Fletcher Benton

American, 1931-2019

Born in Jackson, Ohio, in 1931, Fletcher Benton showed an early talent for art. From early childhood, Benton’s mother allowed him to use the family’s basement as an art studio and enrolled him in a local painting course. Benton also undertook an apprenticeship with a sign painter, after which he opened his own sign painting business at the age of fourteen. Though he would later explore different avenues of artistic expression, lettering and sign painting remained a near-constant presence in his artistic practice for the rest of his life. Following a brief stint in the US Navy, Benton enrolled at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, with the intent of pursuing its pre-med program. His interests quickly returned to painting, however, and he completed his degree in fine art in 1956. After graduating Benton relocated to San Francisco, California, where he immersed himself in the city’s vibrant artistic community. In 1961, at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Benton had his first major solo show, a measure of his rising status as an artist. In 1964, however, a promised show at Gump’s Gallery was abruptly cancelled. This rejection sparked a radical transformation in the artist’s practice, and he began exploring Hard-Edge abstraction with a constructivist bent. Drawing on his knowledge of lettering, Benton debuted a series of kinetic works in a solo show in Los Angeles the next year. The kinetic and abstract elements of his new work led to increased interest from audiences, curators, and critics, and between 1965 and 1967 he participated in numerous high-profile exhibitions nationwide. While he continued to exhibit, in 1967 Benton began teaching at California State University, San Jose, where he taught until retiring in 1986. In 2003 he received his first of many major public commissions: Steel Watercolor TriangleRing, a 66- foot-high red-painted steel sculpture installed at the Barbarossaplatz interchange train station in Cologne, Germany. Benton continued his work up until his death in 2019 at the age of eighty-eight. Benton’s contributions to kinetic art and sculpture were recognized in his lifetime through numerous awards, honors, and public commissions. His works are also included in the collections of such prestigious institutions as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC, among others.

Creator: Fletcher Benton

Fletcher Benton Bronze Abstract Sculpture, "Folded Circle Zig Zag 1994", Signed

$9,800Sale Price|72% Off

Fletcher Benton Bronze Abstract Sculpture, "Folded Circle Zig Zag 1994", Signed

By Fletcher Benton

Located in New York, NY

Fletcher Benton Bronze Sculpture, "Folded Circle Zig Zag 1994", Signed. Medium scale Hard-Edge abstract bronze sculpture, mounted on a swivel granite base, by Californian sculptor, F...

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1990s American Mid-Century Modern Fletcher Benton

Materials

Granite, Bronze

Fletcher Benton Untitled (Straight-Up) Contemporary Welded Steel Sculpture 2004

$7,000

Fletcher Benton Untitled (Straight-Up) Contemporary Welded Steel Sculpture 2004

By Fletcher Benton

Located in Keego Harbor, MI

A contemporary welded steel sculpture Untitled (Straight-Up) by Fletcher Benton. Etched signature on base and dated 2004. An abstract composition with linear and curved lines coming ...

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Early 2000s American Modern Fletcher Benton

Materials

Steel

Jim Rose Barn House Structure, Welded Steel Sculpture Made with Salvaged Steel

$1,750

H 6.5 in W 10 in D 2.75 in

Jim Rose Barn House Structure, Welded Steel Sculpture Made with Salvaged Steel

By Jim Rose

Located in Chicago, IL

Structure No. 222 occupies a quietly pivotal place within Jim Rose’s legacy, embodying his ability to extract meaning from the margins of his own making process. Created from found s...

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2010s American Folk Art Fletcher Benton

Materials

Steel

Abstract Cubist Bronze Sculpture Signed DN, XX Century

$2,400

H 7 in W 3.38 in D 3.38 in

Abstract Cubist Bronze Sculpture Signed DN, XX Century

Located in New York, NY

Vintage Abstract Cubist Sculpture Bronze Granite XX Century DIMENSIONS Height: 7 inches Width: 3-3/8 inches Depth: 3-3/8 inches ABOUT This is a brillia...

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20th Century American Brutalist Fletcher Benton

Materials

Bronze

Ruth Asawa Bronze Sculpture Signed and Numbered Abstract Mid Century Art

$5,550

H 5.25 in W 6.25 in D 0.25 in

Ruth Asawa Bronze Sculpture Signed and Numbered Abstract Mid Century Art

By Ruth Asawa

Located in Atlanta, GA

Bas-relief bronze sculpture by Ruth Asawa, American, 1979. It is hand signed and numbered by Asawa. Retains warm original patina. This work is number 557 from the limited edition of ...

