Mid-20th Century Abstract Paintings

Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Departing from the System, 1961 Mixed media on paper Signed and dated lower right 36 x 24 inches A surrealist mid-century figural abst...

"One of Pinajian's early works, 'Overlook Mountain, Woodstock, 1974' is a vibrant depiction of the Woodstock mountains. The abstract composition was create...

Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed lower right.

An incredible presence and painted thickly, this is an early work by French Abstractionist Francois Aubrun. It is framed in a white contemporary float...

Antique American modernist signed abstract oil painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Framed. Image size, 36L x 31H.

Genre: Modern Subject: Abstract Medium: Oil Surface: Board Dimensions: 16" x 19 3/4" x 1/4" Dimensions w/Frame: 19 1/4" x 23 1/4" Ernesto Linares Early Mexican Modernist Abstract...

Angelo Ippolito Untitled, 1952 Signed and dated on the reverse Oil on canvas 16 x 36 inches Provenance: Gloria Torrice Estate of the above Liana Torrice, West Orange...

Impressive and large mid century abstract painting. Signed and dated illegibly lower right. Oil on canvas.

Boris Margo Cave Drama, 1938 Signed and dated lower left Oil on canvas 22 x 30 inches Best known as a painter of surrealist imagery, Boris Margo was born in Wolotschisk, Ukraine, i...

Phenomena Quoth by Paul Jenkins (1923-2012) Acrylic on canvas 76 x 100 cm (29 ⁷/₈ x 39 ³/₈ inches) Signed lower center, Paul Jenkins Signed, titled and dated on the reverse Executed ...

#90 Strange Creature Oil and pencil on board, 1932 Signed and dated in the image lower right (see photo) Provenance: Joseph M. Erdelac, Cleveland, OH Condition: excellent Archival framing Image size: 10 1/2 x 11 3/4 inches Frame size: 25 x 24 inches Painter, illustrator and commercial artist Norbert Lenz was born in Norwalk, Ohio and received his artistic training at both the Huntington Polytechnic Institute and the Cleveland School of Art. During his career Lenz exhibited his paintings and drawings at such institutions as the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Butler Institute of American Art. Today the art of Norbert Lenz is held by the Columbus Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Butler Institute of American Art. Lenz was also a very highly regarded commercial designer of stamps. He worked for a number of years at the House of Farman, a leading vendor of first day covers...

Max Walter Svanberg (1912-1994) Untitled, 1957 Gouache on paper Paper: 36 x 29 cm l 14 1/8 x 11 in. Frame: 57 x 49 cm l 22 1/2 x 19 1/3 in Signed and dated Exhibition history: Nord...

Initialed lower right, 'J.e.t.' for Jessie E. Thomason (American, 20th Century) and dated 1956. Exhibited: Jack London Art Festival, 1956. Displayed in the original and period, paint...

THOMAS BROWNELL ELDRED Untitled Mid Century Modern Abstraction, 1941 Gouache on paper Hand signed and dated 1941 on the front 14 3/4 × 21 inches Unique Provenance: Acquired from the estate of Thomas Brownell Eldred Accompanied by Certificate of Guarantee from Alpha 137 Gallery Unframed This gorgeously colored gouache painting on thick paper was created at a time when the Guggenheim Museum (Museum of Non-Objective Painting) was collecting Eldred's work, alongside works by Kandinsky and Bauer. Unique works like this by Eldred are very desirable in the marketplace. It typifies the artist's eclectic style, reflecting his involvement with Surrealism and the New York School. It also highlights Eldred’s excellent draftsmanship through the characteristic bright colors and patterns that he developed during his time as a naval wood pattern maker in the merchant marines...

