Adolph Gottlieb was an American Abstract Expressionist artist known for his prints, paintings and sculptures. He is considered one of the “first generation” of Abstract Expressionists.
From 1920–21 Gottlieb studied at the Art Students League of New York, after which, having determined to become an artist, he left high school at the age of 17 and worked his passage to Europe on a merchant ship. He traveled in France and Germany for a year. He lived in Paris for 6 months during which time he visited the Louvre Museum every day and audited classes at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière.
Gottlieb spent the next year traveling in Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and other parts of Central Europe, visiting museums and art galleries. When he returned, he was one of the most traveled New York artists.
Gottlieb had his first solo exhibition at the Dudensing Galleries in New York City in 1930. During the 1920s and early 1930s, he formed lifelong friendships with other artists such as Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, David Smith, Milton Avery, and John Graham. In 1935, he and nine others, including Ben-Zion, Joseph Solman, Ilya Bolotowsky, Louis Harris, Jack Kufeld, Mark Rothko, and Louis Schanker, known as “The Ten,” exhibited their works together until 1940. It was in the late 1930s when Gottlieb moved to the desert in Tuscon, where he moved from an Expressionist–Realist style approach to a style that combines elements of Surrealism and formalist abstraction.
Throughout his career, Gottlieb had 56 solo exhibitions and was included in over 200 group exhibitions. His works of art are in the collections of more than 140 major museums around the world.
Gottlieb was accomplished as a painter, draughtsman, printmaker and sculptor. He designed and oversaw the construction of a 1500 square-foot stained glass façade for the Milton Steinberg Center in New York City in 1954, and he designed a suite of 18 stained glass windows for the Kingsway Jewish Center in Brooklyn. He was the first of his generation to have his art collected by the Museum of Modern Art (1946) and the Guggenheim Museum (1948).
Gottlieb suffered a major stroke in 1970 that left him paralyzed except for his right arm and hand. In 1972 he was voted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and he continued to paint and to exhibit his art until his death in March of 1974.
Find original Adolph Gottlieb prints and other art for sale on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by Marlborough New York)
"Untitled" (From the Flight Portfolio)
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in Warren, NJ
Adolph Gottilieb (1903-1974), New York, 1969, signed "161/250" and dated 1969 . In good condition Unframed. Measures 24x19
Lithograph
Black Field
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in New York, NY
Color screenprint on white wove paper, 1972. Signed by the artist dated in pencil lower left. Numbered 67/150 in pencil lower right. Printed by Kelpra Studio, London, with the ink ...
Screen, Color
ORANGE OVAL
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in Portland, ME
Gottlieb, Adolph (American, 1903-1974) ORANGE OVAL, Screenprint in colors, 1972. Edition of 150, printed on wove paper. Signed in pencil, dated and numbered 143/150. Printed by Kelpr...
Screen
TWO BARS
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in Portland, ME
Gottlieb, Adolph (American, 1903-1974). TWO BARS. Color lithograph, 1969. Edition of 100, Signed and dated, and numbered 11/100, all in pencil. Exhibition label, verso. 29 1/2 x 21. ...
Lithograph
Adolph Gottlieb -- Germination
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in BRUCE, ACT
Adolph Gottlieb (1903-1974) Germination, 1969 Lithograph in colors on Arches paper Hand signed and dated lower left Numbered 25/60 Sheet size 56.5 x 76 cm
Lithograph
Flury
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Compared with his peers, the original Abstract Expressionist posse (Arshile Gorky, Hans Hoffmann, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko) Adolph Gottlieb arguably created the most easily r...
Screen
Chrome Green
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in New York, NY
A very good impression of this color screenprint on Arches. Signed, dated and numbered 125/150 in pencil by Gottlieb. Printed by Kelpra Studio, London, with the ink stamp verso. Publ...
Color, Screen
Beacon
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in New York, NY
A very good impression of this color lithograph on Arches. Signed, dated and numbered 14/100 in pencil by Gottlieb. Published by Marlborough Graphics, Inc., New York. Catalogue refe...
