Al Held Paintings

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 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 Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

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 Paintings

Materials

Screen

Shizico YiOriginal-Magic Bell in the Night-UK Awarded Artist-Botanical Abstract Expression, 2024

$661

H 15.75 in W 11.82 in D 0.12 in

Original-Magic Bell in the Night-UK Awarded Artist-Botanical Abstract Expression

Located in London, GB

In her latest series, "The Weaver," Shizico explores forms, layers, and time onto canvases. Applying the format of diptychs and triptychs, she creates lyrical narratives, capturing t...

Category

2010s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel

Gary DenmarkLarge Gary Denmark Contemporary Abstract Flora Monotype Print Monoprint Artist, 1993

$950

H 31.5 in W 31.5 in D 1.5 in

Large Gary Denmark Contemporary Abstract Flora Monotype Print Monoprint Artist

Located in Surfside, FL

Gary Denmark (American, born 1953). A monotype art print on Arches paper. Titled, "Being in Salgadoland," produced 1993. An abstract work with shapes a...

Category

1990s Contemporary Al Held Paintings

Materials

Monotype

JazzuJazzu - Belle âme forte, 2025

$576

H 16.54 in W 11.82 in D 0.4 in

Jazzu - Belle âme forte

By Jazzu

Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Jazzu Belle âme forte Acrylique sur papier fort 2025 Daté , titré et signé par l’artiste 42 x 29,7 cms 490 euros

Category

2010s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Angela WakefieldColourful Expressive Abstract Landscape Painting by Contemporary British Artist, 2022

$40,501Sale Price|40% Off

H 39 in W 51 in D 2 in

Colourful Expressive Abstract Landscape Painting by Contemporary British Artist

By Angela Wakefield

Located in Preston, GB

Colourful & Expressive Abstract Landscape Painting using muted pinks, blues & yellows by leading Contemporary British Artist, Angela Wakefield. This unique original forms par...

Category

2010s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

JazzuJazzu - Être ici vivant, 2025

$576

H 11.82 in W 16.54 in D 0.4 in

Jazzu - Être ici vivant

By Jazzu

Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Jazzu Être ici vivant 2025 Acrylique sur papier fort 2025 42 x 29,7 cm 490 euros

Category

2010s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Ivan GrozdanovskiFrom Somewhere to Nowhere-ORIGINAL abstract landscape PAINTINGS-CONTEMPORARY Art, 2025

$809Sale Price|20% Off

H 27.56 in W 35.44 in D 1.19 in

From Somewhere to Nowhere-ORIGINAL abstract landscape PAINTINGS-CONTEMPORARY Art

By Ivan Grozdanovski

Located in London, Chelsea

We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Al Held Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Board

Alex KuznetsovUntitled II by Alex Kuznetsov, Abstract Acrylic Painting on Canvas, 2024

$7,500

H 51.25 in W 43.25 in

Untitled II by Alex Kuznetsov, Abstract Acrylic Painting on Canvas

By Alex Kuznetsov

Located in New York, NY

Untitled II by Alex Kuznetsov 2024 Acrylic on canvas 51.25" x 43.25" In a time when everything is loud, fast, and endlessly refreshed, Alex Kuznetsov makes paintings that do not ...

Category

2010s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Shizico YiOriginal Willow Pond in Autumn-plein air-British Awarded Artist-Expressionist, 2024

$1,323

H 19.69 in W 23.63 in D 0.6 in

Original Willow Pond in Autumn-plein air-British Awarded Artist-Expressionist

Located in London, GB

"Autumn Series" is one of the most personal projects of Shizico Yi; the sensitive colours, her signature expressive and confident brushstrokes are making the series an instant classi...

Category

2010s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Oil, Acrylic

Roger LersyLarge Modernist French Abstract Expressionist Colorful Bird Painting Roger Lersy, 1961

$3,600

H 35 in W 31 in

Large Modernist French Abstract Expressionist Colorful Bird Painting Roger Lersy

By Roger Lersy

Located in Surfside, FL

Roger Lersy, French (1920 - 2004) Oil on canvas Signed, R. Lersy, dated 1961 lower right Measuring 35 X 31 Matted and framed. sight 26 X 21.5 Roger Lersy was born in Paris, France ...

Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Ivan GrozdanovskiSeize the Moment-Original contemporary impressionism landscape oil painting-Art, 2025

$2,374Sale Price|20% Off

H 39.38 in W 39.38 in D 1.19 in

Seize the Moment-Original contemporary impressionism landscape oil painting-Art

By Ivan Grozdanovski

Located in London, Chelsea

We offer complimentary worldwide shipping and cover all tariffs and import taxes for this artwork. This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet C...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Al Held Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Board

Vincent DionVincent Dion, Plan Elevation #4, 2017, Acrylic Paint, Watercolor, 2017

$1,200

H 19 in W 12 in

Vincent Dion, Plan Elevation #4, 2017, Acrylic Paint, Watercolor

By Vincent Dion

Located in Darien, CT

Vincent Dion's painterly abstractions mimic various printed techniques which reconcile and affirm the introspective presence of the hand. Dion’s use of luminous color becomes his es...

Category

2010s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Watercolor

JazzuJazzu - Toujours des idées, 2025

$576

H 16.54 in W 11.82 in D 0.4 in

Jazzu - Toujours des idées

By Jazzu

Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Jazzu Toujours des idées Techniques mixtes sur papier fort Signé , daté et titré 2025 42 x 29,7 cms 490 euros

Category

2010s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Previously Available Items

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 Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Al Held paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Al Held paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of paintings to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of blue, orange and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Al Held in paint, acrylic paint, synthetic resin 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 paintings, so small editions measuring 24 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Larry Zox, Larry Poons, and Joseph Glasco. Al Held paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $75,000 and tops out at $100,000, while the average work can sell for $75,000.