Balcomb Greene Abstract 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 Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Yasse TabuchiL'Aube menacée, 1959

$11,917

H 25.01 in W 31.3 in

L'Aube menacée

By Yasse Tabuchi

Located in PARIS, FR

powerful abstract composition defined by a restrained, almost monochromatic palette of blacks, greys, and subtle earthy tones. The surface is richly worked, with sweeping gestures an...

Category

1950s Abstract Balcomb Greene Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Erdal Alantar Composition, 1965

$4,767

H 18.12 in W 21.66 in D 0.79 in

Composition

Located in PARIS, FR

Signed by the artist, lower left. This expressive painting by Erald Alentar is characterized by a dense, tactile surface and a rich, earthy palette dominated by deep greens, browns,...

Category

1860s Abstract Balcomb Greene Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Philippe HosiassonBlue Grey, 1960

$12,000

H 39.25 in W 31.75 in

Blue Grey

By Philippe Hosiasson

Located in Austin, TX

Waterline Fine Art, Austin, TX is pleased to present the following work: Oil on canvas. Signed and dated lower right and verso, titled verso. 39.25 x 31.75 in. 40.25 x 32.75 in. (f...

Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Balcomb Greene Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Pecut SumantriTumpang Tindih, 2025

$3,640

H 70.87 in W 55.12 in

Tumpang Tindih

Located in Badung, ID

Pecut Sumantri approaches painting as a quiet act of contemplation—an attempt to momentarily suspend time and translate inner states into soft, shifting forms. Largely self-taught, h...

Category

2010s Abstract Balcomb Greene Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Betty EffersonBreathe, Calming Abstract Painting, Acrylic on Canvas, 48x48

$4,050

H 48 in W 48 in

Breathe, Calming Abstract Painting, Acrylic on Canvas, 48x48

Located in Baton Rouge, LA

I intuitively paint each of my paintings based on my mood of the day or at that moment. I never know what I am going to create until I see the end result. Sometimes it is a colorful,...

Category

2010s Abstract Balcomb Greene Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Boyer Gonzales Jr.Colorful abstract expressionist oil painting, dated 1960, 1960

$7,500

H 39.25 in W 47.25 in D 1.75 in

Colorful abstract expressionist oil painting, dated 1960

By Boyer Gonzales Jr.

Located in Colfax, CA

Bold and colorful abstract expressionist painting by American artist and educator, Boyer Gonzales Jr. Boyer Gonzales Jr., (1909-1987), was born in Texas, and was immediately immersed...

Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Balcomb Greene Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Amaranth Ehrenhalt"Untitled" Amaranth Ehrenhalt, Women Abstract Expressionist, Oil on canvas, 1967, 1967

$75,000

H 43.31 in W 51.19 in

"Untitled" Amaranth Ehrenhalt, Women Abstract Expressionist, Oil on canvas, 1967

By Amaranth Ehrenhalt

Located in New York, NY

Amaranth Ehrenhalt (1928–2021) Untitled, 1967 Oil on canvas Without frame: 43 3/8 x 51 1/4 in. (110.1 x 130.2 cm) Signed and dated lower middle Exhibtion history: Galerie Murs Bl...

Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Balcomb Greene Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Amaranth Ehrenhalt"Quintazi" Amaranth Ehrenhalt, Oil on canvas, Women Abstract Expressionist, 1986

$18,000

H 21.66 in W 18.12 in

"Quintazi" Amaranth Ehrenhalt, Oil on canvas, Women Abstract Expressionist, 1986

By Amaranth Ehrenhalt

Located in New York, NY

Amaranth Ehrenhalt (1928–2021) Quintazi, 1986 Oil on canvas Without frame: 21 5/8 x 18 1/8 in. (55 x 46 cm) Amaranth Ehrenhalt (1928–2021) was part of the Abstract Expressionist...

Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Balcomb Greene Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Michèle DestaracCharivari-chouette, 2014

$10,725

H 39.38 in W 31.89 in D 1.97 in

Charivari-chouette

Located in PARIS, FR

This powerful abstract composition by Micheke Destarac explores tension, movement, and balance through bold gestures and layered textures. Thick impasto strokes dominate the surface,...

Category

2010s Abstract Balcomb Greene Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Betty EffersonCaught in the Moment, Abstract Impressionist Oil Painting, 36x36

$2,550

H 36 in W 36 in

Caught in the Moment, Abstract Impressionist Oil Painting, 36x36

Located in Baton Rouge, LA

Caught in the Moment 🍃 Caught in the Moment is a 36x36 oil painting features earthy tones that helps bring a sense of peacefulness, despite its erratic strokes. I intuitively pa...

Category

2010s Abstract Impressionist Balcomb Greene Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Amaranth Ehrenhalt"Untitled" Amaranth Ehrenhalt, Woman Abstract Expressionist, Oil on canvas, 1966

$70,000

H 38.19 in W 51.58 in

"Untitled" Amaranth Ehrenhalt, Woman Abstract Expressionist, Oil on canvas, 1966

By Amaranth Ehrenhalt

Located in New York, NY

Amaranth Ehrenhalt (1928–2021) Untitled, 1966 Acrylic on canvas Without frame: 38 x 51 3/4 in. (96.5 x 131.4 cm) Signed and dated Exhibition history: Galerie Zunini, Paris, March...

Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Balcomb Greene Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Jandyra Waters“Untitled, 1982” Brazilian Geometric Abstraction Hard Edge Oil Signed 20th C., 1982

$7,500

H 34.25 in W 42 in D 2.5 in

“Untitled, 1982” Brazilian Geometric Abstraction Hard Edge Oil Signed 20th C.

Located in Yardley, PA

“Untitled, 1982” by Jandyra Waters (Brazilian, 1921-2025) A fantastic example of Waters’ mature geometric abstraction. Anchored by a commanding central trapezoid that reads as a cor...

Category

1980s Abstract Geometric Balcomb Greene Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Balcomb Greene abstract paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Balcomb Greene abstract paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Kelly Kozma, Marguerite Blasingame, and Tom Lieber.