Richard Andres (American, 1927-2013) Shore V, c. 1964 acrylic on canvas signed lower right, signed and titled verso 54 x 44 inches Richard Andres was born in Buffalo, New York in 1927. A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1950, he was immediately drafted and served for two years in the army as a mural painter. He received his Master of Arts from Kent State in 1961. A frequent exhibitor at galleries and museums and winner of multiple May Show prizes, Andres taught art in the Cleveland Public Schools for 28 years, as well as teaching the University of Buffalo, the Cleveland Institute of Art and the Western Reserve University. Very little in Richard Andres’ childhood would have predicted his love of classical music, mid-century-modern architecture and certainly not his lifelong passion for art and in particular abstract art. Richard’s father, Raymond, had no more than a third-grade education, and his mother, Clara, was one of thirteen children – only three of whom lived into adulthood and none of whom attended high school. They lived, when Richard was a boy, in a dingy area of Buffalo, NY in a walk-up apartment situated above a tavern. Raymond and Clara supplemented the income from their factory jobs in the bar downstairs with Raymond playing ragtime on the piano and Clara serving drinks. This often left Richard and his two older brothers at home alone to fend for themselves. The two older boys, Raymond and Russell, were - unlike Richard- rather rough and tumble and entertained themselves with stickball, boxing and the like. Richard, on the other hand, from a very young age liked to draw, or better yet even, to paint with the small set of watercolors he received for Christmas one year. Paper, however, at the height of the depression, was hard to come by. Luckily, Clara used paper doilies as decoration for the apartment and Richard would contentedly paint and then cut up doilies, gluing the pieces together to create collages. At eight-years-old, he discovered the Albright-Knox Museum (then known as the Albright Art Gallery) and spent several hours a week there studying the paintings. He was particularly fond of Charles Burchfield‘s landscapes, enamored with their ‘messiness’ and thinking that they somehow captured more ‘feeling’ than works he was previously familiar with. For his tenth Christmas, he asked for and received a ‘how-to’ paint book by Elliot O’Hare. Through this self-teaching, he assembled the portfolio needed for acceptance to Buffalo Technical High School where he studied Advertising Arts. In his Junior year, he was encouraged to enter a watercolor painting, “Two Barns,” in the national 1944-45 Ingersoll Art Award Contest and was one of twelve grand prize winners – each one winning one hundred dollars. More importantly the painting was exhibited at the Carnegie Institute Galleries, which resulted in his winning a national scholarship to the Cleveland School of Art (The Cleveland Art Institute). He flourished at the art school under the tutelage of faculty members such as Carl Gaertner, as well as that of visiting artists such as William Sommer and Henry George Keller. He would say in later years that Gaertner, in particular, influenced his attitude toward life as well as art. “Gaertner,” Andres said, “believed that there was no need to be a ‘tortured artist’, that an artist should rather enjoy beauty, family, and life in general.” Free to spend his days as he chose, he wandered the Cleveland Art Museum for most of the hours he was not attending classes or painting; the remaining time was spent drinking coffee at a local hangout with art school friends – which is where he met fellow Henry Keller scholarship winner, Avis Johnson. Richard was immediately smitten with Avis, but being rather shy, it took him the entire summer of 1948 to build up his courage to ask her out. Over that summer he ‘thought about Avis’ and worked in a diner to save money. He also used the hundred-dollar prize money won in High School to visit the first Max Beckmann retrospective in the United States at the City Art Museum in St. Louis. Over a half century later he spoke of that exhibit with a reverence usually reserved for spiritual matters, “I walked in and it was like nothing I had ever seen before... the color...It just glowed.” Returning to campus in the Fall, the first thing he did was go to the coffee shop in hopes of finding Avis. He did, and she, upon seeing him, realized that she was also smitten with him. They quickly became known as ‘the couple’ on campus, and a year later, with Richard being drafted for the Korean war, they were quickly married by a Justice of the Peace, celebrating after with family at Avis’s Cleveland home. As a gift, faculty member John Paul Miller...

The Dance of water oil on canvas 1968 Abstract expressionist painting of three fish circling the water as the focal point. Hues of dark blue fade to light with hints of yellows and reds. Signed "Mary T...

Work on canvas Golden and black wooden frame 68 x 84 x 3 cm

Work on canvas Silver frame Dimensions with frame : 46 x 50.5 x 5 cm This captivating work features a bold juxtaposition of geometric patterns and complex textures. Wavy horizontal b...

Antique American modernist surreal oil painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed illegibly.

Nicely painted American school abstract geometric painting. Oil on canvas. Framed.