Color, Lithograph
Flurry
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in New York, NY
A very good impression of this color screenprint on white wove paper. Signed, dated and numbered 74/75 in pencil by Gottlieb. Published by Marlborough Graphics, Inc., New York.
Color, Screen
Signs
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in New York, NY
A very good impression of this scarce color screenprint on white wove paper. Signed, dated and numbered 44/75 in pencil. Published by Marlborough Graphics, Inc., New York.
Color, Screen
Black Field
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in Miami, FL
TECHNICAL INFORMATION Adolph Gottlieb Black Field 1972 Screenprint 36 x 28 in. Edition of 150 Pencil signed and numbered ABOUT THE WORK In the vertical "Bursts," the series relies...
Screen
$900
H 23.5 in W 31 in
Intimate Lighting, Pastel Abstract Screenprint by Robert Natkin
By Robert Natkin
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Robert Natkin, American (1930 - 2010) Title: Intimate Lighting II Year: 1972 Medium: Screenprint on Cream Arches Paper, signed, dated and numbered in pencil Edition: 36/150 S...
Screen
$3,401
H 11.82 in W 7.88 in D 0.4 in
Starry Night - Limited Edition, Figurative, Contemporary, Star, Night, Child
By Charlie Mackesy
Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh
Starry Night is a lithograph based on a watercolour by Charlie Mackesy. The edition is limited to 150 and each piece has been signed by Charlie Mackesy...
Lithograph
$295
H 11.82 in W 12.8 in D 0.08 in
XIV Winter Olympics games by Cy Yozo Hamaguchi - 1984
Located in Roma, IT
XIV Winter Olympics games is a vintage poster realized by the artist Yozo Hamaguchi, in occasion of the XIV Winter Olympics games in Sarajevo, in 1984.
Lithograph, Offset
$20,408
H 25.5 in W 20 in D 2 in
Hand of Africa - Mandela, Former South African President, Signed Artwork, Hand
By Nelson Mandela
Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh
Nelson Mandela, Hand of Africa, Signed Limited Edition Lithograph Many people are unaware that Nelson Mandela turned his hand to art in his 80's as a way of leaving a legacy for his ...
Lithograph
$800
H 42 in W 34 in
"Untitled" by Joan Thorne (Abstract, Expressionist, Geometric, Red, Vibrant)
By Joan Thorne
Located in New York, NY
The limited edition was printed at Fine Creations Inc. and has the printer's blind stamp on the bottom right. It was published by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The availab...
Screen
$1,400
H 40.25 in W 55.25 in
Giuseppe Capogrossi Iconic Comb Design "Superficie 324" Serigrafia
By Giuseppe Capogrossi
Located in Detroit, MI
"Superficie 324" is a 1988 screen print (serigraph) of a 1959 painting by Capogrossi. This is one of his famous "comb" or "fork" works that he perfected in the 1950s and continued to create for the remainder of his life. The blocks of primary red and yellow colors give a bright, joyful feel and contrast to the strong bold black that was Capogrossi's consistent color for the "combs". With no allegorical, psychological, or symbolic meanings, these structural elements could be assembled and connected in countless variations. Intricate and insistent, Capogrossi's signs determined the construction of the pictorial surface. This piece is identified along one side: Giuseppe Capogrossi By SIAE 1988 Silvio Zamorani Editor Via Saccarelli, 9 10144 Torino Italy Tel. (39)(11) 4730554 Progetto Grafico (Graphic Project): Studio Walter Benjamin. Serigrafia (Screen Print): BISI Torino. Capogrossi was born in Rome. After obtaining a degree in law in 1923–1924, he decided to study painting with Felice Carena at Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma. In 1927 Capogrossi embarked on a formative trip to Paris together with fellow artists and acquaintances Fausto Pirandello, Corrado Cagli and Emanuele Cavalli...
