x 15 inches Provenance: private collection, Cote d'Azur, France Condition: very...

Title: French Coastal Harbour Scene with Sailboats and Reflections Mid Century Painting by Fanch Lel Signed: Bottom left corner Size: 13 x 16 inches (height x width) Oil painting on ...

Title: Fishing Boats On French Beach With Lighthouse And Sea Coastal Marine by Fanch Lel Signed: Bottom right corner Size: 19.5 x 22.75 inches (height x width) Oil painting on board, unframed Condition: Good overall condition. Minor surface wear and edge scuffs consistent with age. Provenance: All the paintings we have for sale by this artist have come from the artists estate and have had no previous owners at all. Description: This lively coastal oil painting by Fanch Lel, signed and dated 1990, captures a charming seaside scene with three brightly painted fishing boats resting on the sand at low tide. In the distance, a lighthouse stands watch on a rocky outcrop, its red-capped beacon contrasting against the pale grey sky and choppy turquoise waters. Executed with confident brushwork and a keen eye for maritime colour, this painting blends soft, overcast tones with vivid pops of red, blue, and orange across the boat hulls. The textured rocks, loosely rendered shoreline, and atmospheric sky lend the piece a dynamic yet calm feel—conveying both movement and stillness typical of harbour life. The composition is balanced and engaging, with the boats drawing...

Gladys Nilsson A Small Error (INV# NP3714) watercolor on paper Approx: 5 x 5.12" Frame: 10.12 x 10.12" 1987 Annotated on mat verso with title, artist...

2901 City Landscape ,acrylic on canvas Displayed in a custom gilt wood frame Image size 18x24" overall 21x26.5" Signed Varen

This Modern painting by Abstract Expressionist Stanley Bate was made with oil on canvas circa 1960. In it, layers of red, yellow, white, and umber paint are expressively applied over...

Barn Pastel Sketch by Akos Biro (Hungarian 1911-2002) pastel painting on artist paper, unframed painting: 9 x 12 inches provenance: the artists estate, France Superb orig...

Antique French landscape oil painting. Oil on canvasboard. Framed. Signed verso. Measuring: 12 by 14 inches overall, and 9 by 11 painting alone. In excellent original condition. Ha...

Antique modernist abstract painting by Elsie Orfuss (Born 1913). Oil on canvas. Signed on verso. Nicely framed. Image size, 36L x 48H

Title: French Impressionist Seascape of Étretat Cliffs Normandy Coast By Fanch Lel Size: 20.5 x 19.25 inches (height x width) Oil painting on cardboard, unframed Condition: Good cond...

Work on cardboard

Anita Johnson Untitled (Still Life with Pitcher and Basket of Fruit), c. 1950s Oil on canvas Framed dimensions: 30 in. H × 27 in. W Original vintage frame in silver gilt In Still Li...

An original hard edge abstraction by American artist James Koenig. This work titled "Sun" is part of the Draw Near exhibition currently on view at Benjaman Gallery.

Seymour Franks No. 4, 1952 Signed upper left Dated on verso Oil on canvas American painter and designer, Seymour Franks, was born in New York City in 1916. Seymour Franks contracte...

"Landscape" by Carlos Carnero (Uruguay/ French 1922-1980) Pen on paper, unframed paper: 2.25 x 3 inches provenance: the artists estate, Paris Fine original French drawing by the i...

This colourful abstract expressionist painting is by the award-winning artist Milly Ristvedt. For decades, Milly Ristvedt has explored the unlimited potential and power of colour to...

Abstract composition oil on canvas, unframed canvas: 33 x 29 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: good and sound condition

Antique American school modernist still life painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed.

Artist/ School: French school Title: Abstract Village Medium: gouache painting on paper, unframed canvas: 14 x 12 inches Provenance: private collection, France Condition: The p...

'Characters in a Surrealist Landscape', oil on canvas, by Lucien Coutaud (1931). A couple entwine with the male character seemingly in grief, the female not returning with a comforting embrace. In the distant landscape a sole character meanders. This painting seems to be a creation of the artist's dreams, perhaps reflecting events in his personal life. It seems there is a relationship problem. In the world of Surrealists, there is a focus on the unconscious mind through Freudian methods of free association, trance-like states or dreams. Some Surrealists practiced psychic 'automatism' which was automatic writing or drawing, turning off the conscious mind and producing streams of words or images directly from the unconscious. In unlocking the unconscious in this way, Surrealism was individually expressed (Ref. 'The Short Story of Art...

Title: French Coastal Village Oil Painting of Thatched Cottages and Figure Walking By Fanch Lel Signed: Yes Size: 12.75 x 16.25 inches (height x width) Oil painting on board, unframe...

D Ollard Ribbons of Memory Gouache and photographic collage 20 x 26 cm Signed to reverse Provenance: The family of A. E. Halliwell Little is known about D Ollard other than the fac...

Walter Darby Bannard (born September 23, 1934 in New Haven, CT) "Natural Christmas (1972)" Alkyd Resin Magna Medium Aquatec Gel on Canvas Painting Walter Darby Barnard is a Profess...

Oil on canvas signed by American artist, John Little (1907-1984) and dated 1970-71 in gilded trimmed, wood frame. Little, who attended the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy and worked under ...

