Al Held Art

American, 1928-2005

Alvin Jacob Held, (1928-2005) Al Held earned his slot in the annals of American contemporary art with his bold, geometric canvases that took abstraction to another level. His free-floating, interlocked cubes, and planes invited the viewer into a vertigo-inducing landscape that seemed to stretch on into infinity. "Immense architectural structures curve and slice through these complex paintings, often enmeshing themselves in cellular structures," noted the Times of London. "Viewers felt that they were exploring some mysterious universe, and Held never lost his passionate belief in abstract painting's ability to create a sublime new world." Held grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and as a teenager, missed so many days of high school that it was suggested he consider leaving altogether. He eventually earned a night-school diploma, and spent two years in the U.S. Navy. Back in New York City, he enrolled in classes at the Art Students League, and went on to study at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris in the early 1950s. The first solo exhibition of his work was staged there, in 1952 at the Galerie Huit. Held's abstract work took on a more orderly, formal tone, aided by a switch from oil to acrylic paints in 1959, and he had his first solo show in New York City that same year at the Poindexter Gallery. "Finessing the gap between Minimalism and Color Field painting," wrote New York Times journalist Ken Johnson of the next decade of Held's career, "he produced smooth, simplified works based on enlarged letters of the alphabet. And in the late '60s and '70s he made complex black-and-white pictures of sharply outlined cubes, pyramids, and other geometric shapes floating in illusory spaces of indeterminate depth." Some of Held's best-known works are those floating black and white cubes, a series he began in 1967. One of the largest, which stretches more than 90 feet in length, was installed at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York. In the late 1970s, in an abrupt shift, he began using color again, and the geometric shapes became so precise that they were sometimes mistaken for computer-generated art. Held considered his images not unlike those of religious art, once telling an interviewer that "historically, the priests and wise men believed that it was the artist's job to make images of heaven and hell believable, even though nobody had experienced these places," he said, according to his Chicago Tribune obituary. Held spent 20 years teaching at Yale University's. Represented by the Robert Miller Gallery in New York City, which staged what would be his last exhibition of new work in 2003, Held's works were avidly sought by contemporary-art enthusiasts around the world, and were part of the permanent collections of many institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. — Carol Brennan

Al HeldAlmost There, 1988

$2,600

Almost There

By Al Held

Located in New York, NY

Created by Al Held in 1988, Almost There is an aquatint with hard-ground etching on Somerset paper. Hand-signed, dated, and numbered from the edition of 60 in pencil on the verso, th...

Category

20th Century Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Al HeldRussell's Way, Large Colorful Geometric Abstract Etching by Al Held, 1969

$4,800

Russell's Way, Large Colorful Geometric Abstract Etching by Al Held

By Al Held

Located in Long Island City, NY

Russell’s Way by Al Held, American (1928–2005) Date: 1969 Aquatint on Somerset paper, signed, dated, and numbered in pencil verso Edition of 37/50 Image Size: 35.5 x 44.5 inches Size...

Category

1960s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Al HeldScholes II, Screenprint by Al Held, 1991

$2,500

Scholes II, Screenprint by Al Held

By Al Held

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Al Held, American (1928 - 2005) Title: Scholes II Year: 1991 Medium: Silkscreen, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 80 Image Size: 23 x 29 inches Size: 29 x 34 in. (73.66...

Category

1990s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Al HeldScholes II, 1991

$2,200

Scholes II

By Al Held

Located in Austin, TX

Artist: Al Held (American, 1928–2005) Title: Scholes II Year: 1991 Medium Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition Number 18/80 Print Size: 29h x 34w in. (73.66 x 86.36 cm)...

Category

1990s Hard-Edge Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Al HeldScholes I, Large Framed Geometric Abstract Screenprint by Al Held, 1991

$2,500

Scholes I, Large Framed Geometric Abstract Screenprint by Al Held

By Al Held

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Al Held, American (1928 - 2005) Title: Scholes I Year: 1991 Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 80 Image Size: 23 x 29 inches Size: 29 x 34 in. (73.66...

Category

1990s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Al HeldStone Ridge #4, Abstract Geometric Etching by Al Held, 1983

$2,600

Stone Ridge #4, Abstract Geometric Etching by Al Held

By Al Held

Located in Long Island City, NY

Al Held, American (1928 - 2005) - Stone Ridge #4, Year: 1983, Medium: Etching, signed and dated in pencil on verso, Edition: 65, Size: 26.5 x 40 in. (67.31 x 101.6 cm), Publisher...

