Gene Davis Paintings

American, 1920-1985

Davis was born in Washington D.C. in 1920 and spent nearly all his life there. Before he began to paint in 1949, he worked as a sportswriter, covering the Washington Football Team and other local teams. Working as a journalist in the late 1940s, he covered the Roosevelt and Truman presidential administrations, and was often President Truman's partner for poker games. His first art studio was in his apartment on Scott Circle; later he worked out of a studio on Pennsylvania Avenue. Davis's first solo exhibition of drawings was at the Dupont Theater Gallery in 1952, and his first exhibition of paintings was at Catholic University in 1953. A decade later he participated in the "Washington Color Painters" exhibit at the Washington Gallery of Modern Art in Washington, DC, which traveled to other venues around the US, and launched the recognition of the Washington Color School as a regional movement in which Davis was a central figure. The Washington painters were among the most prominent of the mid-century color field painters. Though, he worked in a variety of media and styles, including ink, oil, acrylic, video, and collage, Davis is best known by far for his acrylic paintings (mostly on canvas) of colorful vertical stripes, which he began to paint in 1958. The paintings typically repeat particular colors to create a sense of rhythm and repetition with variations. One of the best-known of his paintings, "Black Grey Beat" (1964), owned by the Smithsonian American Art Museum reinforces these musical comparisons in its title. The pairs of alternating black and grey stripes are repeated across the canvas, and recognizable even as other colors are substituted for black and grey, and returned to even as the repetition of dark and light pairs is here and there broken by sharply contrasting colors. In 1972 Davis created Franklin's Footpath, which was at the time the world's largest artwork, by painting colorful stripes on the street in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the world's largest painting, Niagara (43,680 square feet), in a parking lot in Lewiston, NY. His "micro-paintings", at the other extreme, were as small as 3/8 of an inch square. For a public work in a different medium altogether, he designed the color patterns of the "Solar Wall," a set of tubes filled with dyed water and backlit by fluorescent lights, at the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Davis began teaching in 1966 at the Corcoran School of Art, where he became a permanent member of the faculty. His works are in the collections of, among others, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, MN, The Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Art Collection in Albany, NY, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. He died on April 6, 1985 in Washington, DC.

Artist: Gene Davis

Gene DavisBatman Painting, Graphite and Acrylic on Raw Canvas, Mid-20th Century, 1975

$164,000

Batman Painting, Graphite and Acrylic on Raw Canvas, Mid-20th Century

By Gene Davis

Located in New York, NY

Gene Davis (1920-1985) American, Washington, D.C. “Batman” 1975 Graphite and acrylic on raw canvas Signed on reverse: Gene Davis 1975 Batman Davis is known primarily for the stripe...

Category

Mid-20th Century Gene Davis Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Graphite

Liz BarberFirst Petals 3, 2025

$15,500

H 72 in W 84 in D 2 in

First Petals 3

By Liz Barber

Located in Napa, CA

Liz Barber pursued painting while obtaining her degree from the Massachusetts College of Art and Moore College of Art. She currently resides in Marietta, Georgia. Barber’s paintings...

Category

2010s Abstract Gene Davis Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Ink, Acrylic, Graphite

Nicholas Evans“Scarce XVII” (Abstract, Contemporary, Neutral, Black & White, Graphic Painting), 2021

$4,000Sale Price|33% Off

H 50.99 in W 76.58 in D 0.99 in

“Scarce XVII” (Abstract, Contemporary, Neutral, Black & White, Graphic Painting)

By Nicholas Evans

Located in Paris, IDF

SCARCE XVII 2021 Paris, France Intricate black and white pebble-pattern painted over a natural, oil washed canvas. A visual interpretation of erosion and organic patterning found th...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Gene Davis Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Graphite

Joyce KozloffWarm Beach (#108), 1970

$48,000

H 59 in W 58.5 in

Warm Beach (#108)

By Joyce Kozloff

Located in Austin, TX

Acrylic and graphite on canvas. Signed and titled verso. 59 x 58.5 in. 61 x 60.25 in. (framed) Custom framed in a maple floater with a polyurethane clear coat finish. Provenance B...

Category

1970s Post-War Gene Davis Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Graphite

Alyson KinkadeLike Light Upon A Field, 12x12" acrylic/graphite painting, 1999

$280Sale Price|60% Off

H 14 in W 14 in D 2 in

Like Light Upon A Field, 12x12" acrylic/graphite painting

By Alyson Kinkade

Located in Loveland, CO

Like Light Upon the Field by Alyson Kinkade 12"x12" acrylic and graphite on canvas Abstract Expressionist Landscape 14x14" framed in natural wood as pictured ABOUT THE ARTIST: "Over...

Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Gene Davis Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Graphite

Nicholas EvansLe Crâne, Abstract Painting, Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, 50x50cm, 2020

$600Sale Price|20% Off

H 19.69 in W 19.69 in D 0.79 in

Le Crâne, Abstract Painting, Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, 50x50cm

By Nicholas Evans

Located in Paris, IDF

LE CRÂNE 2020 Paris, France A faint gesture of a skull, ‘le crane,’ lives on a pale pink background, and interacts with other abstract detailing, creating movement and tension. Evan...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Gene Davis Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, India Ink, Graphite

Patrick Fitzgerald"The Designers" Mixed-Media Collage, 2025

$1,880

H 18.5 in W 24.5 in D 1.25 in

"The Designers" Mixed-Media Collage

Located in Chicago, IL

This work entitled “The Designers” by Chicago-based artist Patrick Fitzgerald continues his series of abstract “track paintings,” initially born as the imagined racetracks navigated ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Gene Davis Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paper, Oil, Acrylic, Graphite

Macauley NormanThe Sorcerer, 2020, acrylic, oil, canvas, yarn, thread, green, pink, abstract, 2020

$4,500

H 54 in W 48 in D 2 in

The Sorcerer, 2020, acrylic, oil, canvas, yarn, thread, green, pink, abstract

By Macauley Norman

Located in Jersey City, NJ

The Sorcerer, 2020, acrylic, oil, graphite, pastel, thread and yarn on canvas. Green, blue, pink, abstract. Custom framed in a white floating frame.

