Balcomb Greene Art

American, 1904-1990

Balcomb Greene has been described as "an iconoclast, a painter who has refused to conform to the latest artistic trends." This comment was apt, for Greene was an independent-minded artist who followed his own aesthetic inclinations regardless of what was in vogue among critics and the public. At the outset of his career, he eschewed Depression-era realism in favor of a cutting-edge geometric abstract style that set him apart from the mainstream art establishment and from many of his fellow abstractionists. During the 1940s, when non-representational painting came into fashion, he began to incorporate the human form into his work, creating enigmatic figure paintings in which variations of light and shadow played a vital role in creating mood. A turning point in his career occurred in 1931, when Greene and his wife, Gertrude Glass Greene, traveled to Paris to further their understanding of vanguard art and literature. Although Greene intended to write novels in his Montparnasse studio, he soon found himself drawn to the art world and decided to become a painter. He was especially inspired by the example of Piet Mondrian, Juan Gris and the Abstraction-Creation painters, who sought to eliminate all references to nature, literature and anecdote by focusing on pure abstraction. Greene returned to the United States in 1932, going on to develop his own hard-edged abstract style, creating what he referred to as "straight line, flat paintings." In 1937, he became a founding member and first chairman of Abstract American Artists, established to promote the cause of abstraction in national art circles. In the 1930s, Greene found employment with the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project. He created an abstract mural for the Federal Hall of Medicine at the World's Fair of 1939. In 1940, Greene began studying art history at New York University, going on to receive a master's degree in 1943. During this period, his aesthetic approach changed as he abandoned the crisply rendered and brightly colored forms of his geometric work in favor of the figure shown against a backdrop of fragmented planes. He went on to create paintings, often naturalistic depictions of the female nude, that were characterized by an expressionist handling of paint and a limited palette of whites, greys and other muted tones that derived from his interest in photography. In 1947 Greene purchased some land on Montauk Point, Long Island. With the exception of a trip to Paris in 1958-60, he spent most of his time on Long Island, where he was one of the pioneers of the East End art colony. Inspired by the proximity of the ocean, he painted a number of marines, using dynamic brushwork to evoke the energy and spirit of the sea. Greene taught aesthetics and art history at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh (1942-47), where his students included Andy Warhol and Philip Pearlstein.

Artist: Balcomb Greene

Balcomb Greene"Composition" Balcomb Greene, Geometric Abstract, Early Modernist Composition, 1936

$45,000

"Composition" Balcomb Greene, Geometric Abstract, Early Modernist Composition

By Balcomb Greene

Located in New York, NY

Balcomb Greene Composition, 1936 Signed Balcomb Greene on verso upper stretcher bar Signed on backing board: Balcomb Greene Oil on canvas 30 1/4 x 46 inches Provenance: The artist A...

Category

1930s Abstract Balcomb Greene Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Petra SchottMemories (Abstract painting), 2024

$4,458

H 39.38 in W 39.38 in D 1.58 in

Memories (Abstract painting)

Located in London, GB

Memories (Abstract painting) Oil on canvas — Unframed. This artwork is exclusive to IdeelArt. German artist Petra Schott uses colour, lines, and shapes to express her everyday emoti...

Category

2010s Abstract Balcomb Greene Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Christina GschwantnerContemporary New Abstract Grey Dots Colors Artist Christina Gschwantner, 2025

$6,097

H 47.25 in W 47.25 in D 1.58 in

Contemporary New Abstract Grey Dots Colors Artist Christina Gschwantner

Located in Barcelona, Barcelona

At Escat Gallery we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of trust and professionalism for our collectors. Every artwork in our collection comes with a Certificate of Au...

Category

2010s Abstract Balcomb Greene Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Frederic PaulGlowing Sunset II - Original Vibrant Warm Tone Textured Abstract Artwork Framed, 2024

$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...