Category

1980s Abstract Al Held Art

Materials

Etching

Al HeldPutu, Large Colorful Geometric Abstract Etching by Al Held, 1988

$4,800

Putu, Large Colorful Geometric Abstract Etching by Al Held

By Al Held

Located in Long Island City, NY

Putu by Al Held, American (1928–2005) Date: 1988 Aquatint Etching, signed, numbered and dated in pencil verso Edition of 16/25 Image Size: 35.5 x 44.5 inches Size: 41 in. x 53.5 in. ...

Category

1980s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Al HeldRUSSELL'S WAY, 1989

$7,500

RUSSELL'S WAY

By Al Held

Located in Three Oaks, MI

In excellent condition from an edition of 50, this piece is beautifully framed in museum-quality materials. Al Held is best remembered for his large-scale paintings of bright, hard-e...

Category

1880s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Etching, Aquatint

Al HeldUntitled - 20th Century Brightly Colored Print, Yellow, Red, Green + Grey Circle, 1968

$3,426

Untitled - 20th Century Brightly Colored Print, Yellow, Red, Green + Grey Circle

By Al Held

Located in Kingsclere, GB

Born in Brooklyn in 1928 to Polish immigrants, Al Held claims to have been expelled from high school in the Bronx in 1944. After serving in the U.S. Navy from 1945 to 1947, Held asso...

Category

20th Century Abstract Expressionist Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Al HeldUntitled "A", 1961

$75,000

Untitled "A"

By Al Held

Located in London, GB

Price: $75,000 (+5% import VAT) Provenance: Robert Miller Gallery, New York Private collection, New York (acquired from the above in 1980) Exhibited: Montpellier, Musee Fabre, "...

Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Art

Materials

Acrylic

Al HeldUntitled "D", 1961

$75,000

Untitled "D"

By Al Held

Located in London, GB

Signed and dated 'Al Held 61' (lower right) Price: $75,000 (+5% import VAT) Provenance: Robert Miller Gallery, New York (stock no.1179359 HELD-0075) Private collection, New York Private collection, New York (acquired from the above in 2012) Exhibited: New York, Queens Museum; Norfolk, Virginia, Chrysler Museum; Maine, Portland Museum of Art; Miami Beach, Bass Museum of Art; Washington, D.C., The Phillips Collection...

Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Art

Materials

Acrylic

Al HeldScholes I, 1991

Price Upon Request

Scholes I

By Al Held

Located in New York, NY

This screenprint was created by the artist in 1991. Signed in pencil and numbered from the edition of 80 measuring 29 x 34 in. (73.7 x 86.4 cm.). Published by The Metropolitan Museu...

Category

20th Century Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Al HeldScholes II, 1991

Price Upon Request

Scholes II

By Al Held

Located in New York, NY

This screenprint was created by the artist in 1991. Signed in pencil and numbered from the edition of 80 measuring 29 x 34 in. (73.7 x 86.4 cm.). Published by The Metropolitan Museu...

Category

20th Century Contemporary Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Al HeldPachinko, 1989

Price Upon Request

Pachinko

By Al Held

Located in San Francisco, CA

Category

Al Held Art

Brian WallHard Edge Minimalist Etching (Geometric Abstraction) from the 1960s SIgned/N, 1969

$2,800

H 22 in W 14 in

Hard Edge Minimalist Etching (Geometric Abstraction) from the 1960s SIgned/N

Located in New York, NY

Brian Wall Untitled Hard Edge Minimalist Etching (Geometric Abstraction) from the 1960s, 1969 Etching on wove paper with deckled edges Hand signed and numbered 22/75 by the artist in...

Category

1960s Hard-Edge Al Held Art

Materials

Etching

Marko SpalatinPrizma IV (Geometric Abstraction)

$780Sale Price|21% Off

H 28.9 in W 25 in

Prizma IV (Geometric Abstraction)

By Marko Spalatin

Located in Kansas City, MO

Prizma IV Color silkscreen Signed and titled by hand Size: 20.3 × 20.3 on 28.9 × 25.0 inches COA provided Marko Spalatin was born in Zagreb, Croatia. He immigrated to the US in his ...

Category

2010s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Álvarez HurtadoUntitled, 1990

$240

H 17.72 in W 12.8 in D 0.04 in

Untitled

Located in Barcelona, CT

The painting is being offered with a work and authenticity certificate

Category

1990s Abstract Al Held Art

Materials

Etching

Ellsworth KellyEllsworth Kelly, Orange Shape, from Derriere le Miroir, 1958, 1958

$956Sale Price|20% Off

H 15 in W 11 in

Ellsworth Kelly, Orange Shape, from Derriere le Miroir, 1958

By Ellsworth Kelly

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Ellsworth Kelly (1923–2015), titled Forme Orange (Orange Shape), originates from the historic 1958 folio Derriere le Miroir, No. 110. Published by Maeght...

