For work that spans portraiture, oil painting and bronze sculpture, the Canadian artist Artis Lane draws from the spiritual and emotional aspects of human existence. Lane is a trailblazer: She was the first Black woman to be admitted to Cranbrook Academy of Art — a legendary institution within art, design and architecture — and her bronze bust of Sojourner Truth was the first statue of an African-American woman in the United States Capitol.
Lane was born in North Buxton, Ontario, in a town predominantly inhabited by the descendants of slaves who arrived in Canada by way of the Underground Railroad. As her artistic career developed, so did her interest in people of African descent as well as her ideas about the physical world and our bodies being vessels, capable of eventually taking on godly characteristics.
“Lane promotes the primacy of corporeal experience with sculptures that speak to Africa as the beginning of human life,” noted the University of Oklahoma’s Journal of Museum Studies in 2008. Her unique approach to depicting the journey between the physical and spiritual worlds has been to work outside the constraints of the traditional bronze finishing process, leaving the ceramic casing, wire and tubing used to cast it intact as part of the finished piece, whereby the wire is symbolic of bondage to the physical form.
Lane attended what was then called the Ontario College of Art (today, it’s the Ontario College of Art and Design University) on the Edith Chapman scholarship before studying painting at Cranbrook. She took an active role in the artistic communities in the various cities she lived in over the years. In New York and Los Angeles, she befriended actors Cary Grant and Diahann Carroll, and in Detroit, she painted commissioned portraits of auto industry executives to pay the bills. She would go on to paint portraits of many esteemed figures such as President John F. Kennedy, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jordan and Aretha Franklin. Today, a sculpture Lane created of Rosa Parks is on display at the National Portrait Gallery.
Lane received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the California African American Museum and an honorary degree from her alma mater, Cranbrook Academy of Art.
Find a collection of Artis Lane art on 1stDibs.
Price Upon Request
"Jesse Owens - Long Jump Medalist", Mixed Media on Paper
By Artis Lane
Located in Detroit, MI
This mixed media on paper painting of Jesse Owens is from the seminal artist Artis Lane and is one of the many exquisite pieces done of historical figures ...
Paper, Mixed Media
Price Upon Request
"Ancient Man", Mixed Media on Paper
By Artis Lane
Located in Detroit, MI
This mixed media on paper from the seminal artist Artis Lane is one of the many model pictures from her long and illustrious career. The subject is an older man, whom is called "Anci...
Paper, Mixed Media
Price Upon Request
"Self Portrait" Frontal Female, Mixed Media on Paper, Subtle Colors
By Artis Lane
Located in Detroit, MI
"Self-Portrait" is a stunning mixed media piece showing the vibrancy of the figure through the use of bold lines and placement of the blue and orange colors. The figure appears to be...
Paper, Mixed Media
Price Upon Request
"Surreal Study" Male and Female Figures on a Branch, Colors, Mixed Media
By Artis Lane
Located in Detroit, MI
"Surreal Study: Male and Female Figures on a Branch" is a complex piece with figures both facing toward and away from the viewer sitting on a branch in a mammoth tree or a fallen tre...
Paper, Mixed Media
$425Sale Price|50% Off
H 40 in W 55.2 in
Refreshing Gelato, Yellow & Blue Modern Painting, Diptych, Stripped Cabin Beach
Located in Barcelona, ES
"Refreshing Gelato Grid" is an abstract painting by Spanish artist Natalia Roman. It is a beautiful series of rhythmic brushstrokes combined with subtle tones and unique shapes that is both classy and fresh. The use of vivid colors on a white background reminds the beautiful vintage beach cabins...
Archival Ink, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Watercolor, Archival Paper
$455
H 18 in W 13 in
Self Heal - Original Framed Floral Artwork on Antique Botanical Book Page
By Lee Herring
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Lee Herring focuses his contemporary paintings on vibrant, textured, and abstract landscapes that convey fleeting moments. Herring's energetic artworks are inspired by everyday momen...