Category

2010s Abstract Balcomb Greene Art

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Rice Paper

Ian Francis"The Peacock & The Crane" Contemporary Gestural Abstract Expressionist Painting, 2025

$1,800

H 48 in W 60 in

"The Peacock & The Crane" Contemporary Gestural Abstract Expressionist Painting

Located in Houston, TX

Neutral toned gestural abstract painting by contemporary artist Ian Francis. The work features a variety of gestural marks accented by black and white triangular shapes set against a...

Category

2010s Abstract Balcomb Greene Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Monumental Abstract Expressionist Signed 1953 Framed Original Oil Painting, 1953

$5,400Sale Price|20% Off

H 44 in W 53 in D 2 in

Monumental Abstract Expressionist Signed 1953 Framed Original Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Antique American modernist abstract expressionist oil painting. Oil on canvas. Signed. Framed.

Category

1950s Abstract Balcomb Greene Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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 Balcomb Greene Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Norman CartonNorman Carton, abstract cityscape, unique oil painting hand signed twice, Framed, ca. 1951

$10,000

H 19 in W 23 in D 2.5 in

Norman Carton, abstract cityscape, unique oil painting hand signed twice, Framed

By Norman Carton

Located in New York, NY

Norman Carton Mid Century Modern Cityscape, ca. 1951 Oil on canvas painting (signed twice) Signed twice: hand signed on the front and also signed on the back Unique Frame included: T...

Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist Balcomb Greene Art

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Robert Freiman"The Rose Garden" Mid Century Oil Painting on Canvas Abstract Landscape & Figure, 1971

$3,000

H 32.5 in W 46.25 in D 1.5 in

"The Rose Garden" Mid Century Oil Painting on Canvas Abstract Landscape & Figure

By Robert Freiman

Located in New York, NY

An abstract Mid-Century piece with lighter color tones accentuated with the use of basic colors, blue, red and yellow. In this abstract composition we see a figure, tending to their ...

Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist Balcomb Greene Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Jehudith SobelAbstract Composition With Blue and Gray, 1960

$5,000

H 25.5 in W 30.5 in D 1.5 in

Abstract Composition With Blue and Gray

By Jehudith Sobel

Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL

Abstract Composition Oil on canvas 30x24, signed lower left. Judith Sobel was born in Lwow Poland in 1924. After World War II, she attended the Academy of...

Category

1950s Abstract Balcomb Greene Art

Materials

Oil, Cotton Canvas

Patricia Crotty"Open Window", Abstract, Yellow, Red, Pink, Blue, Green, Oil Painting, 2015

$1,400

H 18.5 in W 18.5 in D 1.25 in

"Open Window", Abstract, Yellow, Red, Pink, Blue, Green, Oil Painting

By Patricia Crotty

Located in Franklin, MA

Patricia Crotty’s “Open Window” is a brightly colored 18 x 18 inch abstract oil painting on canvas. Vibrant gestural strokes of yellow, red, pink, blue, and green float and form shap...

Category

2010s Abstract Balcomb Greene Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Nataliia KrykunSeries "Turquoise symphony" blue, white, colourful Pollock’s style, 2024

$2,186

H 31.5 in W 23.63 in D 0.79 in

Series "Turquoise symphony" blue, white, colourful Pollock’s style

Located in Vienna, AT

In this painting, I've unleashed an energetic symphony of turquoise, interspersed with vibrant splashes of various hues that dance around the canvas, reflecting life’s unpredictabili...

Category

2010s Abstract Balcomb Greene Art

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Spray Paint, Acrylic

Ruta VadlugaiteMinimalist bright blue abstract painting on canvas by contemporary artist, 2017

$3,036

H 31.5 in W 35.44 in

Minimalist bright blue abstract painting on canvas by contemporary artist

Located in Vilnius, Vilniaus apskr.

No description provided

Category

2010s Abstract Balcomb Greene Art

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil

Balcomb Greene art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Balcomb Greene art available for sale on 1stDibs. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Kyohei Inukai, Luigi Lucioni, and Pascal Cucaro.