Gene Hedge Untitled, circa 1970 Acrylic on canvas 44 x 43 inches (P112) Gene Hedge was born (1928) and raised in rural Indiana. After military service, he briefly attended Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. There he encountered the writing of Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, and the following year (1949) went to study at the Institute of Design in Chicago. He received a B.S. degree in Visual Design from the Institute of Design (1953), and he also took courses at the Art Institute of Chicago and began working in collage. During this period, the influence of Eugene Dana...

Abstract is an original contemporary artwork realized by Aldo Moriconi in 1967. Oil painting on board. Label on the back with artwrok's details. Includes frame.

Multi-Color Abstract Expressionist Textural Mid-Century Abstract by Peter Witwer A bold mid-century abstract expressionist piece exploding with heavy texture and vivid color by San Francisco artist Peter Witwer (American, 1928-1968). Darker colors are layered atop each other, building up from white, yellow, and red through greens and blues into dark purple and black. The composition is surrounded by an orange field, creating a strong contrast. Unsigned, but was acquired with a collection of Witwer pieces. Displayed in a vintage wood frame. Linen size: 30"H x 16"W Framed size: 31.25"W x 17.25"W Provenance: Without a will and a family that had little interest in his art, nearly all of his possessions and close to 100 paintings were turned over to SF’s Conservators Office. His friend, Albert Richard Lasker, purchased all of Peter’s possessions (including the art) and has taken care of them until this day, always sensing there was something remarkable about the collection. Wanting Peter’s work to finally be seen, Richard came to Lost Art Salon with Peter’s story after reading about the new gallery in a July, 2005 issue of the SF Chronicle. Then to a San Francisco Collector and then to Robert Azensky fine Art Born George Peter...

Meryl Watts. English ( b.1910 – d.1992 ) Enigma. Oil On Board. Signed Lower Right. Image size 22.4 inches x 19.3 inches ( 57cm x 49cm ). Frame size 26.4 inches x 22.8 inches ( 67cm x 58cm ). Available for sale; this original oil painting is by Meryl Watts and dates from the mid-1960s. The painting is presented and supplied in its’ original hand painted frame (which is shown in these photographs). This vintage painting is in very good condition, commensurate with its age. It wants for nothing and is supplied ready to hang and display. The painting was created whilst Watts resided at 1 Bron Avon, Borth-y-Gest, Porthmadog. (Today’s postcode would be LL49 9TU). The painting is signed lower right. Meryl Watts was born on the 5th April 1910, the only child of Charles and Evelin Watts. They lived in Germains Place, Blackheath and she was raised in east end of London where her father was a printer. She studied at the Blackheath Art School, where the Principal was John Edgar Platt, one of the major artists using the technique of color woodcut. She learned this technique from Platt and was influenced by his style, as shown in the attractive and colorful designs that she subsequently produced. Meryl began to work independently in 1937, producing her own work while still living in Blackheath. During World War II the family home and business were destroyed by German bombing and Meryl and her parents were given just a few hours to collect whatever valuables they could before their house was demolished to protect neighboroughing properties from further damage. As a consequence much of her early work was lost. Having left their home the family evacuated to Portmeirion in Wales, where they had frequently stayed on holiday before the war. They struck up a friendship with the Portmeirion architect and founder, Sir Clough William-Ellis. Portmeirion was founded in 1925 and took nearly fifty years to complete. It was a homage to Sir William-Ellis’ love of the Italian Riviera and incorporated the grounds of a twelfth century castle. The resort became extremely popular with tourists and was the backdrop for various TV programs and films, including The Prisoner. Meryl Watts became artist in residence at Portmeirion, and over the next few years she produced an abundance of artwork including sketches, oil paintings and watercolors of famous scenes from the Snowdonia coastal region and other traditional landmarks. This was a new and very successful chapter of her artistic career. From Portmeirion Meryl and her parents moved to a rented house in Borth-Y-Gest, Caernarvonshire, North Wales. In 1944 Meryl’s father purchased the house and Meryl began to work there, using the endless views in the area for her inspiration. After the death of her father in 1957 and her mother in 1969 Meryl lived alone in Borth-y-Gest until she married Professor Joseph Allen...