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1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Fletcher Benton

Materials

Bronze

Midcentury Abstract Bronze Sculpture

$2,650

H 11.5 in W 9.25 in D 8 in

Midcentury Abstract Bronze Sculpture

Located in Houston, TX

Midcentury abstract bronze sculpture. Stunning midcentury abstract bronze sculpture. This well cast abstract bronze has great patina and is perfect for a cocktail table, console tab...

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20th Century Mid-Century Modern Fletcher Benton

Materials

Bronze

Brutalist modern Marcello Fantoni copper on welded steel sculpture

$2,900Sale Price|21% Off

H 25 in W 26 in D 6 in

Brutalist modern Marcello Fantoni copper on welded steel sculpture

By Marcello Fantoni

Located in Ferndale, MI

Believed to be one of Marcello Fantoni's (1915 - 2011 ) earlier works sculptor, ceramicist, metalworker, multi-media artist and designer . A study in patina and corrosion in brutal...

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Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Fletcher Benton

Materials

Copper, Steel

Midcentury Abstract Bronze Sculpture Signed Yone Di Alerigi

$1,650

H 13 in W 9.25 in D 6 in

Midcentury Abstract Bronze Sculpture Signed Yone Di Alerigi

Located in Houston, TX

Stunning Mid-Century Modern abstract bronze sculpture on a granite base by Yone Di Alerigi. This bronze sculpture has a plaque with the title, ballerina or ballet dancer and is artis...

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20th Century Mid-Century Modern Fletcher Benton

Materials

Granite, Bronze

Scandinavian Abstract Brutalist Sculpture in Bronze, Signed, 1990

$252Sale Price|52% Off

H 3.94 in W 2.37 in D 1.97 in

Scandinavian Abstract Brutalist Sculpture in Bronze, Signed, 1990

Located in Esbjerg, DK

Small unusual object in cast bronze. Freeform, Infinity symbolism and barbwire all in one unique piece. Its signed by an unknown Scandinavia Sculptor an...

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1990s Scandinavian Modern Fletcher Benton

Materials

Bronze

Waveform Carved Zig Zag Sculpture by Bradley Duncan Studio

$1,500 / item

H 48 in W 5.25 in D 3.5 in

Waveform Carved Zig Zag Sculpture by Bradley Duncan Studio

By Bradley Duncan

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Carved triangle waveform Douglas fir, paint Measures: 48” x 5.25” x 3.5” 2017 8 LBS Waveform: Burnt with an icon of authenticity Produced by hand in Los Angeles, CA. from re...

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21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Fletcher Benton

Materials

Wood

Joseph Wesner Industrial Modern Welded Steel Abstract Tabletop Sculpture

$2,000

H 9.25 in W 5.225 in D 4 in

Joseph Wesner Industrial Modern Welded Steel Abstract Tabletop Sculpture

Located in Troy, MI

Abstract modernist sculpture by Detroit artist Joseph Wesner circa 1990s Welded steel composition with contrasting patinas embody Wesner's signature style of refined industrial 5....

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20th Century American Modern Fletcher Benton

Materials

Steel

Abstract Welded and Painted Sculpture

$1,000

H 34 in W 12 in D 12 in

Abstract Welded and Painted Sculpture

Located in Philadelphia, PA

Modern welded Sculpture made up of painted squares. The colors glow, you are actually surprised to find that they are painted and not enamel or paint! Nice size and scale!

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1980s American Modern Vintage Fletcher Benton

Materials

Iron

Signed, Bronze Female Nude Abstract Sculpture

$3,000Sale Price|20% Off

H 32 in W 10 in D 12 in

Signed, Bronze Female Nude Abstract Sculpture

By Alberto Giacometti

Located in Chicago, IL

Bronze sculpture in the manner of Alberto Giacometti. Female nude with arms crossed mounted on walnut plinth. Signed Billing.

Category

1970s American Vintage Fletcher Benton

Materials

Bronze

Brutalist Welded Iron Sculpture

$2,200

H 16 in W 11 in D 12 in

Brutalist Welded Iron Sculpture

Located in LOS ANGELES, CA

A striking Brutalist welded iron sculpture depicting an abstract geometric composition upon a tubular stem, above a rectangular base, in the manner of H...

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