Oil on canvas. Framed. No signature found. Strong color and composition.

Title: French Village Church Tower Oil Painting with Dramatic Sky and Earthy Palette By Fanch Lel Size: 15 x 18 inches (height x width) Oil painting on board, unframed Condition: The...

The work of Sam Gilliam is included in over fifty public collections, including those of the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; Tate Modern, London; the Museum of Modern Art, ...

Title: French Impressionist Cathedral and Bridge Scene with Soft Pastel Palette By Fanch Lel Size: 18.25 x 15 inches (height x width) Oil painting on board, unframed Condition: The p...

Carol Jablonsky (1939-1992) Acrylic on canvas painting with collage titled verso "Letter in a Bottle" 17 X 17 framed 10.5 X 10.5 sight The image is whimsical and rather mysterious,...

Abstract Conceptual painting. it has a lacquer resin like finish to it. it is reminescent of the pored resin works of Gaetano Pesce. it is not framed. Siren Bliss was born Michael Wh...

Title: French Impressionist Street Scene with Figures in Traditional Dress By Fanch Lel Size: 16 x 13 inches (height x width) Oil painting on board, unframed Condition: The painting ...

Josine Vignon (French 1922-2022) ...

This exceptional oil on canvas by master Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein is an exceptional and unique example of his early pre-pop work. It is signed by the artist, upper right. After m...

Abstract Expressionist Composition by Marie Deloume (French born 1942) signed on back, inscribed verso oil painting on canvas, unframed canvas size: 36 x 36 inches condition: overall...

CLAUDE GAVEAU (1906 - 1970) A beautiful and large signed oil on canvas by the important french painter Claude Gaveau. The work is signed upper right and unlined and unrestored on...

Title: Impressionist Harbour Scene with Boats and Steeple at Sunset in Golden Tones By Fanch Lel Size: 18 x 21.5 inches (height x width) Oil painting on board, unframed Condition: Th...

Abstract Expressionist Composition by Gilbert Pelissier (French born 1924) signed oil painting on canvas, unframed inscribed verso canvas size: 35 x 46 inches condition: overall very...

This painting by Lucien Durand is part of my private collection. It is one of a kind, original and signed on the back by the artist.

This is a one of kind Lucien Durand, signed by the artist. It is part of my private collection.

Taro Yamamoto, (American, 1919-1994) "La Gatta Miso" Oil or Acrylic/Canvas 32" x 50" Hand signed lower right, dated 1990, Titled on the stretcher verso, unframed. Taro Yamamoto (...

Erik Ortvad (Danish, 1917 - 2008) Abstract Landscape, 1946 Oil on canvas Signed and dated lower right 32 X 37.5 inches 35 x 40.5 inches, framed Born in 1917 in Copenhagen, Erik Ortvad was a surrealist painter and a founding member of the COBRA art...

Title: Impressionist French Harvest Landscape with Stone Bridge and Castle near Amiens By Fanch Lel Signed: Yes Size: 13 x 9.75 inches (height x width) Gouache painting on cardboard,...

Selma Moskowitz "Flowers and Bugs" 2/19/1963 Oil paint and paper on paper 25.5"x15.25" unframed Signed and dated lower right in pencil With a career spanning over five decades, Selm...

Title: Impressionist Street Scene Viewed Through Archway with Figures and Market Awnings By Fanch Lel Size: 11.25 x 14.5 inches (height x width) Oil painting on board, unframed Condi...

Title: 1960's British Surrealist Oil Painting - "Peeping Faces" Medium: Oil on board, unframed Size: 3.5 height x 4 width Condition: Good Provenance: all the paintings we have by th...

Title: French Coastal Oil Painting of Lighthouse and Fishing Boats at Le Port d’Étaples By Fanch Lel Signed: Yes Size: 13 x 16.25 inches (height...

Colourful, French mixed media abstract, acrylic, newsprint and ink from the 1980s. The canvas is signed and dated bottom right but we have not yet managed to decipher it. A colourful and engaging painting crossing over styles. The colourfield elements are reminiscent of the work of Mark Rothko, three defined bands of colour in orange/pink tones vertically dissecting the painting with one horizontal band across the top, and yet the elongated depiction of the female figures within the bands remind us of Gustav Klimt and his paintings of Adele. The background of the painting has been worked broadly with a palette knife whilst the detail has been added quickly and deftly with ink or finer brushstrokes. With the addition of newsprint (in French) the artist may...

Beautiful collage painting by unknown artist. Acrylic on torn paper segments, reassembled as collage. Art object assempled on rectangular sheet of hand made rag paper measures 12.5...

An abstract collage on wood by Kenneth Morrow Martin, American (1911-1983). Exhibited: 1st Knoxville Art Center National Exhibtion, 1961 White Landscape by Keith Morrow Martin...

Title: French Impressionist Sunrise over Saint Malo with Rowboat by Fanch Lel By Fanch Lel Signed: Yes Size: 20 x 24 inches (height x width) Oil painting on cardboard, unframed Condi...

Oil painting with boats and boat house. The artist uses color and line to create the illusion of texture within the painting. Placed in a dark, ...