Category

2010s Contemporary Gene Davis Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Thread, Yarn, Pastel, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Graphite

Stephanie Visser Between Heaven and Earth: Untitled #8 Acrylic on canvas with graphite and pastel, 2019

$9,200

H 72 in W 50 in D 2 in

Between Heaven and Earth: Untitled #8 Acrylic on canvas with graphite and pastel

By Stephanie Visser

Located in West Hollywood, CA

Stephanie Visser, a native of southwestern Michigan, was educated at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids Michigan. She continued her education in fine arts and painting...

Category

2010s Abstract Gene Davis Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Graphite

Macauley NormanImaginary Horse, 2020, acrylic, oil, pastel, canvas, black, blue, pink, abstract, 2020

$700

H 21 in W 17 in D 1.5 in

Imaginary Horse, 2020, acrylic, oil, pastel, canvas, black, blue, pink, abstract

By Macauley Norman

Located in Jersey City, NJ

Imaginary Horse, 2020, acrylic, oil, pastel and graphite on canvas. Spider, web, flower, blue, black, yellow, pink, abstract. Custom framed in a white floating frame

Category

2010s Contemporary Gene Davis Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Pastel, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Graphite

Virginia CandlerMystical, 2024

$14,300

H 72 in W 108 in

Mystical

Located in New Orleans, LA

Virginia Candler says of her work… I make paintings, collages and sculptures that explore my immediate surroundings and materiality. Often, it’s observations of the natural world th...

Category

2010s Gene Davis Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Graphite

Yvette CohenYvette Cohen, Swimming On Air #13, 2017, Canvas, Wood, Acrylic Paint, Graphite, 2017

$1,350

H 4 in W 48 in

Yvette Cohen, Swimming On Air #13, 2017, Canvas, Wood, Acrylic Paint, Graphite

By Yvette Cohen

Located in Darien, CT

Yvette Cohen makes art that transforms space. Her oil paintings of geometric masses of color on shaped canvas look sculptural, but mount flat on the wall. Paintings become objects ...

Category

2010s Abstract Geometric Gene Davis Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Acrylic, Graphite

Macauley NormanAttack From Above, 2020, acrylic, oil, canvas, yarn, thread, green, pink, eagle, 2020

$6,800

H 67 in W 66 in D 1.5 in

Attack From Above, 2020, acrylic, oil, canvas, yarn, thread, green, pink, eagle

By Macauley Norman

Located in Jersey City, NJ

Attack From Above, 2020, acrylic, oil, canvas, yarn and thread on canvas. Green, blue, pink, eagle, jet, spider-man, abstract.

Category

2010s Contemporary Gene Davis Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Thread, Yarn, Pastel, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Graphite

Previously Available Items

Gene DavisPopsicle, 1969

Sold

H 68.5 in W 67.5 in

Popsicle

By Gene Davis

Located in Washington, DC

Artist: Gene Davis Title: Popsicle Medium: Acrylic on canvas Date: 1969 Edition: Unique Canvas Size: 68 1/2" x 67 1/2" Signature: Stamped signature, verso

Category

1960s Abstract Gene Davis Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Gene DavisGene Davis Original Drawing, 1970s

Sold

H 17.5 in W 21.5 in D 1 in

Gene Davis Original Drawing

By Gene Davis

Located in Washington, DC

Original work on paper by Washington Color School artist Gene Davis (1920-1985). Signed bottom left and dedicated to "Patti". Work has been archival framed. Unframed the work measur...

Category

1970s Color-Field Gene Davis Paintings

Materials

Paper, Crayon, Color Pencil

Gene DavisLunar Sand Box, 1970

Sold

H 65 in W 67 in

Lunar Sand Box

By Gene Davis

Located in Rancho Santa Fe, CA

PROVENANCE: Max Protetch Gallery, Wshington, D.C.; Private Collection, Washington D.C. Signed, titled and dated verso. Framed

Category

1970s Color-Field Gene Davis Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Gene DavisSky Cycle, 1978

Sold

H 49 in W 35 in

Sky Cycle

By Gene Davis

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Gene Davis, American (1920 - 1985) Title: Sky Cycle Year: 1978 Medium: Oil on Raw Canvas, signed and dated verso Size: 47 x 33 in. (119.38 x 83.82 cm) Frame Size: 49 x 35 i...

Category

1970s Minimalist Gene Davis Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Gene Davis paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Gene Davis paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Gene Davis in canvas, fabric, 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 minimalist style. Not every interior allows for large Gene Davis paintings, so small editions measuring 16 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Yvette Cohen, Jan Maarten Voskuil, and Clifford Singer. Gene Davis paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $12,000 and tops out at $60,000, while the average work can sell for $36,000.