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Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

American, 1904-2000
Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a level of national artistic success that was nearly unprecedented among Cleveland School artists of his day, with representation by major New York dealers, scores of awards and solo exhibits, and streams of praise flowing from pens of the top art critics. Over the course of his 60+ year career Carter evolved from an exceptionally fine American Scene painter capable of evoking deep reservoirs of mood, into an abstractionist with a strongly surrealist bent. While his two bodies of work seem at first to be worlds apart, owing to their different formal vocabularies, they, in fact, explore virtually the same subject: the nexus between life and death and the transition from earth to spirit. The early work finds its expressive power through specific people, events, and landscapes—most of which are drawn from his experiences growing up in the river town of Portsmouth, Ohio—while the later work from the 1960s on evokes potent states of being through pure flat shape, color and form that read as universals. As his primary form he adopted the ovoid or egg shape, endowing it with varying degrees of transparency. Alone or in multiples, the egg moves through Carter’s landscapes and architectural settings like a sentient spirit on a restless quest. Born and raised in southern Ohio along the banks of the mercurial Ohio River and its treacherous floods, Carter developed a love of drawing as a child, and was encouraged by both his parents. He was self-directed, found inspiration all around him, and was strongly encouraged by the fact that his teenage work consistently captured art prizes in county and state fairs. Carter studied at the Cleveland School of Art from 1923-27, where he trained under painters Henry Keller, Frank Wilcox and Paul Travis. Returning to Cleveland in 1929, Carter had his first solo show, and through Milliken taught studio classes at the Cleveland Museum of Art from 1930-37. In 1938, he moved to Pittsburgh to teach at the Carnegie Institute of Technology until 1944. Carter’s American Scene paintings of the ’30s and ’40s, which launched his artistic star, are the works for which the artist remains best known. During and immediately after World War II, Clarence Carter realized his attraction to bold pattern, dramatic perspective and eye-catching hard-edged design was a poor fit with the prevailing style of Abstract Expressionism. Fortunately, these same hallmarks of his style were prized within the realm of commercial art. Around 1964 Carter acknowledged a need to break from the confines of representational painting. Once Carter had found a potent symbol in the egg, he used it to create an astounding body of imagery for the rest of his life. Among the most ambitious of all his later paintings were his Transections, a theological term meaning to cross, specifically between life and death.
(Biography provided by WOLFS)
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Period: 1960s
Artist: Clarence Holbrook Carter
Volcano and Arch, Taormina, Sicily, Italy, Mid Century Cleveland School Artist
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Volcano and Arch, Taormina, 1961 Watercolor on scintilla paper Signed and dated upper right 11 x 11 inches "My last year in art schoo...
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1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Watercolor

Over and Above Surprise (Serpent), 1960s snake painting, Cleveland School
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Over and Above Surprise (Serpent), 1967 Casein on board Signed lower right 7.75 x 5.5 inches Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a lev...
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1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Casein

Over and Above: No. 6, Surreal Cat w/ Fish Bones, 20th Century Cleveland School
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904–2000) Over and Above: No. 6, 1963 Oil, sand & fish bones on canvas Signed and dated upper left 53 x 31 inches Clarence Holbrook Carter achie...
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1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Oil

Cicada, Mid-century Figural Surrealist Cleveland School Painting, 1960s
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Medieval Heads, 1966 Acrylic on scintilla Signed and dated upper right 23.5 x 30 inches Clarence Holbrook...
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Watercolor

Mandala No. 15, Abstract Ovoid Geometrical Mid-Century Painting Cleveland School
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Mandala No. 15, 1969 Acrylic on paper Signed and dated verso 27.5 x 22 inches Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a level of national ar...
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Acrylic

Double Ovoids, Mid-Century Blue & Black Figurative Abstract Ovoids
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Double Ovoids with Blue and Black, 1960s Acrylic on scintilla 15.25 x 12.25 inches A surrealist mid-century figural abstract painting....
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Acrylic