Screen
"Lilies" by Donald Sultan
By Donald Sultan
Located in Hinsdale, IL
Donald K. Sultan (b. 1951) "Lilies" Screenprint in colors on arches 88 wove paper, 1998 Sheet size 24 x 20 inches Ed. 47 of 70 Initialed, numbered, dated, and titled in pencil alo...
Screen
$6,000
H 30 in W 22 in
Christopher Wool 'Untitled' Abstract Expressionist Signed and Numbered Print
By Christopher Wool
Located in San Rafael, CA
Christopher Wool (b. 1955) Untitled, 2006 Screenprint in colors on Rives BFK paper 30 x 22 inches (unframed) P.P. 2/4 (A printer's proof aside from an edition of 40) Signed, numbered...
Screen
$1,800
H 20 in W 30 in
Sicilian Magician - lt ed silkscreen by renowned abstract expressionist Signed/N
By Walter Darby Bannard
Located in New York, NY
Walter Darby Bannard Siciliian Magician, 1980 Silkscreen on wove paper Pencil signed, titled and dated by the artist on the front Unframed Provenance: Bart Gallery, Providence, RI Th...
Screen
Ting Shao Kuang "Peace & Friendship"
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ting Shao Kuang (b. 1939) "Peace & Friendship" 1999 color screen print, signed on the lower right side and numbered AP41/50A on the left...
Color, Screen
$10,204
H 19.69 in W 22.05 in D 1.58 in
Artist Motivation - Mandela, Former South African President, Inspirational Words
By Nelson Mandela
Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh
Nelson Mandela, Artist's Motivation, Signed Limited Edition Lithograph Many people are unaware that Nelson Mandela turned his hand to art in his 80's as a way of leaving a legacy for his family. He spent time with an art tutor and learnt to draw. In 2002, when creating the The Motivation print, he told Anna and Laura from Belgravia Gallery of his desire to become a full time artist when he retired. This artwork is a handwritten Artist’s Motivation by Nelson Mandela and reads: “Today when I look at Robben Island I see it as a celebration of the struggle and a symbol of the finest qualities of the human spirit, rather than as a monument to the brutal tyranny and oppression of apartheid. Robben Island is a place where courage endured in the face of endless hardship, a place where people kept on believing when it seemed their dreams were hopeless and a place where wisdom and determination overcame fear and human frailty. It is true that Robben Island was once a place of darkness, but out of that darkness has come a wonderful brightness, a light so powerful that it could not be hidden behind prison walls, held back by prison bars...
Lithograph
Aerie
By Helen Frankenthaler
Located in New York, NY
Signed and numbered in pencil
Screen
Germination III
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in Paris, FR
Lithograph, 1969 Handsigned by the artist in pencil and numbered 57/75 Publisher : Marlborough Graphics, New York 56.50 cm. x 76.50 cm. 22.24 in. x 30.12 in. (paper) 47.00 cm. x 74....
Lithograph
Orange Oval
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in New York, NY
A very good impression of this color screenprint on Arches. From the edition of 150. Signed, dated and numbered in pencil. The edition numbers have been erased difficult to decipher....
Screen
Green Foreground
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in New York, NY
A very good impression of this large color screenprint on Arches. Signed, dated and numbered 139/150 in pencil by Gottlieb. Printed by Kelpra Studio, London, with the ink stamp...
Color, Screen
Crimson Ground
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in New York, NY
A brilliant, richly-inked impression of this vibrant color screenprint on Arches. Signed, dated and numbered 140/150 in pencil. Printed by Kelpra Studio, London, with the ink stamp v...
Color, Screen
Figure Eight
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in New York, NY
A very good impression of this scarce screenprint on Arches. Signed, dated and numbered 14/75 in ink. Published by Marlborough Graphics, Inc., New York.
Screen
Sold
H 24 in W 20 in
Rose Mood, Abstract Expressionist Sillkscreen by Adolph Gottlieb 1967
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in Long Island City, NY
An original silkscreen by American Abstract Expressionist, Adolph Gottlieb. It is hand-signed and numbered from the edition of 75. Artist: Adolph Gottlieb Title: Rose Mood Year: ...