Category

1950s Hard-Edge Al Held Art

Materials

Lithograph

Max BillUntitled from "Kinderstern" - Max Bill, Hard Edge, Color Field, Bright Colors, 1989

$2,380

H 29.93 in W 22.84 in

Untitled from "Kinderstern" - Max Bill, Hard Edge, Color Field, Bright Colors

By Max Bill

Located in Köln, DE

Screenprint by Max Bill. From the portfolio "Kinderstern". No Title, 1989 76 x 58 cm Copy 61/100 Edition of 100 (approx.)

Category

1980s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Ellsworth KellyEllsworth Kelly, Yellow Shape, from Derriere le Miroir, 1958, 1958

$956Sale Price|20% Off

H 15 in W 11 in

Ellsworth Kelly, Yellow Shape, from Derriere le Miroir, 1958

By Ellsworth Kelly

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Ellsworth Kelly (1923–2015), titled Forme Jaune (Yellow Shape), originates from the historic 1958 folio Derriere le Miroir, No. 110. Published by Maeght ...

Category

1950s Hard-Edge Al Held Art

Materials

Lithograph

Josef AlbersArrived /// Josef Albers Abstract Geometrical Screenprint 1960's Color Theory, 1965

$5,000

H 17 in W 16.94 in

Arrived /// Josef Albers Abstract Geometrical Screenprint 1960's Color Theory

By Josef Albers

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: Josef Albers (German-American, 1888-1976) Title: "Arrived" Portfolio: Soft Edge - Hard Edge *Unsigned edition Year: 1965 Medium: Original Screenprint on Mohawk Superfine Bris...

Category

1960s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Ellsworth KellyEllsworth Kelly, Red Form, from Revue Cahiers d'Art, 2012, 2012

$716Sale Price|20% Off

H 12.375 in W 9.5 in

Ellsworth Kelly, Red Form, from Revue Cahiers d'Art, 2012

By Ellsworth Kelly

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Ellsworth Kelly (1923–2015), titled Formulaire rouge (Red Form), originates from the 2012 publication Revue Cahiers d'Art, 2012, no. 1, Ellsworth Kelly. ...

Category

2010s Hard-Edge Al Held Art

Materials

Lithograph

Jay RosenblumGrove #1 /// Abstract Geometric Colorful Jay Rosenbulm New York Screenprint Art, 1979

$800Sale Price|33% Off

H 24.63 in W 42.38 in

Grove #1 /// Abstract Geometric Colorful Jay Rosenbulm New York Screenprint Art

By Jay Rosenblum

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: Jay Rosenblum (Americam, 1933-1989) Title: "Grove #1" *Signed by Rosenblum in pencil lower right Year: 1979 Medium: Original Screenprint on white Stonehenge paper Limited edi...

Category

1970s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Gene DavisHomage to Barnett Newman /// Gene Davis Abstract Geometric Minimal Screenprint, 1979

$2,500

H 36.63 in W 29.88 in

Homage to Barnett Newman /// Gene Davis Abstract Geometric Minimal Screenprint

By Gene Davis

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: Gene Davis (American, 1920-1985) Title: "Homage to Barnett Newman" *Signed and dated by Davis in pencil lower right Year: 1979 Medium: Original Screenprint on unbranded soft-...

Category

1970s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Josef AlbersArctic Bloom /// Josef Albers Blue Orange Screenprint Homage to the Square Print, 1965

$6,000

H 16.94 in W 16.94 in

Arctic Bloom /// Josef Albers Blue Orange Screenprint Homage to the Square Print

By Josef Albers

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: Josef Albers (German-American, 1888-1976) Title: "Arctic Bloom" Portfolio: Soft Edge - Hard Edge *Unsigned edition Year: 1965 Medium: Original Screenprint on Mohawk Superfine...

Category

1960s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Ellsworth KellyEllsworth Kelly, Red Form, from Derriere le Miroir, 1958, 1958

$956Sale Price|20% Off

H 15 in W 11 in

Ellsworth Kelly, Red Form, from Derriere le Miroir, 1958

By Ellsworth Kelly

Located in Southampton, NY

This exquisite lithograph by Ellsworth Kelly (1923–2015), titled Formulaire rouge (Red Form), originates from the historic 1958 folio Derriere le Miroir, No. 110. Published by Maeght...

