Carl Holty Art
American, 1900-1973
Born in Freiburg, Germany, Carl Holty moved with his parents to a Germain community in Milwaukee when he was an infant. He began studying art at the Milwaukee Normal School under instructors who had trained in Europe and later continued his studies at the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1919, following a summer at an artists' colony in Saugatuck, Michigan, Holty enrolled at Parsons School of Design and the National Academy of Design, both in New York. He briefly considering entering medical school, his father’s profession, though with the help of his grandfather, returned to Germany to continue his art education.
It was at Hans Hofman’s school that Holty would be introduced to the principles of modernist composition and ideas in painting and drawing, an influence he would consider his main focus throughout his career. Hofmann "first opened my eyes to the plastic nature of drawing." Holty once recalled. Displaying no interest in the predominant style of expressionism, popular in Germany at the time, Holty focused on the tenants of Cubism, Fauvism, and Futurism which lead him, in 1928, to relocate to Paris. Holty quickly became part of the active artistic community in the nation’s capital associating with many of the major figures of international avant-garde art including Miro, Mondrian, Arp, and Delaunay, the latter of which sponsored Holty to become one of only two American members of the Abstraction-Creation group founded by Theo Van Doesburg.
Holty returned to America in 1936 becoming a significant figure in the development of abstract art. He reconnected with his old mentor Hans Hofmann and developed friendships with many of the City’s rising artist’s including Vaclav Vytlacil whom he had known in Paris. It was this group that formed the American Abstract Artists association, where Holty would serve as chairman in 1938 and with whom he’d exhibit with through 1944. It was during this period Holty abandoned Cubism for Biomorphism, leaving behind edges to explore shapes and forms that ultimately lead to his color field paintings of the mid 1950s and through the remainder of his career.to
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Artist: Carl Holty
Dealer: Taylor Graham
Blue and Green Summer Abstract
By Carl Holty
Located in Greenwich, CT
A fresh and intriguing composition that keeps you looking at it. The composition is composed of summer greens, whites, blues and lavenders and also conveys figures and movement. Ho...
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1950s Abstract Carl Holty Art
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Mosaic II
By Carl Holty
Located in Greenwich, CT
Appropriately called the "Mosaic" period for important historical artist Carl Holty, this is a super example! His color use during this time frame was lively as he always used sky b...
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1940s Abstract Carl Holty Art
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Twelfth Night Blue, Contemporary Color Field painting
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Conceived of as one half of a diptych, together with Twelfth Night Red, the title of this painting suggest a reference to William Shakespeare’s play Twel...
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Late 20th Century Color-Field Carl Holty Art
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Red Gray #5
By Carl Holty
Located in Greenwich, CT
Holty did a series of works that explored the use of varying tones of Gray with other colors. This was done during his Colorfield foray as he pioneered this movement along with such...
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1960s Abstract Expressionist Carl Holty Art
Materials
Canvas, Oil
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Carl Holty art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Carl Holty art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of blue and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Carl Holty in oil paint, paint, canvas and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Carl Holty art, so small editions measuring 7 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Paul Burlin, Robert Goodnough, and Fred Mitchell. Carl Holty art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $3,500 and tops out at $55,000, while the average work can sell for $18,000.