Screen
Sold
H 24 in W 17.5 in
Halo, Abstract Expressionist Sillkscreen by Adolph Gottlieb 1966
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in Long Island City, NY
An original silkscreen by American Abstract Expressionist, Adolph Gottlieb. It is hand-signed and numbered from the edition of 50. Artist: Adolph Gottlieb Title: Halo Year: 1966...
Screen
Sold
H 41 in W 36 in
Crimson Ground, Abstract Expressionist Silkscreen by Adolph Gottlieb 1972
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Adolph Gottlieb, American (1903 - 1974) Title: Crimson Ground Year: 1972 Medium: Silkscreen, Signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 78/150 Size: 24 x 19 in. (60.96 x 48.26 cm...
Screen
Sold
H 10 in W 12 in
"James P. Johnson Love, " Adolph Gottlieb, Harlem Renaissance Jazz Music Abstract
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in New York, NY
Adolph Gottlieb (1903 - 1974) James P. Johnson Love, 1949 Watercolor and pencil on paper 10 x 12 inches Signed and dated lower left Provenance: Harold Rosenberg, New York James P. Johnson (1894-1955) was known as the father of "Stride" or "Harlem Stride," a blend of Ragtime and Jazz styles that became popular in the '20's. He composed 16 musicals, over 200 songs, a symphony, a piano concerto, two tone poems, and even an opera, mirroring the achievements of George Gershwin but never receiving the same level of recognition. Johnson's music inspired the likes of Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and countless others. He began to earn a living as a pianist by playing cabarets and dance halls until he gained slightly wider recognition and created compositions for black broadway and jazz scores for classical orchestras.In 1949, James P. Johnson was invited by actor and trombonist Conrad Janis to participate in band of what Janis believed to be the Jazz greats - Johnson played piano, along with Henry Goodwin (trumpet), Edmond Hall (clarinet), Pops Foster (bass) and Baby Dodds (drums), with Janis on trombone. In 1948, Conrad Janis' father Sidney Janis opened his gallery befriended artists like Gorky and Duchamp in the 1940's, and showed Adolph Gottlieb. It is possible that Adolph Gottlieb and James P. Johnson became acquainted in the 1940’s through the Janis family. Harold Rosenberg coined the term “action painting” in regards to expressionism, he wrote extensively on the Abstract Expressionist artists during his career as an art critic. In 1949, Rosenberg co-curated an exhibition showcasing these artists with Samuel Kootz that included Gottlieb, de Kooning, Will Baziotes, Gorky, Morris Graves, Hofmann, Motherwell, Pollock, Ad Reinhardt, Rothko, Mark Tobey, and Bradley Walker Tomlin. An expressionist picture in the personal collection of Harold Rosenberg, is the stamp of approval of quality as he is one of the original voices of the abstract movement and held in the highest esteem as a critic. Born in New York City in 1903, Adolph Gottlieb was a founding member of The Ten, a group devoted to abstract art with whom he was active for about five years. He became a major exponent of Abstract Expressionism whose painting style is linked to Marc Rothko...
Paper, Watercolor, Pencil
Levitation
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in Toronto, Ontario
"Levitation" is arguably the most ambiguous and distinctive print Adolph Gottlieb (1903-1974) created. It has the essential elements of a classic Gottlieb: richly-colored monochromat...
Screen
Untitled (from the Peace Portfolio I)
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Many of the most high-profile American artists of the 1960's lent their voices and artwork to opposing the Vietnam War. This work, a paradigm of Adolph Gottlieb's signature motifs,...
Screen
Chrome Green
By Adolph Gottlieb
Located in Toronto, Ontario
“Chrome Green” is a paradigm of Adolph Gottlieb’s iconic “Burst” series, which commenced in the 1950s and continued on until his death in 1974. This work...
Screen