Balcomb Greene Paintings

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 Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Monroe HodderBlue Yonder-Monroe Hodder, American, Abstract, Bold, Modern, Red, Blue, Oil, 2023

$11,737

H 36 in W 36 in D 2 in

Blue Yonder-Monroe Hodder, American, Abstract, Bold, Modern, Red, Blue, Oil

By Monroe Hodder

Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh

Blue Yonder is an original oil over acrylic on canvas painting by American artist Monroe Hodder. Hodder’s abstract paintings are gloriously bold. Inspired by the urban backdrops of h...

Category

2010s Abstract Balcomb Greene Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas, Acrylic

Hélène DuclosOff fields #3 Hélène Duclos 21st Century painting abstract landscape cream art, 2021

$6,165

H 35.04 in W 45.67 in D 1.97 in

Off fields #3 Hélène Duclos 21st Century painting abstract landscape cream art

By Hélène Duclos

Located in Paris, FR

This painting is part of the current exhibition entitled "The fantastic story of the liquid mountain" at Claire Corcia Gallery in Paris. The liquid mountain is populated by living b...

Category

2010s Abstract Balcomb Greene Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Jacques YankelBursts Yankel Contemporary painting abstract art blue colour red geometrical, 1977

$6,521

H 37.01 in W 32.68 in D 1.97 in

Bursts Yankel Contemporary painting abstract art blue colour red geometrical

By Jacques Yankel

Located in Paris, FR

Oil paint on canvas Hand-signed lower right by the artist

Category

1970s Abstract Balcomb Greene Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Monroe HodderRiver In The Sea-Monroe Hodder, American, Abstract, Bold, Modern, sea, Blue, Oil, 2023

$17,261

H 60 in W 60 in D 2 in

River In The Sea-Monroe Hodder, American, Abstract, Bold, Modern, sea, Blue, Oil

By Monroe Hodder

Located in Knowle Lane, Cranleigh

River In The Sea is an oil on canvas painting by American artist Monroe Hodder. Hodder’s abstract paintings are gloriously bold. Inspired by the urban backdrops of her life in New Yo...

Category

2010s Abstract Balcomb Greene Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Agata Czeremuszkin-ChrutCOWARD - Contemporary Modern Abstract Painting, 2012

$4,387

H 59.06 in W 59.06 in D 0.79 in

COWARD - Contemporary Modern Abstract Painting

By Agata Czeremuszkin-Chrut

Located in Hallein, AT

Agata Czeremuszkin-Chrut was born in 1983 in Czestochowa, Poland. She graduated from the Academy of the Fine Arts in Wroclaw (2008) with the Master degree in Painting. In 2007 she st...

Category

2010s Abstract Balcomb Greene Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Jean SoyerDynamic Abstract Composition in Orange and Black Modern Oil Painting

$5,810

H 23.63 in W 23.63 in

Dynamic Abstract Composition in Orange and Black Modern Oil Painting

By Jean Soyer

Located in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

A powerful abstract oil painting on canvas (24x24 inches) by contemporary artist Jean Soyer. The composition features bold black brushstrokes against a warm orange background, create...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Balcomb Greene Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Jean SoyerDynamic Abstract Red and Blue Lyrical Composition Modern Oil Painting

$9,723

H 39.38 in W 31.89 in

Dynamic Abstract Red and Blue Lyrical Composition Modern Oil Painting

By Jean Soyer

Located in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Dramatic abstract oil painting on canvas (39.4 x 31.9 inches) by Jean Soyer, featuring bold sweeping strokes in red, blue, and black. The artwork showcases distinctive textural eleme...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Balcomb Greene Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Agata Czeremuszkin-ChrutRose Sheet / Red Pillow - Contemporary Modern Abstract Painting, 2013

$4,382

H 59.06 in W 59.06 in D 0.79 in

Rose Sheet / Red Pillow - Contemporary Modern Abstract Painting

By Agata Czeremuszkin-Chrut

Located in Hallein, AT

Agata Czeremuszkin-Chrut was born in 1983 in Czestochowa, Poland. She graduated from the Academy of the Fine Arts in Wroclaw (2008) with the Master degree in Painting. In 2007 she st...

Category

2010s Abstract Balcomb Greene Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Louis-Paul OrdonneauImbriglio and revelation Louis-Paul Ordonneau Contemporary painting abstract art, 2022

$5,810

H 36.23 in W 25.6 in D 1.97 in

Imbriglio and revelation Louis-Paul Ordonneau Contemporary painting abstract art

Located in Paris, FR

Oil paint on canvas Hand-signed by the artist on the back Louis-Paul Ordonneau is a French painter born in 1975. He lives and works in Paris. In 1999, he set up his studio in tempo...

Category

2010s Abstract Impressionist Balcomb Greene Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Agata Czeremuszkin-ChrutDREAM - Contemporary Modern Abstract Painting, 2014

$4,387

H 59.06 in W 59.06 in D 0.79 in

DREAM - Contemporary Modern Abstract Painting

By Agata Czeremuszkin-Chrut

Located in Hallein, AT

Agata Czeremuszkin-Chrut was born in 1983 in Czestochowa, Poland. She graduated from the Academy of the Fine Arts in Wroclaw (2008) with the Master degree in Painting. In 2007 she st...

Category

2010s Abstract Balcomb Greene Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Chelsea DavineFirst Snowfall - 21st Century, Oil painting, gold leaf, abstract, winter, 2026

$1,944

H 38.19 in W 29.14 in D 1.38 in

First Snowfall - 21st Century, Oil painting, gold leaf, abstract, winter

By Chelsea Davine

Located in Barcelona, Catalonia

Chelsea Davine has used her signature technique to create "Komorebi II", oil and gold leaf on canvas. For centuries, artisans and artists have turned to gold leaf as a way to make th...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Balcomb Greene Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Jean SoyerDramatic Red Abstract Oil Painting: Symphony in Scarlet and Black

$6,047

H 25.6 in W 25.6 in

Dramatic Red Abstract Oil Painting: Symphony in Scarlet and Black

By Jean Soyer

Located in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

A striking abstract painting by Jean Soyer featuring dynamic compositions in vivid crimson and black. This 25.6 x 25.6 inch oil on canvas showcases Soyer's signature technique of usi...

Category