Robert Mus Untitled 3 Oil, newspaper, curling, fabric and cardboard on Isorel 1968 Signed and dated lower right 104 x 73 cms Certificate from the artist's daughter 1600 euros

A substantial abstract oil comprising curvilinear and geometric rectangular shapes in shades of red, coral, and ebony overlaid on a scumbled ground of ivory, ochre, and steel-gray. ...

Unknown Artist - Fall Palette, Year: 1959, Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed, titled and dated in pencil on verso, Size: 15.5 x 9.75 in. (39.37 x 24.77 cm), Description: Signed "Frieda...

Harold Nickerson "Cool Birches", Abstract/Landscape Oil on Canvas, 28 x 36, Mid 20th Century, 1958 Colors: Green, Yellow, Blue, White, Brown, Black

Signed "Tom Benrimo" at lower right The overall dimensions including the frame are 35 x 41 inches

Brighten up your life with this vibrant & large Abstract Expressionist painting by Danish artist Helge Jacobsen in pinks, reds and yellows. Artwork size: 27 1/2" x 39 1/2". Framed ...

Squares is a bridge between Mondrian and the Hard-edge abstraction movement. Clearly, this is a very early work because the artist has not yet found his mature style. The flat squares of uneven proportion, are in a formal but off-axis vertical /horizontal grid structure. Perhaps it's the artists take on a "drunk Mondrian" where the squares stumble to align themselves. Each square shape is different in shape and color and with visible brushstrokes and light impasto. Look carefully at the gray squares. They all have a slightly different hue. The squares are all unique individuals and not a repetition To Goodnough this was his departure from his influencer. Squares show the influence of his teachers including Hans Hofman...

This Modern painting by Abstract Expressionist painter Stanley Bate depicts large trees in an abstracted landscape. The palette is bright and vibrant, with expressive strokes of pain...

Head is an original contemporary artwork realized by Gianni Dova in 1960. Mixed colored oil and malta painting on canvas. Hand signed, titled and date...

Artist: Arnold Weber, American (1931 - 2010) Title: Colorful Abstract Year: 1968 Medium: Oil on Canvas, Signed, titled and dated l.l. Size: 32 x 44 in. (81.28 x 111.76 cm)

Ivan Kurach (Ukrainian, 1909-1968) Genre: Expressionist Subject: Geometric shapes Medium: Mixed Media Surface: Canvas Signed bottom right Frame: 17" X 19" Image: 11.5" X 14" An ori...

Signed lower left, 'Gregory Deane' (American, born 1938) and painted circa 1985. Framed dimensions: 15 H x 31.5 W x 1.5 D inches This contemporary California Expressionist incorpora...

Abstract composition is a contemporary artwork realized in the mid-20th Century by Riccardo Basso. Mixed colored oi painting on canvas. Hand signed R. Ba...

INTERLOCKED Size: 58 x 58.5 cm (including frame) Oil on board A striking modernist painting that presents a dynamic abstract composition characterised by flowing, interlocking geome...

Impressive early American modernist farm landscape painting. Framed. Oil on canvas. Image size, 25H by 30L.

Incredibly well painted mid century abstract color field oil painting. Great color and composition. Framed. Early and large work!

Opper Estate Maroon Abstract c. 1940-1950's Gouache on Paper 15" x 18" Unframed From the estate of Ruth Friedmann Opper & Jerry Opper. Ruth was the daughter of Bauhaus artist, Gustav Friedmann. San Francisco Abstract Expression A free-spirited wave of creative energy swept through the San Francisco art community after World War II. Challenging accepted modes of painting, Abstract Expressionists produced highly experimental works that jolted the public out of its postwar complacency. Abstract Expressionism resulted from a broad collective impulse rather than the inspiration of a small band of New York artists. Documenting the interchanges between the East and West Coasts, she cites areas of mutual influence and shows the impact of San Francisco on the New York School, including artists such as Mark Rothko and Ad Reinhardt. San Francisco's Beat poets...

Nahum Tschacbasov Lovers and Others (Two Unique Works), 1978-1979 Gouache on Two-sided Paper (Two Signed Works) Hand signed twice: once on each side 11 × 15 inches (each side) A rare...

Vintage modernist still life painting by Virginia Tillou (1906 - 1995). Oil canvas. Housed in a period Heydenryk frame. Image size, 12L x 18H. Sig...

