David Humphrey Paintings

American, b. 1955

David Humphrey (born August 30, 1955) is an American painter, art critic, and sculptor associated with the postmodern turn in painting that began in the late 1970s. He is best known for his playful, cartoonish, puzzling paintings, which blend figuration and abstraction and create "allegories" about the medium of painting itself. Humphrey holds a BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art (1977) and a MA from New York University (1980), where he studied with film critic Annette Michelson; he also attended the New York Studio School from 1996 – 1997. He has been the recipient of many awards including the Guggenheim Fellowship in 2002, the Rome Prize in 2008, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Purchase Award in 2011. He was born in Augsburg Germany and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He lives and works in New York City. Though his paintings, works on paper, and sculptures defy categorization, David Humphrey emerged as an artist in the late 1970s along with Postmodernism, an approach that continues to inform his heterogeneous compositions, visual pastiches that, in his words, “erase the breaks” between divergent styles. As he explains: “I suppose that the dynamic of relationship—the psychology of bonding, lovemaking, attachment, and so on—has kept me interested for a long time. I come back to it as a way to thicken the grammar of picture making.” In his paintings, this grammar includes gestural abstraction, cartoonish figuration, Pop Art, Surrealism, and Expressionism. His vibrant compositions feature human figures, narrative vignettes, animals, and objects interwoven into abstract passages. They read as sexually and psychologically charged dreamscapes, through which Humphrey breaks down boundaries to explore our relationships with each other and the world.

Artist: David Humphrey

David HumphreyDavid Humphrey - Trophy, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago signed oil painting, 1983

$33,750Sale Price|25% Off

David Humphrey - Trophy, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago signed oil painting

By David Humphrey

Located in New York, NY

David Humphrey Trophy (Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago), 1983 Oil on Canvas painting Signed Twice: Hand signed and dated verso, also artist has signed his name and written his ho...

Category

1980s Contemporary David Humphrey Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

David HumphreyProbing, Modern Figurative Oil Painting on Canvas, Signed 66 x 88, 1985

$10,000

Probing, Modern Figurative Oil Painting on Canvas, Signed 66 x 88

By David Humphrey

Located in Miami Beach, FL

The acclaimed David Humphrey (born 1955) has been exhibiting his work internationally since the 1980s when he first burst upon the New York art scene. His compositions often feature ...

Category

1980s Modern David Humphrey Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

David HumphreyPickpocket, 1985

$20,000

Pickpocket

By David Humphrey

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: David Humphrey, American (1955 - ) Title: Pickpocket Year: 1985 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed verso Size: 84 in. x 66 in. (213.36 cm x 167.64 cm)

Category

1980s Contemporary David Humphrey Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

David HumphreyRemembering Florida. Unique signed abstract mixed media painting on paper Framed, 1992

$5,000

Remembering Florida. Unique signed abstract mixed media painting on paper Framed

By David Humphrey

Located in New York, NY

David Humphrey Remembering Florida, 1992 Oil Stick, Enamel on Handmade Paper (Contemporary Art Center of Cincinnati label verso of frame) Signed on the back 29 × 43 1/2 × 1 inches Unframed This is an abstract, mixed media work by David Humphrey. It has a "Contemporary Arts Center of Cincinnati" label on the verso. In a vintage mahogany box...

Category

1990s Contemporary David Humphrey Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil Crayon, Oil

Bruce AdamsOil Painting / Photorealism / Figurative Art / Human Figure /Museum, 1993

$600

H 18 in W 12 in

Oil Painting / Photorealism / Figurative Art / Human Figure /Museum

By Bruce Adams

Located in Buffalo, NY

Bruce Adams was a painter, art educator, and writer. Born in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1952, he received a B.S. in 1976 and an M.A. in 1983 from Buffalo State College. Adams’s work is includ...