Category

1950s Hard-Edge Al Held Art

Materials

Lithograph

Previously Available Items

Al HeldUntitled (Cubes), 1969

Sold

H 41.5 in W 31.5 in D 1.25 in

Untitled (Cubes)

By Al Held

Located in Astoria, NY

Al Held (American, 1928-2005), Untitled (Cubes), Lithograph on Strathmore Paper, 1969, signed in pencil and numbered edition "67 / 100" to verso, Strathmore blindstamp lower right co...

Category

1960s Post-Modern Al Held Art

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

Al HeldCamerata XVI, 1989

Sold

H 18 in W 23.75 in

Camerata XVI

By Al Held

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Al Held (1928-2005) was one of the most prominent and successful American artists. associated with the hard-edge painting. He was a pioneer in the evolution of abstraction and redefi...

Category

1980s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Watercolor

Al HeldScholes I, 1991

Sold

H 40 in W 45.5 in

Scholes I

By Al Held

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Al Held, American (1928 - 2005) Title: Scholes I Year: 1991 Medium: Silkscreen, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 80 Image Size: 23 x 29 inches Size: 29 x 34 in. (73.66 ...

Category

1990s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Al HeldRussell's Way, 1989

Sold

H 35.25 in W 44.5 in

Russell's Way

By Al Held

Located in New York, NY

Al Held Russell's Way, 1989 color aquatint on Somerset paper 35.25h x 44.50w in

Category

1980s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Etching

Al HeldLiv, Large Colorful Geometric Abstract by Al Held, 1992

Sold

H 41 in W 54 in

Liv, Large Colorful Geometric Abstract by Al Held

By Al Held

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Al Held, American (1928 - 2005) Title: Liv Year: 1992 Medium: Etching with aquatint on paper, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 16/30 Image Size: 35.5 x 44.5 inches Size...

Category

1990s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Al HeldScholes, 1, 1991

Sold

H 23 in W 29 in

Scholes, 1

By Al Held

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Signed and numbered in pencil by the artist lower right Edition: 80 (3/80) Published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Mezzanine Gallery, New York, with their blindstamp lower...

Category

1990s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Al HeldScholes II, 1991

Sold

H 29 in W 34 in D 2 in

Scholes II

By Al Held

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Signed and numbered in pencil by the artist lower right Edition: 80 (3/80) Published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Mezzanine Gallery, New York, with their blindstamp lower...

Category

1990s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Al HeldStone Ridge #1, 1983

Sold

H 32 in W 45 in D 1 in

Stone Ridge #1

By Al Held

Located in Austin, TX

Artist: Al Held Title: Stone Ridge #1 Year: 1983 Medium: Color etching Edition number 53/65 numbered on verso. Signed on verso "Al Held 83 53/65 AH.106.A" ...

Category

1980s Abstract Al Held Art

Materials

Etching

Al HeldMagenta, 1990

Sold

H 48 in W 61 in D 3 in

Magenta

By Al Held

Located in Austin, TX

Artist: Al Held Title: Magenta Year: 1990 Medium: Color aquatint with spit bite aquatint Edition: 37/50 Signed, dated, and numbered verso Dimension: image: 35.5"h x 44.75"w, sheet: 4...

Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Art

Materials

Aquatint

Al HeldIndigo, 1990

Sold

H 48 in W 61 in D 3 in

Indigo

By Al Held

Located in Austin, TX

Artist: Al Held (American, 1928-2005) Title: "Indigo" Year: 1990 Medium: Color aquatint with spit bite aquatint Signed, dated, and numbered verso Edition 32/50 Dimensions: image: 35....

Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Art

Materials

Aquatint

Al HeldStone Ridge #4, 1983

Sold

H 32 in W 45 in D 1 in

Stone Ridge #4

By Al Held

Located in Austin, TX

Artist: Al Held Title: Stone Ridge #4 Year: 1983 Medium: Color etching Edition number 53/65 numbered on verso. Signed on verso "Al Held 83 53/65 AH.106.A" ...

Category

1980s Abstract Al Held Art

Materials

Etching

Al HeldLiv, 1992

Sold

H 40.5 in W 54 in

Liv

By Al Held

Located in New York, NY

1992, color hardground etching with aquatint, 40 1/2 x 54 inches (102.9 x 137.2 cm), edition of 30, signed, numbered, and dated on reverse

Category

1990s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Al Held art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Al Held art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of orange, blue, red and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Al Held in paint, screen print, acrylic paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Al Held art, so small editions measuring 22 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Theodoros Stamos, Peter Voulkos, and Friedel Dzubas. Al Held art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,000 and tops out at $100,000, while the average work can sell for $5,565.