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

Artist: Al Held

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 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 HeldScholes II, 1991

$2,500

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 Held"Scholes I", Abstract Expressionist Screenprint in Colors, 1991, 1991

$1,800

"Scholes I", Abstract Expressionist Screenprint in Colors, 1991

By Al Held

Located in Astoria, NY

Al Held (American, 1928-2005), "Scholes I", Screenprint in Colors on Paper, 1991, numbered edition "55/80" and signed in pencil lower right, "The Mezzanine Gallery / The Metropolitan...

Category

1990s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Paper, Screen

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 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 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 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 Held"Scholes II", Abstract Expressionist Screenprint in Colors, 1991, 1991

$1,800

"Scholes II", Abstract Expressionist Screenprint in Colors, 1991

By Al Held

Located in Astoria, NY

Al Held (American, 1928-2005), "Scholes II", Screenprint in Colors on Paper, 1991, numbered edition "8/80" and signed in pencil lower right, "The Mezzanine Gallery / The Metropolitan...

Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Art

Materials

Paper, Screen

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

$3,380

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 "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

Robyn DennyGenerations 8, 1978

$1,284

H 21 in W 28 in

Generations 8

By Robyn Denny

Located in London, GB

Etching with aquatint on watercolour wash on paper 53 x 71 cms (21 x 28 ins) Edition of 35, Set of 24 Signed, dated, and numbered 3/35 Published by Bernard Jacobson Ltd., London Prin...

Category

1970s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Color, Etching, Aquatint

Ian TysonUntitled #1, 1970

$600

H 25 in W 38 in D 0.01 in

Untitled #1

By Ian Tyson

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork "Untitled #1" 1970 is an original silkscreen on Wove paper by noted British artist Ian Tyson, born 1933. It is hand signed, dated and numbered 60/75 in pencil by the art...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Ross BlecknerDream and Do, 1997

$1,725

H 24 in W 23 in

Dream and Do

By Ross Bleckner

Located in Fairfield, CT

13-color silkscreen. Edition 114/250.

Category

1990s Abstract Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Richard Serra"Untitled" Richard Serra, Black and White, Sculptural, Simple Abstracted Form, 1990

$7,000

H 26.5 in W 19.5 in

"Untitled" Richard Serra, Black and White, Sculptural, Simple Abstracted Form

By Richard Serra

Located in New York, NY

Richard Serra Untitled, 1990 Signed and dated lower left, stamped Gemini G.E.L. on the reverse Screen-print on PTI Supra paper 26 1/2 x 19 1/2 inches 430/500 Known for large-scale ...

Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Art

Materials

Paper, Screen

Ilya BolotowskySeries 3, Minimalist Abstract Print by Ilya Bolotowsky, Circa 1970

$1,600

H 30.5 in W 40 in D 0.1 in

Series 3, Minimalist Abstract Print by Ilya Bolotowsky

By Ilya Bolotowsky

Located in Long Island City, NY

Born to Jewish parents in St. Petersburg, Russia, Bolotowsky immigrated to America in 1923 via Constantinople, settling in New York City. He attended the National Academy of Design. ...

Category

1970s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Hiroshi MurataHiroshi Murata Silk Screen Framed Colorful Geometric Print Framed Rare 1970's, 1970's

$750

H 19.5 in W 27 in

Hiroshi Murata Silk Screen Framed Colorful Geometric Print Framed Rare 1970's

By Hiroshi Murata

Located in Buffalo, NY

Artist: Hiroshi Murata Title: Circles Year: circa 1970's Medium: Serigraph, signed and numbered in pencil Paper Size: 19.5 x 27 inches Framed Size: 24.5 x 32

Category

1970s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Paper, Screen

Anne YoukelesGemini, 1960s Op Art geometric silkscreen, mixed media paper, Signed AP, Framed, ca. 1969

$2,000

H 28 in W 28 in D 0.5 in

Gemini, 1960s Op Art geometric silkscreen, mixed media paper, Signed AP, Framed

By Anne Youkeles

Located in New York, NY

Anne Youkeles Gemini, ca. 1969 Three-dimensional mixed media silkscreen on folded sheets of thin card Hand-signed by artist in pencil, titled and annotated Artist's Proof I from the ...

Category

1960s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Paper, Mixed Media, Laid Paper, Screen

(after) Josef AlbersJosef Albers, Color Abstract Screenprint, Homage to the Square, 1977, Framed, 1977

$1,495

H 14.88 in W 14.88 in

Josef Albers, Color Abstract Screenprint, Homage to the Square, 1977, Framed

By (after) Josef Albers

Located in Washington, DC

Artist: Josef Albers Title: Homage to the Square Medium: Screenprint Date: 1977 Edition: 1500 Image Size: 8 1/4" x 8 1/4" Sheet Size: 9" x 9 1/2" Frame Size: 14 7/8" x 14 7/8" Signat...

Category

1970s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Sol LeWittUntitled, from the Kinderstern Portfolio, 1984

$1,750

H 30.88 in W 37.75 in D 0.75 in

Untitled, from the Kinderstern Portfolio

By Sol LeWitt

Located in Milford, NH

A fine black and white silkscreen geometric print from the Kinderstern Portfolio by American artist Sol LeWitt (1928-2007). LeWitt was was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and attended...

Category

1980s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Paper, Screen

Alexander CalderPaper Ball 100% Silk Scarf w/tag designed by Alexander Calder, Estate authorized, 2001

$1,000

H 33 in W 35 in

Paper Ball 100% Silk Scarf w/tag designed by Alexander Calder, Estate authorized

By Alexander Calder

Located in New York, NY

Alexander Calder (after) Paper Ball, 2001 100% silkscreen on silk scarf 33 inches × 35 inches - fully opened (unfolded) Unframed Published by Powerball, with special authorization from the Estate of Alexander Calder In 1949 Calder was commissioned by the New York firm Laverne Originals to create two designs for use as fabric and wallpaper. This design - Paint Ball, a beautiful silk scarf...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Silk, Screen, Fabric

Hannes GrosseUntitled Abstract I (Hard-Edge, Geometric, Wave, Earth Tones, Post-War, 50% OFF), 1978

$375Sale Price|50% Off

H 27.3 in W 19.4 in

Untitled Abstract I (Hard-Edge, Geometric, Wave, Earth Tones, Post-War, 50% OFF)

By Hannes Grosse

Located in Kansas City, MO

Hannes Grosse Untitled Abstract I Color Silkscreen on "Roemerturm"-Buetten, 225gsm Year: 1978 Size: 27.3 × 19.4 inches (69.4 x 49.4 cm) Edition: 71 of 160 Signed, numbered and date...

Category

1970s Hard-Edge Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Salvador DalíSalvador Dalí (1904–1989) - Love's Labour's Lost - Drypoint etching - 1970, 1970

$1,848

H 18.12 in W 11.42 in D 0.04 in

Salvador Dalí (1904–1989) - Love's Labour's Lost - Drypoint etching - 1970

By Salvador Dalí

Located in Varese, IT

Drypoint etching on paper on Rives paper, edited in 1970. Limited edition, numbered as 157/250 in lower left corner. Signed in pencil by artist in lower right corner. Plate size: 17...

Category

1970s Abstract Al Held Art

Materials

Drypoint, Etching

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

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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.