Paper, Mixed Media
$635
H 9 in W 9 in
Glowing Sunset II - Original Vibrant Warm Tone Textured Abstract Artwork Framed
By Frederic Paul
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The delicate and poetic artworks of painter Frederic Paul reference his Asian roots in expressive and elaborate compositions. Inspired by the bold colors, spices, flora, and landscap...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Rice Paper
$455
H 18 in W 13 in
Lily of the Valley - Original Framed Floral Art on Antique Botanical Book Page
By Lee Herring
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Lee Herring focuses his contemporary paintings on vibrant, textured, and abstract landscapes that convey fleeting moments. Herring's energetic artworks are inspired by everyday momen...
Paper, Mixed Media
"Brescia" Abstract Painting Collage
By Michael Pauker
Located in Soquel, CA
Abstract expressionist painting and collage by Bay Area artist Michael Pauker (American, b.1957). Titled and dated "Brescia 2014" on verso. Unsigned. From a collection of his work. F...
Wood, Mixed Media, Oil, Magazine Paper
$499
H 18 in W 24 in
Lover (3/14) - Figurative Pink Pin Up Cowgirl Western Mixed Media Art on Paper
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Jesse’s imagery often merges playful and gritty elements, blending floral patterns, vintage-inspired designs, and bold outlines with a touch of whimsy. His artwork exudes a sense of ...
Paint, Paper, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic, Permanent Marker
$500
H 20 in W 16 in
"Throwing Stones", Abstract, Eggs, Red, White, Green, Collage, Monotype
By Monica DeSalvo
Located in Franklin, MA
Monica DeSalvo’s “Throwing Stones” is a diptych of two 4.25 x 6 inch collages on abstract acrylic monotypes. Green lettuce, tan and ivory eggs, and blurred fields of red, maroon, and...
Mixed Media, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Monotype
$7,000
H 22 in W 22 in
"Nude on Chair" Mixed Media Painting 22" x 22" inch by RAOUF RAAFAT
Located in Culver City, CA
"Nude on Chair" Mixed Media Painting 22" x 22" inch by RAOUF RAAFAT mixed media & acrylic on paper
Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$2,056
H 31.5 in W 31.5 in
"New York Street", Spray Painted White and Red Wall with Metal Staircase
By Philippe Saucourt
Located in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
This artwork depicts a view of a red and white building, with white spray painted tags on the red wall, and metallic staircases. This piece was created with a mixed technique of acr...
Mixed Media, Wood Panel, Rice Paper
$2,350
H 13.78 in W 9.06 in D 0.99 in
Minimalist Mixed Media on Paper, Framed in Wood, 2024 - 'Cartolina 5'
Located in Bruxelles, BE
Silvia De Marchi (b. 1967, Melzo, Italy) is an Italian painter currently based in Italy and represented by the Grège Gallery. Her artistic practice reflects a deep exploration of ma...
Paper, Glue, Ink, Mixed Media, Wood, Acrylic
Chola JMB
By Kokian
Located in Saint-Didier, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Beautiful drawing by Kokian - from his more graphic and refined series. Mixed Technique on Art Paper India ink / Acrylic / Aerosol bomb Title and signature by the artist Dimensions 6...
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic
151
By Jenny Day
Located in New Orleans, LA
[Tucson, AZ / Santa Fe, NM ::: b. 1981] JENNY DAY (b.1981) is a painter who divides her time between Tucson, Arizona and Santa Fe, New Mexico. She earned an MFA in Painting and Draw...
Paper, Mixed Media
Sold
H 30.5 in W 25.5 in
"Seated Man on Motorcycle" Mixed Media, Abstract, Duo-Toned, Nude, Primitive
By Artis Lane
Located in Detroit, MI
"Seated Man on Motorcycle" is an abstract study of a figure at ease on a motorcycle. By limiting the work to white paint on black paper, the images blend into one combined force of s...
Paper, Mixed Media