Category

1990s Contemporary David Humphrey Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Victor KarnauhDump. Oil on canvas, 28. 5 x 43 cm

$2,027

H 11.23 in W 16.93 in D 0.04 in

Dump. Oil on canvas, 28. 5 x 43 cm

By Victor Karnauh

Located in Riga, LV

Dump. Oil on canvas, 28.5x43 cm

Category

Late 20th Century Modern David Humphrey Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Shizico YiOriginal The Weaver Diptych-Tartan inspired-British Awarded Artist-oil on paper, 2024

$388Sale Price|25% Off

H 11.7 in W 16.54 in D 0.08 in

Original The Weaver Diptych-Tartan inspired-British Awarded Artist-oil on paper

By Shizico Yi

Located in London, GB

"The Weaver" Series inviting viewers into a world where memory and present interweaving in a mesmerizing display of visual creativity. - An Artist Proof's of only Three is offered as...

Category

2010s Contemporary David Humphrey Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Charles TurzakA Large Mid-Century Modern, Cubist Tribal Motif Painting, "Artifact Contour", circa 1960

$2,700

H 36 in W 27 in D 1.5 in

A Large Mid-Century Modern, Cubist Tribal Motif Painting, "Artifact Contour"

By Charles Turzak

Located in Chicago, IL

A Large, Colorful, Mid-Century Modern Art Deco Painting, "Artifact Contour" by Famed Chicago Painter and Print Maker, Charles Turzak (Am. 1899 - 1986). Titled "Artifact Contour", t...

Category

20th Century American Modern David Humphrey Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Katherine BelloFlower Arranging (Abstract vs. Figurative, Warm, Floral, Modern, 22% OFF), 2023

$970Sale Price|22% Off

H 20 in W 20 in D 1.5 in

Flower Arranging (Abstract vs. Figurative, Warm, Floral, Modern, 22% OFF)

By Katherine Bello

Located in Kansas City, MO

Katherine Bello Flower Arranging Oil on Canvas 2023 Size: 20 x 20 x 1.5 inches (50.80 x 50.80 x 3.81 cm) Signed lower right on the front Signed, titled and dated verso COA provided ...

Category

2010s Modern David Humphrey Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

George DannattGates No.1 Abstract Painting, Oil & Crayon on Paper, 1976, Unframed, 1976

$435Sale Price|20% Off

H 8.27 in W 13 in

Gates No.1 Abstract Painting, Oil & Crayon on Paper, 1976, Unframed

By George Dannatt

Located in Bournemouth, Dorset

George Dannatt (1915-2009) 'Gates' No 1 1976 Medium: Oil & crayon on oil wash Image: 21.0 x 33.0 cm Reference no: 0450 George Dannatt’s long career as a painter and sculptor ended ...

Category

1970s Abstract David Humphrey Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil Crayon, Mixed Media, Oil

Katherine BelloRisky Business (Abstract vs. Figurative, Warm, Vibrant, Modern), 2021

$2,200Sale Price|42% Off

H 40 in W 30 in D 1.5 in

Risky Business (Abstract vs. Figurative, Warm, Vibrant, Modern)

By Katherine Bello

Located in Kansas City, MO

Katherine Bello Risky Business Mixed Media on Canvas 2021 Size: 40 x 30 x 1.5 inches (101.6 x 76.2 x 3.8 cm) Initialed lower right Signed, titled and dated verso COA provided *On St...

Category

2010s Modern David Humphrey Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Hans BurkhardtDancing Figures (Untitled), 1944

$18,000

H 22 in W 34.25 in D 1 in

Dancing Figures (Untitled)

By Hans Burkhardt

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Dancing Figures (Untitled), 1944, oil on canvas, signed and dated lower right, 22 x 34 1/4 inches, presented in its original strip wood frame, from the estate of the artist Ernest Ro...