Stephen Pace Untitled, 59-A12, 1959 Signed and dated lower left Oil on canvas 29 x 24 inches Born in Charleston, Missouri, Stephen Pace grew up in Indiana, where his parents operat...

Monday Grays - Original Figurative Oil on Paper Original oil on paper figurative painting by Michael William Eggleston (American, 20th Century). Hues of grays and pinks make up this...

Adrian HEATH (1920-1992) Untitled Composition Mixed media Signed and dated '64 Image 11.25" x 9"

This stunning Scottish Abstract Expressionist oil painting is by noted Scottish artist William Gear. Painted in 1950 it is an early and significant painting which dates to the early ...

magnificent abstract, painting by the well listed Italian artist Paolo Buggiani relationship relationship. Born in Italy in 1933, but worked in America from the 1950s. He has auction...

Original oil paint and gouache on heavy archival textured paper abstract by the American artist, Martin Rosenthal. Bold, vibrant colors. Signed lower right by the artist and dated 1...

Senkichiro Nasaka (1923-2014) WORK Mixed media on paper 15.5 x 40 cm ( 6 ¹/₈ x 15 ³/₄ in) not considering the frame Executed in 1962 The present work is one of the few paintings pre-dating Senkichiro Nasaka’s affiliation to the Gutai Group. The particular choice of means and technique, inspired by Senkichiro Nasaka’s mastery of both Japanese and Western painting, conveys the semblance of geological accretions, and clearly adheres to Jiro Yoshihara’s motto: “create what has never been done before” About the Artist: Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1923, in 1942 Senkichiro Nasaka entered the Kyoto City Painting University. where he was a contemporary of Kazuo Shiraga. In 1960s he made a career switch from Japanese traditional painting to Western style oil painting, creating works under the influence of the informel style. In 1965 Nasaka presented his work to the 15th Gutai Art...

Leopoldo Gonzales Jr Born 1921 San Antonio Artist Size: 36 x 22 Frame: 42.5 x 28 Medium: Casein Circa 1958 Mid Century Modern "Corrida" Biography Leopoldo Gonzales Jr Born 1921 Exh...

Just discovered, a rare, surrealist painting by American artist Robert McIntosh(1916-2010) McIntosh was extremely prolific and exhibited thro...

Mid-Century Modern Dancers Figurative Abstract, Bay Area Figurative School 1960s A gorgeous and colorful mid-century modern figurative abst...

