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Life Buoy

Buoys Blue-Orange (Circular Nautical Still Life Photo of Ocean Buoys on White)

Buoys Blue-Orange (Circular Nautical Still Life Photo of Ocean Buoys on White)

By David Halliday

Located in Hudson, NY

Nautical color still life photograph of blue and orange buoys on a white background archival pigment print, edition of 10 20 x 20 inch paper size with 16 inch diameter image size Th...

Category

2010s Contemporary Still-life Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Buoy 5509

Buoy 5509

By Robert Zappalorti

Located in Greenwich, CT

Trompe l'oeil/Still Life painting

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Still-life Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

"Gone Fishing" contemporary buoy painting by Adam Umbach

"Gone Fishing" contemporary buoy painting by Adam Umbach

By Adam Umbach

Located in Greenwich, CT

Signed verso Adam Umbach, b. 1986 Adam Umbach was born in Chicago, and currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. After being inspired from an early age by the modern masters...

Category

2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings

Materials

Enamel

John Mansueto, "Buoy Post" 14x11, Marine Nautical Acrylic Painting on Panel
John Mansueto, "Buoy Post" 14x11, Marine Nautical Acrylic Painting on Panel

John Mansueto, "Buoy Post" 14x11, Marine Nautical Acrylic Painting on Panel

By John Mansueto

Located in Saratoga Springs, NY

This piece "Buoy Post" is a 14x11 acrylic painting on wood panel by the artist John Mansueto. Featured is a striking contract between a deep black background and colorful buoys hangi...

Category

2010s American Realist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Wood Panel

Pig Hide Bait - Maine Harbor Landscape Orange Boat Buoys Bird Glove, 2023
Pig Hide Bait - Maine Harbor Landscape Orange Boat Buoys Bird Glove, 2023

Pig Hide Bait - Maine Harbor Landscape Orange Boat Buoys Bird Glove, 2023

By Matt Barter

Located in Kent, CT

In this contemporary painting in oil on board, a harbor landscape with a neon orange boat in seagreen water in the upper left corner is set alongside a still life arrangement of fish...

Category

2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Ladies at the Beach, Charlie Mackesy, Vintage Watercolour, Hat, Fashion, Dress
Ladies at the Beach, Charlie Mackesy, Vintage Watercolour, Hat, Fashion, Dress

Ladies at the Beach, Charlie Mackesy, Vintage Watercolour, Hat, Fashion, Dress

By Charlie Mackesy

Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh

The scene captures a moment of playful motion: one figure is shown mid‑jump from a small walled platform, her legs and dress lifting with the buoyant energy of the moment, while the ...

Category

1980s Contemporary Figurative Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

A Winter Journey (B&W) by David Yarrow
A Winter Journey (B&W) by David Yarrow

A Winter Journey (B&W) by David Yarrow

By David Yarrow

Located in Chicago, IL

The engine smoke coming from the 1920 ferry’s chimney gives a sense of travel, the aged ferry itself gives a sense of timelessness and meanwhile the fresh snow on the car deck, on th...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

A Winter Journey (Colour) by David Yarrow
A Winter Journey (Colour) by David Yarrow

A Winter Journey (Colour) by David Yarrow

By David Yarrow

Located in Chicago, IL

The engine smoke coming from the 1920 ferry’s chimney gives a sense of travel, the aged ferry itself gives a sense of timelessness and meanwhile the fresh snow on the car deck, on th...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

"Beach Party" framed Contemporary Surrealist painting,  mountain lion, seagull
"Beach Party" framed Contemporary Surrealist painting,  mountain lion, seagull

"Beach Party" framed Contemporary Surrealist painting, mountain lion, seagull

By Thomas Broadbent

Located in New York, NY

In this beach party, poolside theme, a cocktail with an umbrella, beer bottles and guacamole and chips complete the composition with an open magazine and a life ring buoy. This large...

Category

2010s Contemporary Animal Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Watercolor, Archival Paper

Recent Sales

Ronald Reagan in Tugboat Annie Sails Again Fine Art Print
Ronald Reagan in Tugboat Annie Sails Again Fine Art Print

Ronald Reagan in Tugboat Annie Sails Again Fine Art Print

Located in Las Vegas, NV

He is depicted here smiling at the camera through a life buoy for the film "Tugboat Annie Sails Again".

Category

1940s Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Ink, Archival Paper, C Print, Archival Pigment

"Buoys"

Michel Brosseau"Buoys", 2021

Sold

H 35 in W 57.5 in

"Buoys"

By Michel Brosseau

Located in Edgartown, MA

At the heart of his work is an awareness of the austerity of life—at sea and ashore—and the different ways humanity reacts to nature.

Category

2010s Still-life Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

Old Wooden Buoy

Old Wooden Buoy

By John Morfis

Located in Sag Harbor, NY

John Morfis was born in Glen Cove, Long Island in 1976. His humble beginnings made pursuing a career in art difficult and paradoxically necessary. Fixated on making things aesthetica...

