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

"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

Antique American modernist abstract oil painting. Oil on board. Framed.

Category

1960s Abstract Balcomb Greene Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Vintage American School Modernist Geometric Abstract New York School Painting, 1970

$396 Sale Price

20% Off

H 13 in W 13 in D 2 in

Antique American Modernist Abstract Cloudscape Framed Signed Rare Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Impressive early American modernist abstract cloudscape oil painting. Framed. Oil on canvas. Signed. Exhibition label verso. Image size, 16H by 18L.

Category

1960s Abstract Balcomb Greene Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique American Modernist Abstract Cloudscape Framed Signed Rare Oil Painting, 1960

$380 Sale Price

20% Off

H 17 in W 19 in D 2 in

The Quiet Horizon-original oil abstract landscape painting-contemporary artwork

By Alison Johnson

Located in London, Chelsea

This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. “The Quiet Horizon” lives up to its name. With its sweeping ca...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Balcomb Greene Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Alison Johnson
The Quiet Horizon-original oil abstract landscape painting-contemporary artwork, 2025

$1,499

H 23.63 in W 23.63 in D 1.58 in

Vintage American School Modernist Abstract Expressionist Framed Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

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

Category

1990s Abstract Balcomb Greene Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Vintage American School Modernist Abstract Expressionist Framed Oil Painting, 1990

$396 Sale Price

20% Off

H 19 in W 25 in D 2 in

Where the Light Breaks-original oil abstract landscape painting-contemporary art

By Alison Johnson

Located in London, Chelsea

This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. In “Where the Light Breaks,” Alison Johnson invites us to witn...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Balcomb Greene Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Alison Johnson
Where the Light Breaks-original oil abstract landscape painting-contemporary art, 2025

$1,499

H 23.63 in W 23.63 in D 1.58 in