From sneaking into art classes to setting up a studio in an abandoned pier, Guy Dill’s journey toward becoming a celebrated contemporary American sculptor is anything but conventional.
Dill’s first love was the sea. Intending to travel the world by boat, the Malibu, California native began a career working for the U.S. Coast Guard during the Vietnam war. In his time off, he visited his brother, Laddie John Dill, who was attending the renowned Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles and unofficially joined his life drawing classes after an instructor pressed him to bring a sketchpad. Dill enjoyed the classes and eventually accumulated enough work to submit to Chouinard for application.
After graduating from Chouinard with a bachelor's degree in painting in 1967, Dill put down the brush but continued to draw. Attracted to the Venice Beach lifestyle, Dill set up a studio with some fellow artists in an abandoned space on the Pacific Ocean Park (POP) pier. Located a few miles south of the now-famous Santa Monica pier, the POP pier slowly deteriorated under Dill’s feet while he began his sculpting career.
During the late 1960s, Irving Blum’s influential Ferus Gallery was the epicenter of L.A.’s art scene. Blum discovered Dill’s sculptures and put him in a group show with other exciting new talent from the area. Artists such as Ed Ruscha and Roy Lichtenstein had begun to make their names at the gallery, and the exposure proved important for Dill. Today he works in cardboard, glass, bronze, wood and more, and his large-scale abstract sculptures are known all over the world.
In 1972, Dill was awarded the Theodoron Award from the Guggenheim Museum in New York and First Prize at the Chicago Institute of Art’s “American Show” in 1974. Additional accolades include the California Heritage Museum Artist’s Award, the Stars of Design Lifetime Achievement for Art Award from the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles and more.
Dill’s work is held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Smithsonian Institution, the Guggenheim and the Stedelijk Museum.
On 1stDibs, find authentic Guy Dill sculptures, prints and more.
Guy Dill Large Welded Mid Century Post Modern Abstract Steel Table Sculpture
By Guy Dill
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A large and impressive steel sculpture by world renowned artist Guy Dill. It consists of black welded steel circa 1990's. Welded signature.
Cut Steel
$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...
Copper, Steel
$3,475
H 38 in W 10 in D 7 in
Mid-Century Modernist Cast & Welded Aluminum Abstract Sculpture by Arthur Court
By Arthur Court
Located in New York, NY
This sharp and angular Mid-Century Modernist Abstract Geometric Sculpture in Cast and Welded Aluminum by Arthur Court originates from the United States, Circa 1975. Features a vertic...
Aluminum
$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....
Steel
$5,500
H 63.25 in W 19 in D 16.75 in
Salvatore Messina, Italian Mid-Century Modern, Abstract Sculpture, Steel, 1970s
Located in Manhasset, NY
Salvatore Messina, Italian Mid-Century Modern, 'Vertical Refraction' Sculpture, Steel, Italy, 1970s Indoor or outdoor modernist geometric sculpture designed by Salvatore Messina and...
Steel
$3,500
H 11.25 in W 38.25 in D 13.5 in
Salvatore Messina, Italian Mid-Century Modern, Steel, Abstract Sculpture, 1970s
Located in Manhasset, NY
Salvatore Messina, Italian Mid-Century Modern, Steel, Abstract Sculpture, 1970s Titled "“Horizontal decomposed refraction,” this work is an abstract folded steel sculpture on a plex...
Steel
Bill Barrett Untitled Modern Brutalist Welded Steel Sculpture 1970s
By Bill Barrett
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
A modern brutalist welded steel sculpture by Bill Barret. Circa 1970s. Barrett began welding while a student at the University of Michigan. His early works consisted of steel rods, a...
Steel
American Post-War Abstract Steel Sculpture
Located in Queens, NY
American Post-War Design abstract steel sculpture on a black rectangular base of vertically arranged circles and squares.
Steel
Chris Duncan Welded Steel Sculpture
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Chris Duncan Welded Steel Sculpture "Smoke" Artist signed and dated Original Allan Stone Gallery Label
Steel
Abstract Expressionist Welded Steel Rooster Sculpture
Located in Pasadena, CA
Explosive and full of movement, this welded steel rooster captures the wild kinetic energy of metal in motion. Layered, flame-like steel fragments form a dynamic body and tail that s...
Cut Steel
$7,500
H 89.5 in W 19.75 in D 29.5 in
Salvatore Messina, Italian Mid-Century Modern, Abstract Sculpture, Steel, 1970s
Located in Manhasset, NY
Salvatore Messina, Italian Mid-Century Modern, 'Vertical Decomposed Refraction' Sculpture, Steel, Italy, 1970s This impressive large sculpture, titled "Vertical Decomposed Refraction...
Stainless Steel
Abstract Large Steel Sculpture
Located in Palm Springs, CA
A wonderful large abstract steel sculpture by a talented pair local Palm Springs, the Sutton Brothers. It is painted and finished on one side in polished steel. Great presence. The p...
Steel
Large Mid-Century Modern Sculpture
By Harry Bertoia
Located in Miami, FL
Great sculpture from the 1960s.
Brass, Steel