Eye of the Desert, Figural Abstract collage, Surrealist Black & Brown painting
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Eye of the Desert, 1965 Collage, graphite and gouache on paper Signed and dated lower right 16 x 12 inches 25 x 21 inches, framed A mid-century figural abstract painting. Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a level of national artistic success that was nearly unprecedented among Cleveland School artists of his day, with representation by major New York dealers...
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Gouache, Graphite

Torso No. 3, Mid-Century Figural Abstract Acrylic Painting, Ohio artist
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Torso No. 3, 1967 Acrylic on paper Signed and dated lower right 13 x 9 inches 21 x 17 inches A mid-century figural abstract painting. Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a level of national artistic success that was nearly unprecedented among Cleveland School artists of his day, with representation by major New York dealers...
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Acrylic

Torso No. 1, Mid-Century Figural Abstract Acrylic Painting
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Torso No. 1, 1967 Acrylic on paper Signed and dated upper right 15 x10 inches 24 x 20 inches, framed A mid-century figural abstract painting. Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a level of national artistic success that was nearly unprecedented among Cleveland School artists of his day, with representation by major New York dealers...
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Acrylic

"People" - Mid-Century Ovoid Geometrical Abstract Black & White Drawing
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) People, 1964 Ink and crayon on paper Signed and dated upper right 36.5 x 24 inches Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a level of nation...
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Crayon, Ink

Chromatic, Ovoid Head, Geometric Figurative Abstract Acrylic & Collage Painting
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Chromatic, 1965 Acrylic and collage on scintilla Signed and dated upper right 30 x 22 inches A surrealist mid-century figural abstrac...
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Acrylic

"Rockefeller Center" - Abstract Rock, Mid-Century Acrylic & Sand Painting
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Rockefeller Center, 1962 Acrylic and sand on scintilla Signed and dated lower left 25 x 20 inches Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a ...
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Acrylic

Over and Above: Kangaroo, Mid-Century Figurative acrylic painting
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Over and Above: Kangaroo, c. 1960s Acrylic on paper, mounted on matte board Signed lower right 14 x 5 inches Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a level of national artistic success that was nearly unprecedented among Cleveland School artists of his day, with representation by major New York dealers...
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Acrylic

Pinnacle, Surrealist Ovoid acrylic painting, Blue & Red Figural Abstract Collage
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Pinnacle, c. 1960s Acrylic and collage on scintilla 22 x 8 inches 23.25 x 9 inches, framed A surrealist mid-century figural abstract p...
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Acrylic

King Tut No. 2, Mid-Century Ovoid Geometrical Abstract Gouache on Paper
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) King Tut No. 2, 1968 Gouache on paper Signed and dated upper right 11.25 x 8.25 inches 25.5 x 20.5 inches A surrealist mid-century fig...
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Gouache

Terror of History No. 1, Mid-Century Abstract Acrylic & Sand, Blue and Yellow
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Terror of History No. 1, 1962 Acrylic and sand on scintilla Signed and dated upper left 23 x 30 inches Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a level of national artistic success that was nearly unprecedented among Cleveland School artists of his day, with representation by major New York dealers...
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Acrylic

Seeing Egg, Surrealist Ovoid acrylic painting, Figural Abstract
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Seeing Egg, c. 1960s Acrylic on textured paper 30 x 22 inches 38.5 x 30.5 inches, framed A surrealist mid-century figural abstract pai...
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Acrylic

Departing from the System, Mid-Century Geometrical Abstract Mixed Media
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Departing from the System, 1961 Mixed media on paper Signed and dated lower right 36 x 24 inches A surrealist mid-century figural abst...
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Vetriculus Egg, Surrealist Ovoid acrylic and collage painting, Figural Abstract
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Vetriculus Egg, 1965 Acrylic and collage on textured paper Signed and dated lower right 30 x 22 inches A surrealist mid-century figura...
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Acrylic

Seeing Egg No. 2, Surrealist Ovoid acrylic painting, Figural Abstract
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Seeing Egg No. 2, 1965 Acrylic and collage on scintilla Signed and dated upper right 30 x 22 inches 34 x 29 inches, framed A surrealis...
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Acrylic