Category

1940s American Modern David Humphrey Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Hunt SlonemHunt Slonem Colorful Bunnies Oil Painting 'Chinensis The Mother', 2021

$44,750

H 48 in W 48 in

Hunt Slonem Colorful Bunnies Oil Painting 'Chinensis The Mother'

By Hunt Slonem

Located in White Plains, NY

'Chinensis The Mother' by Hunt Slonem, 2021. Oil on canvas, 48 x 48 in. This painting features Slonem's signature bunnies outlined in black over swirling colors of silver, pink, orange, and blue. This novel ‘bunnies’ painting is influenced by the hustle and bustle, 24 hour a day, irradiant lights of New...

Category

2010s Contemporary David Humphrey Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

George DannattUntitled Abstract Painting, Mixed Media on Paper, 1992, Unframed, 1992

$228Sale Price|20% Off

H 5.87 in W 4.3 in

Untitled Abstract Painting, Mixed Media on Paper, 1992, Unframed

By George Dannatt

Located in Bournemouth, Dorset

George Dannatt (1915-2009) Untitled 1992 Medium: Mixed media on paper Image: 14.9 x 10.9 cm Mount: 29.8 x 24.8 cm George Dannatt’s long career as a painter and sculptor ended w...

Category

1990s Abstract David Humphrey Paintings

Materials

Oil Crayon, Pencil, Graphite

Akira Kito 11963 French Japanese Art Brut Abstract Oil Painting Akira Kito Diable et Rouge, 1963

$4,600

H 33.5 in W 14 in

1963 French Japanese Art Brut Abstract Oil Painting Akira Kito Diable et Rouge

By Akira Kito 1

Located in Surfside, FL

Akira Kito, Japanese, 1925-1994 Diable et Roge Oil on Canvas Titled, signed, and dated 1963 verso Hand signed lower center Dimensions: 32 x 12 3/4 in. (81.3 x 32.4 cm.), Frame: 33 1...

Category

1960s Modern David Humphrey Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Ina KaurAthirst (Hexaptych), 2023

$19,300

H 32 in W 144 in

Athirst (Hexaptych)

By Ina Kaur

Located in New Orleans, LA

Ina Kaur (b. 1980) is a multidisciplinary artist whose conceptually driven work responds to imbalances and injustices within social, cultural, and ecological environments. Her practi...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary David Humphrey Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Zoa Ace"Lagoon" - Contemporary Surrealist Animal Oil Painting on Canvas, 2026

$600

H 36 in W 44 in

"Lagoon" - Contemporary Surrealist Animal Oil Painting on Canvas

By Zoa Ace

Located in Denver, CO

Born in Rockford, Illinois, 1951 Zoa Ace creates figurative oil paintings that explore human relationships through theatrical narratives infused with symbolic animals and whimsical...

Category

2010s Contemporary David Humphrey Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Donise English16B: Modern, Abstract Blue, White, & Yellow Grid Pattern Painting in White Frame, 2015

$600Sale Price|20% Off

H 13.25 in W 13.25 in D 1.5 in

16B: Modern, Abstract Blue, White, & Yellow Grid Pattern Painting in White Frame

By Donise English

Located in Hudson, NY

oil on vellum 8 x 8 inches, 13.25 x 13.25 in white frame This work on paper is offered by Carrie Haddad Gallery, located in Hudson, NY. This modern, abstract blue and white painting...

Category

2010s Contemporary David Humphrey Paintings

Materials

Oil, Vellum

Martin AllenFirst Blood - Porsche 917K by artist Martin Allen, 2025

$4,077

H 36 in W 24 in D 1 in

First Blood - Porsche 917K by artist Martin Allen

By Martin Allen

Located in London, GB

Immerse yourself in the legendary world of motorsport with this 917K art, inspired by the iconic number 23 endurance race car that was the first 917 to conquer Le Mans. This stunning...

Category

2010s Contemporary David Humphrey Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

David Humphrey paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic David Humphrey paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of paintings 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 David Humphrey in paint, oil 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 contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large David Humphrey paintings, so small editions measuring 9 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Kristy Chettle, Tom Holland, and Thomas Hammer. David Humphrey paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,800 and tops out at $25,000, while the average work can sell for $5,000.