Document Abstract Paintings

Abstract figurative woodblock print of a beach landscape with a boat. The print is stamped by the artist and titled and editioned in pencil. This print is editioned 47 of 86 and the print is not currently framed. Artist Biography: Born in Gastonia, North Carolina in 1924, John Biggers studied at Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) under Viktor Lowenfeld and muralist Charles White. In 1943, Biggers' mural, Dying Soldier, was included in the exhibition curated by Lowenfeld, Young Negro Art, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. After serving in the United States Navy, Biggers transferred to Pennsylvania State University where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees as well as his doctorate in art education. In 1949, Biggers accepted a faculty position at Texas State University for Negroes (now Texas Southern University) in Houston, where he founded and chaired the art department until his retirement. In the early 50s, he won prizes for his work at annual exhibitions held at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the Dallas Museum of Art. In 1957, he traveled to Africa on a UNESCO fellowship to study Western African cultural traditions, becoming one of the first black artists to study the culture first-hand rather than through library research. His work was profoundly influenced by his experiences in Africa. He was known for his murals, but also for his drawings, paintings, and lithographs, and was honored by a major traveling retrospective exhibition from 1995 to 1997. He created archetypal imagery that spoke positively to the rich and varied ethnic heritage of African Americans, long before the Civil Rights era drew...

Sam Maitin (1928-2004). Seated Figure, ca. 1970. Charcoal, gouache and decorative paper collage. Measuring 15.5 x 20.5 inches; 22.75 x 27.75 inches framed. Signed lower left. Excellent condition. Period frame original to the piece in mahogany with natural wood grain on sides and 22k gold leaf gilt face. After graduating from Simon Gratz High School, Maitin won a scholarship to the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art (now the University of the Arts). A painter, printmaker, sculptor, muralist, graphic designer, political activist, and beloved teacher, Maitin headed the Visual Graphics Communication Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication from 1965–1972 and served on the board of Woodmere Art Museum from 1995–2004. He received a number of awards, including a 1968 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. He created murals and other public art for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University’s Kornberg School of Dentistry, the Please Touch Museum, and Hahnemann University Hospital, among others. Maitin's work is museum collections in the United States and Europe, including (but not limited to): Philadelphia Museum of Art Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Museum of Modern Art, New York Tate Gallery, London Bauersche Geisserie, Germany Oakland Museum, California Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Currier Gallery of Art...

A native of Upstate New York, Matt Ballou was educated at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago (BFA 2001) and Indiana University ( MFA 2005) before coming to The University of ...

Kerry Smith Circle Jerks - Group Sex Mixed Media on Crescent board Year: 2021 Size: 12x12in Signed, dated by hand COA provided Ref.: 924802-1612 *Black fram...

A native of Upstate New York, Matt Ballou was educated at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago (BFA 2001) and Indiana University ( MFA 2005) before coming to The University of ...

This striking original 1949 gouache and wax painting, titled "Fetishes", is a powerful work by acclaimed New Mexico modernist Howard Schleeter (1903–1976). Rich with symbolic abstrac...

A native of Upstate New York, Matt Ballou was educated at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago (BFA 2001) and Indiana University ( MFA 2005) before coming to The University of ...

Kerry Smith R.E.M. - Murmur Mixed Media on Crescent board Year: 2022 Size: 21x20in Signed, dated by hand COA provided Ref.: 924802-1633 *Black frame with a mirror-gloss finish avail...

10 color screen print on coventry rag 290 gsm paper with deckled edges. Hand signed and dated lower front by John 'Crash' Matos. Hand numbered 6/50 lower left front. Artwork size ...

This captivating 1930s modernist gouache painting by Boardman Robinson (1876–1952), titled The Vendor of Masks, depicts a striking mask vendor’s display with male and female figures,...

Brian Kenny, (German-American, 1982-) MIxed Media Painting with Drawing, Oil or Acrylic on Canvas. Hand signed On Verso and Dated 2015, NYC Dimensions: Sight- 30" x 24", Frame- 36" x 30" Brian Kenny (born 1982, Heidelberg, Germany) is a NYC-based American multidisciplinary artist exhibited in galleries, museums, theaters and alternative venues in the US, Canada, Russia, Israel and across Europe. In 2004 Brian began an ongoing collaboration with artist Slava Mogutin as SUPERM, and in 2016 with writer Rich Juzwiak as BOYFRIEND HOUSE. Using an array of mediums including drawing, painting, sculpture, textile, video and performance, Brian’s artwork is bright and vividly expressionistic; often autobiographical and reflective of his current states of mind which include themes of his queer identity, shifting societal perceptions about gender, sexuality and politics, urban living and free-associative wanderings of thought and creative experimentation. New York-based artist Brian Kenny’s work is a visually striking exploration of gender, sexuality, and politics in contemporary North America. Known for his experimental and expressionistic practice, Brian mixes mediums such as painting, illustration, collage, sculpture, and textiles – oftentimes all at once. Brian’s foundation in drawing is evident across his portfolio, with nearly every piece incorporating some signature scribblings from the artist. He has experimented with drawing, collage, photography, performance and, more recently, painting. “All the other mediums I’m exploring like, painting, textile art, and animation all branch out from drawing,” he explains. This focus is what makes Brian’s vast collection of work all feel so cohesive. "Both of my parents were in the US military and we moved around a lot in the US. But most of the places I lived were rural, far from big cities and art museums, so I had no idea who Andy Warhol, Mark Rothko, Chuck Close, David Hockney or Damien Hirst were. The few small art museums I visited as a child were full of old-school oil paintings; all life-like portraits, rural landscapes and historical recreations. It wasn’t until I met Slava Mogutin and moved to New York that I began to meet artists, see exhibitions at art galleries of living artists near my age, and tour lot of contemporary art museums like MoMA and begin learning about contemporary art history". Brian says. “I’m definitely not a minimalist and lean toward more narrative and figurative artwork than abstraction or decoration”. Minimalist, he is not: Brian’s work pops with vibrant colours, characters and shapes, evoking a Warholian play on pop art culture. Kenny’s signature line drawing style is reminiscent of Keith Haring and LA Ortiz and evokes comparisons to early Jean Michel Basquiat. Brian's commercial and fashion work includes art and design commissions and collaborations with Onitsuka Tiger (Japan...

Spanish artist Xavi Carbonell born 1971, actively paints like a child as an adult, and leaves all of his pieces "untitled" so that each viewer can create their own story. The resulti...