Mandala No. 5, Blue Abstract Ovoid Mid-Century Painting
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Mandala No. 5, 1968 Acrylic on scintilla Signed on verso 29.5 x 22 inches Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a level of national artist...
Category

1960s Abstract Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Acrylic

Air Chamber, Mid-Century Figural Abstract Collage, Anatomy & Ovoids
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Air Chamber, 1965 Collage, graphite and gouache on paper Signed and dated upper left 30 x 22 inches Provenance: Descended through the family. Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a level of national artistic success that was nearly unprecedented among Cleveland School artists of his day, with representation by major New York dealers...
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Gouache, Graphite

Green and Red Mandala, Abstract Oval Painting by Ohio Artist Clarence Carter
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Green and Red Mandala, 1969 Acrylic on scintilla Signed and dated lower right 24.75 x 18 inches Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a l...
Category

1960s Abstract Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Acrylic

Icon Mandala, Mid-Century Figural Abstract Black, Red & White Oval Face Painting
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Icon Mandala, 1967 Acrylic on paper Signed and dated lower right 30 x 22 inches Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a level of national ...
Category

1960s Abstract Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Acrylic

Dichotomy, mid-century figural abstract green oil painting
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Dichotomy, 1962 Oil on paper Signed and dated upper left 20 x 25 inches Mid-century figural abstract green painting of woman swimming ...
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Oil

Brown Mandala, Silkscreen by Clarence Holbrook Carter
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Clarence Holbrook Carter, American (1904 - 2000) Title: Brown Mandala Year: 1969 Medium: Silkscreen on Scintilla paper, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 75 Paper Size: ...
Category

1960s Op Art Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Screen

In and Out, mid-century figural abstract vibrant yellow geometric painting
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) In and Out, 1963 Acrylic on paper Signed and dated lower right 22 x 30 inches Figural abstract vibrant yellow geometric painting. Cl...
Category

1960s Abstract Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Acrylic

Torso No. 5, Mid-Century Figural Abstract Acrylic Painting
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Torso No. 5, 1967 Acrylic on paper Signed and dated upper right 25 x 20 inches A mid-century figural abstract painting. Clarence Hol...
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Acrylic

Medieval Heads, mid-century figural surrealist acrylic painting
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Cicada, c. 1960s Watercolor on scintilla 30 x 20 inches Clarence Holbrook Carter achieved a level of national artistic success that wa...
Category

1960s American Modern Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Acrylic

Neon Ovoids, Mid-Century Abstract neon orange, green, pink acrylic painting
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Beachwood, OH
Clarence Holbrook Carter (American, 1904-2000) Neon Ovoids, c. 1960s Acrylic on paper 9 x 12 inches Mid-Century Abstract neon orange, green, pink acrylic painting. Clarence Holbroo...
Category

1960s Surrealist Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Acrylic

Red Mandala, OP Art Silkscreen by Clarence Carter 1969
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Clarence Holbrook Carter, American (1904 - 2000) Title: Red Mandala Year: 1969 Medium: Silkscreen on Japon, Signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 75 Paper Size: 30 in. x 22 ...
Category

1960s Op Art Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Screen

"Concentric Space (White)", Silkscreen by Clarence Holbrook Carter
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Clarence Holbrook Carter, American (1904 - 2000) Title: Concentric Space (White) Year: 1969 Medium: Serigraph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 50 Size: 29 x 22 inches
Category

1960s Op Art Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Screen

"Concentric Space (Silver)", Silkscreen by Clarence Holbrook Carter
By Clarence Holbrook Carter
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Clarence Holbrook Carter, American (1904 - 2000) Title: Concentric Space (Silver) Year: 1969 Medium: Silkscreen on foil paper, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 50 Image...
Category

1960s Op Art Clarence Holbrook Carter Art

Materials

Foil

Clarence Holbrook Carter art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Clarence Holbrook Carter 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, red, orange and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Clarence Holbrook Carter in paint, acrylic paint, synthetic resin paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Clarence Holbrook Carter, so small editions measuring 8 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Louisa Chase, Will Barnet, and John Taylor Arms. Clarence Holbrook Carter prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $500 and tops out at $65,000, while the average work can sell for $8,500.

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