Category

2010s American Realist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Oil

Red and White Buoy
Red and White Buoy

John MorfisRed and White Buoy, 2019

Sold

H 43 in W 26.5 in D 2 in

Red and White Buoy

By John Morfis

Located in Sag Harbor, NY

“Red and White Buoy” is one of the largest canvases Morfis has ever painted.

Category

2010s American Realist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Oil

"The Last Catch" a vivid blue array of fisherman buoys resting

"The Last Catch" a vivid blue array of fisherman buoys resting

By Michel Brosseau

Located in Edgartown, MA

At the heart of his work is an awareness of the austerity of life—at sea and ashore—and the different ways humanity reacts to nature.

Category

2010s Realist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

Corea Harbor Maine, Yellow Buoys Blue Gloves Orange Boat Shells Seagreen Water
Corea Harbor Maine, Yellow Buoys Blue Gloves Orange Boat Shells Seagreen Water

Corea Harbor Maine, Yellow Buoys Blue Gloves Orange Boat Shells Seagreen Water

By Matt Barter

Located in Kent, CT

A harbor landscape with a neon orange boat in seagreen water in the upper left corner is set alongside a still life arrangement of fisherman's objects, including blue bait gloves, le...

Category

2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Sun Dappled Buoys

Sun Dappled Buoys

By Michel Brosseau

Located in Edgartown, MA

Michel Brosseau was born in Nantes and has lived in Bordeaux for many years. Both cities are on the Atlantic coast of France and have rich maritime histories, highlighted by prospero...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Still-life Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

"Menemsha Buoys" oil painting of blue, green, and white buoys

"Menemsha Buoys" oil painting of blue, green, and white buoys

By Michel Brosseau

Located in Edgartown, MA

At the heart of his work is an awareness of the austerity of life—at sea and ashore—and the different ways humanity reacts to nature.

Category

2010s Still-life Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

Blue Buoy

Glenn NessBlue Buoy, 2022

Sold

H 8 in W 10 in

Blue Buoy

By Glenn Ness

Located in Laguna Beach, CA

Floating By 2022 8" x 10" oil on canvas (framed) “Painting is a way for me to tell stories, celebrating our need to connect to each other and to our surroundings. It is not enough f...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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Life Buoy For Sale on 1stDibs

Surely you’ll find the exact life buoy you’re seeking on 1stDibs — we’ve got a vast assortment for sale. When looking for the right life buoy for your space, you can search on 1stDibs by color — popular works were created in bold and neutral palettes with elements of gray, brown and beige. There have been many interesting life buoy examples over the years, but those made by Michel Brosseau, John Morfis, David Halliday and Robert Zappalorti are often thought to be among the most thought-provoking. Frequently made by artists working in oil paint, paint and fabric, these artworks are unique and have attracted attention over the years. If space is limited, you can find a small life buoy measuring 16 high and 11.5 wide, while our inventory also includes works up to 63 across to better suit those in the market for a large life buoy.

How Much is a Life Buoy?

The price for a life buoy in our collection starts at $1,000 and tops out at $12,000 with the average selling for $8,100.

Finding the Right Still-life-paintings for You

Still-life paintings work as part of the decor in nearly every type of space.

Still-life art, which includes work produced in media such as painting, photography, video and more, is a popular genre in Western art. However, the depiction of still life in color goes back to Ancient Egypt, where paintings on the interior walls of tombs portrayed the objects — such as food — that a person would take into the afterlife. Ancient Greek and Roman mosaics and pottery also often depicted food. Indeed, still-life paintings frequently feature food, flowers or man-made objects. By definition, still-life art represents anything that is considered inanimate.

During the Middle Ages, the still life genre was adapted by artists who illustrated religious manuscripts. A common theme of these paintings is the reminder that life is fleeting. This is especially true of vanitas, a kind of still life with roots in the Netherlands during the 17th century, which was built on themes such as death and decay and featured skulls and objects such as rotten fruit. In northern Europe during the 1600s, painters consulted botanical texts to accurately depict the flowers and plants that were the subject of their work.

Leonardo da Vinci’s penchant for observing phenomena in nature and filling notebooks with drawings and notes helped him improve as an artist of still-life paintings. Vincent van Gogh, an artist who made a couple of the most expensive paintings ever sold, carried out rich experiments with color over the course of painting hundreds of still lifes, and we can argue that Campbell’s Soup Cans (1961–62) by Andy Warhol counts as still-life art.

While early examples were primarily figurative, you can find still lifes that belong to different schools and styles of painting, such as Cubism, Impressionism and contemporary art.

As part of the wall decor in your living room, dining room or elsewhere, a still-life painting can look sophisticated alongside your well-curated decorative objects and can help set the mood in a space.

When shopping for a still-life painting, think about how it makes you feel and how the artist chose to represent its subject. When buying any art for your home, choose pieces that you connect with. If you’re shopping online, read the description of the work to learn about the artist and check the price and shipping information. Make sure that the works you choose complement or relate to your overall theme and furniture style. Artwork can either fit into your room’s color scheme or serve as an accent piece. Introduce new textures to a space by choosing an oil still-life painting.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of still-life paintings in a wide range of styles and subject matter.