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Elias Telles Art

American, b. 1950

Elias Telles is an American folk artist and painter, born in 1950, in Los Angeles, California. He has a distinct personality and is an uniquely gifted artist, who brings to his work, all the charm of some earlier primitive painters, combined with an unusually cerebral and provocative dimension. Soldiers, skeletons and honky-tonk men populate his paintings, as do cultural and historical figures. Having recently retired from his lifelong trade of brick laying and marble-setting, Elias is now fully able to devote himself entirely to painting. A recent acquisition of his Bean Eaters painting, by the very established 1800s Algonquin Club, in Boston, has led to a commission of several additional paintings of historic Boston athletes for that institution, when it reopens in 2020, after renovations.

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Acrylic on Canvas Painting Titled "Monterey, California, 1850's" by Elias Telles
By Elias Telles
Located in New York, NY
Elias Telles (b. 1950, American) Monterey, California, 2019 Acrylic on Canvas, Found Wood, Metal Brackets 21.5 x 25.5 Inches Elias led an adventurous existence before becoming a sel...
Category

2010s Elias Telles Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Acrylic on Panel Painting Titled "Lonely Woman", By Elias Telles
By Elias Telles
Located in New York, NY
Elias Telles (b.1950, American) Lonely Woman, 2019 Acrylic on Panel, Found Wood, Metal Brackets 15 x 18 Inches Elias led an adventurous existence before becoming a self-taught paint...
Category

2010s Elias Telles Art

Materials

Acrylic, Panel

"To Hell with Ho Chi Minn" Naive, Folk Painting by Self-Taught Artist
By Elias Telles
Located in Wellesley, MA
"To Hell with Ho Chi Minn," Folk/Naive Painting, Acrylic on Board with Artist's Painted Wood Frame, 24 x 17 Inches, by Self-Taught artist Elias Telles. Telles is a Vietnam vet who unfortunately suffered from undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder, who took up painting as a way of dealing with his condition. This painting is a particularly poignant and whimsical abstraction inspired by Tellles's memories of the war. Fifteen years ago, Elias Telles woke from a dream in which an angel holding a lit candle was descending a staircase. The next morning he tore some wood from a dilapidated fence and started painting angels. Elias had already led an adventurous existence before becoming a self-taught painter. Born into a family of 14 siblings in East Los Angeles, he joined the Marine Corps upon graduation from high school and served two years in Vietnam as a rifleman. It wasn’t until he was in his late ‘40s that he started to paint. At a local flea market one of his early works caught the attention of a set designer who placed it in a Steve Martin movie and from there his reputation grew: paintings subsequently appeared in a number of other productions which created a Hollywood following and his collectors now include several film directors, work is included in the permanent collection of The House of Blues, and he was one of the featured artists on the PBS series ‘Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations.’ An ex-marine, Telles lives quietly in California without a computer or a cell phone. His tastes lean towards American history and early blues and country music, subjects that frequently appear in his paintings. Soldiers, skeletons and honky-tonk men populate his paintings as do cultural and historical figures such as early minstrel show entertainer Gus Cannon, a ghoulishly-rendered Hank Williams, and the revered Alabama folk artist Bill Traylor...
Category

2010s Folk Art Elias Telles Art

Materials

Acrylic, Mixed Media

Folk Art Painting by Latin Artist, Elias Telles
By Elias Telles
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Folk Art Painting by Elias Telles. Telles is a self taught painter and has become quite sought after and collectible. He speaks to the Historical figures and community with his unique subject matter and heavily painted pieces. Telles paints on a variety of unique back grounds, ie, old barn wood...
Category

20th Century Folk Art Elias Telles Art

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Paint

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Previously Available Items
"Sunday at the Circus" Folk/Naive Brightly Colored Landscape, Animals
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California School Teacher
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E. Pluribus Unum
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2010s Outsider Art Elias Telles Art

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"Girl with Doll" Naive/Folk Portrait of a Blond Girl Holding a Doll
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"Girl with Doll" Folk/Naive Portrait of a Blond Girl Holding a Doll with Watermelon Painting and American Flag, Acrylic on Board with Artist's Painted Wood Frame and Brackets, 25 ...
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The Ice Man Farm
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Melons
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Born into a family of 14 siblings in East Los Angeles, Elias Telles joined the Marine Corps upon graduation from high school and served two years in Vietnam as a rifleman. Undiagnose...
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2010s Outsider Art Elias Telles Art

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Robert Johnson, You Know the Story
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Born into a family of 14 siblings in East Los Angeles, Elias Telles joined the Marine Corps upon graduation from high school and served two years in Vietnam as a rifleman. Undiagnose...
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2010s Outsider Art Elias Telles Art

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Beaneaters, Hall of Famer Frank Selee
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God Bless America
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Located in Wellesley, MA
Born into a family of 14 siblings in East Los Angeles, Elias Telles joined the Marine Corps upon graduation from high school and served two years in Vietnam as a rifleman. Undiagnose...
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Elias Telles art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Elias Telles art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Elias Telles in acrylic paint, mixed media, paint and more. Not every interior allows for large Elias Telles art, so small editions measuring 17 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Johnny Banks, Valton Tyler, and Bethan Ash. Elias Telles art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $3,200 and tops out at $3,200, while the average work can sell for $3,200.

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