This Modern Abstract Expressionist painting by Stanley Bate is made with gouache on paper and features a cool, muted palette and light texture. The painting itself is 13" x 22" and measures 21.25" x 29.25" x 1" framed. It is signed by the artist in the lower left-hand corner of the painting and is framed in a black frame with an acid-free mat. It is ready to hang. Stanley Bate was born on March 26, 1903 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Bates were an established Tennessee family, in fact, Henry’s brother William Bate was the governor of Tennessee from 1883-1887 and a United States Senator from 1887-1905. Stanley studied art at the Watkins Institute in Nashville. In the 1920’s Bate moved to New York City to study at the Art Students League under Frederick Bridgman. He soon landed a job with Encyclopedia Britannica, and from 1927-1929 served as art editor. From 1929 until his death in 1972, Stanley was a self-employed artist. He taught art classes at both the Art Students League and the Albany Institute of History and Art and brought in extra income by making illustrations for magazines such as “Outdoor Life” and “Popular Science”. On January 27, 1934 Stanley married Emilie Rossel. Emilie had emigrated from Switzerland to New York in 1923. She found work as a governess to Alfred Vanderbilt and later as an executive secretary for Wall Street investment brokers Kahn, Loeb and Co. Emilie met Stanley in New York in the early 1930’s when she attended one of his art exhibitions with a friend. The couple, who had no children, lived on 34th Street in Manhattan. During this period, Bate was producing and exhibiting his art and joined several artists groups. Stanley and Emilie became part of the New York art scene, dining weekly at the Society of Illustrators Clubhouse. Stanley Bate’s time in New York was pivotal in the formation of his painting style. He lived in New York during the inception of one of the most important Modern Art movements, one that helped New York replace Paris as the center of avant-garde art. This movement, which was called the New York School of artists, was later known as Abstract Expressionism. It was comprised of a loosely associated group of vanguard artists working in New York City during the 1940s and 1950s. The New York School was not defined by a specific style, but instead reflected a fusion of European Modernism and American social relevancy that was depicted in many individual styles. Influences of Surrealism, Cubism, and Modernism can be found in their work, along with an interest in experimenting with non-traditional materials and methods. American art was in the forefront of international avant-garde for the first time. Stanley Bate was undoubtedly exposed to the varied styles and techniques that were emerging during the formative years of the New York School. Mark Rothko and Robert Motherwell were formulating their versions of color field paintings. Joseph Cornell was experimenting with assemblages, collage and the use of different types of textured paints. Jackson Pollock was adhering objects such as buttons and coins into his early works, while Louise Nevelson was using found objects. Helen Frankenthaler added sand to her early paintings. The New York School artists were undermining traditional fine art by using mixed media and non-traditional methods. Stanley Bate absorbed these varied influences and soon his early realistic landscapes and still-lifes were replaced with something entirely new. The influence of Cubism, notably the flat shallow space of the picture plane, is obvious in many of Bate’s paintings. Surrealism is evident in Bate’s use of subjects from myth, primitive art and antiquity, along with the Automatism-like line work in his more linear images. The unfettered experimentation of the New York School is everywhere in Stanley Bate’s work. We see nods to color field, collage, the mixing of textures into paint, mixed media, the inclusion of found objects and thick, luscious impasto. Bate was prolific and experimented in various media including oil, watercolor, lithography, silk screen, wood cut, drawing, collage, ceramics and sculpture. Bate is considered a true Modernist. His work is largely abstract, but sometimes figures and buildings are discernable. He frequently mixed paint, sand and glue together to achieve a textured surface, and then scraped and scratched through this layer to expose some of the underpainting below. His sculpture, which is often whimsical, also reflects the non-traditional methods of the New York School. Bate pioneered the use of enamel and copper in his work. The sculptures are not carved or modeled as was done in the past, but instead are built using mixed media and new materials. In addition to the New York School influence, many of Bate’s works exhibit a strong connection to the Spanish school, especially the work of Antonio Tapies and Modesto Cuixart. These artists were both part of an avant-garde group known as Art Informel, the Spanish equivalent of Abstract Expressionism. These artists likewise worked in mixed media and introduced objects and texture into their work. Many of Bate’s subjects and titles relate to Spanish locations and words. It is likely that Stanley spent time in Spain and found inspiration there. By the early 1940s, Stanley and Emilie had started spending weekends in a barn they purchased in Craryville, New York, a few hours north of Manhattan. The barn had no electricity or plumbing, but when the Bates eventually decided to leave New York and live full time in Craryville, they remodeled the barn, putting a gallery downstairs and a studio and living quarters upstairs. Although the Bates moved out of New York City, Stanley remained part of the New York art scene, exhibiting in New York and elsewhere throughout the 50s and 60s. During his lifetime he was represented by the New York galleries Knoedler and Company, Kennedy Galleries, Rose Fried Gallery and Key Gallery, along with Tyringham Gallery located in Tyringham, Massachusetts. Craryville was Stanley’s home until his death on August 21, 1972. Emilie died 1984...

Artist: Lou Fink, American (1925 - 1980) Title: Asphalt Year: 1967 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed verso Size: 40 x 48 in. (101.6 x 121.92 cm)

Daniel Newman, American (1927 - 1994) - Storm Clouds, Year: 1960, Medium: Oil on board, signed and dated on verso, Size: 20 x 34 in. (50.8 x 86.36 cm)

A substantial, Amrican school o,il abstract comprising adjacent and superimposed, organic shapes in Prussian blue, vermilion, and olive contrasted against a slate and lavender groun...

Orange Infusion - Watercolor and Ink On Paper Abstract painting depicting colors of orange, black and green. The black contrasts against the orange burst. Signed and dated on verso...

Antique American modernist signed scene oil painting. Oil on paper. Signed. Framed. Image size, 20L x 15H.

Nicely painted mid century hard edge abstract by Gabrielle Roos. Oil on canvas. Signed verso.