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James Havard Art

American, b. 1937
For more than 40 years, James Havard has been producing paintings, prints, collages, and sculptures that defy categorization, ranging from abstraction and illusionism to figuration, combining and pioneering styles, and drawing from indigenous and tribal cultures and art history to create an exuberant visual language at once hermetic and universal. He first gained recognition in the 1970s for pioneering an approach to painting, known as “Abstract Illusionism,” in which individual brushstrokes and abstract forms were shaded to appear three-dimensional. By the late 1980s, he turned to figuration, populating his compositions with radically pared-down, roughly hewn male and female figures inspired by Native American, African tribal, and pre-Colombian art, cave painting, and children’s drawings, and recalling Art Brut. Raw, expressive, and, ultimately, enigmatic, these figures also appear in Havard’s boxed collages and sculptures—a medium he began exploring in 2002.
(Biography provided by Adelson Galleries)
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Artist: James Havard
Museum Collected artist Abstract Illusion acrylic painting on board 37x27"
By James Havard
Located in Southampton, NY
James Havard is considered one of the "pioneers of the abstract illusionism movement" One of James Havard's homes and studio's was on the island of Tortola and this work from 1979 evokes the feel of the aqua blue waters and the reference of Salt Island in the painting refers to the salty feel of the ocean waters. In the 1970's Havard was the principle artist that started working in an abstract style that included gestural brush strokes and paint squeezed directly from the tube to create beautiful surface textures in his paintings. He then painted shadows to certain areas of paint to create the 3d illusion of depth to his paintings. This created the "Abstract Illusion" movement of the 1970's. Havard had many museum exhibitions and his paintings were sort after and exhibited at galleries around the world. Havard along with other artists like, Michael Gallagher, George Green...
Category

1970s Abstract James Havard Art

Materials

Acrylic, Board

Untitled
By James Havard
Located in New York, NY
Medium: Mixed media on paper Image dimensions: 40 x 32 inches Framed dimensions: 44 x 36 inches Signed and dated "Havard 81" at the top right James Pinkney Havard (American, b. 1937) is an American painter and sculptor born in Galveston, TX in 1937. He was a pioneer of abstract illusionism...
Category

1980s Abstract James Havard Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Animal Bug
By James Havard
Located in Santa Fe, NM
James Havard draws from Native American, African tribal and outsider art for his abstract figurative style which evokes the psychological renderings of a dream. The American artist was known as a pioneer of “abstract illusionism...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary James Havard Art

Materials

Panel, Wax, Oil

Eagle Dance
By James Havard
Located in New York, NY
Image dimensions: 17 ½ x 23 ½ inches Framed dimensions: 18 x 24 inches Medium: Mixed media on paper James Pinkney Havard (American, b. 1937) is an American painter and sculptor born in Galveston, TX in 1937. He was a pioneer of abstract illusionism...
Category

1970s Abstract James Havard Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Aunt Shemack
By James Havard
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Aunt Shemak is an oil and collage on wood panel by James Havard. Aunt Shemak is signed by Havard.
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Expressionist James Havard Art

Materials

Mixed Media, Oil

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Previously Available Items
Exploded Bathroom Views with Spanish Goat (mid-century surrealist painting)
By James Havard
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
James Havard (b.1937). Exploded Bathroom Views with Spanish Goat, 1965. Pencil, watercolor and gouache on paper glued down to matte board. Sheet measures 20.5 x 19 inches; 24 x 26 inches on matting. Excellent condition. Signed, title and dated lower margin. Unframed. Although known as a Sant a Fe, NM artist, Havard attended PAFA in Philadelphia 1961-65. This piece is an outstanding example from the artist's 1960's experimental period. Provenance: Philadelphia estate. Havard was born in Galveston, Texas, in 1937. Although he entered Houston State College on an agricultural scholarship, shortly thereafter, he turned his interests to the visual arts. Intrigued by the East, he moved upon graduation in 1959 to Philadelphia where he attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Havards early work focused on still lifes and more traditional forms of art making, but by the early 1960s experimentation and rule-breaking was replacing the accepted norms of the school. Avoiding pop art, Havard instead delved into minimalism and began a twenty-year professional relationship with noted Marion Locks Gallery in Philadelphia with his first solo show there in 1970. During this time he began to experiment with industrial materials, vacuformed plastic shapes and metallic paints from the auto body show beneath his studio. Finding the luminescence of his new pearlescent surfaces more lyrical in quality, Havard scratched and abraded the surface of these works and soon realized the illusionistic techniques that could be controlled by the use of airbrushing. These original experimentations were later refined into the painterly, abstract trompe loeil gestures for which he is known today. Rich squeezings of paint squirted directly onto the canvas surface contrasted against subtle pastel backgrounds became his trademark by the late 1970s. "Abstract illusionism," actually more of a commercial term used to define his work, overshadowed his interest in the Native American subject matter which would become as important, in time, as his bravura painting style. Making reference in text or figurative reference to the Arapaho, Iroquois, and episodes in Native American history, Havard infused his expressive work with poetic metaphors about Native American artifacts and culture (while several exhibitions of Native American art have included works by James Havard, he denies any specific, official affiliation with any particular tribe). After moving to New York City in the 1980s, Havard focused on large-scale, expressive paintings referencing Native American culture in a most unique way. Over the next ten years, he made frequent visits to Santa Fe, New Mexico, for inspiration and to pursue his interest in collecting. Havards style of blending expressionistic abstraction with indigenous symbols caught the attention of museums through the country and soon his works were added to several important collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of Art. Havard was now exhibiting his work in Sweden, Australia, New York and Paris and newspapers from the Houston Post to the New York Times were reviewing his exhibitions. His works became even more colorful and expressive and iconistic than ever before. In 1989 Havard moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. In contrast to previous decade, his work became smaller, partly due to the limitations of his new studio space, but his repertoire of images expanded to include early American images and icons and even personal whimsy such as abstracted references to his love of the sport of golf. Once again employing the use of industrial technology, Havard added photo silk screened images of Hopi masks and tabletas and motifs from Zuni pottery...
Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist James Havard Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Untitled
By James Havard
Located in Santa Fe, NM
James Havard 1937 Born in Galveston, TX 1959 Sam Houston State College, Huntsville, TX 1965 Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA Currently resides in Santa F...
Category

1990s James Havard Art

Materials

Aquatint

Untitled
H 13.75 in W 11.75 in
Untitled
By James Havard
Located in Santa Fe, NM
James Havard 1937 Born in Galveston, TX 1959 Sam Houston State College, Huntsville, TX 1965 Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA Currently resides in Santa F...
Category

1980s James Havard Art

Materials

Acrylic

Untitled
H 30 in W 41 in

James Havard art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic James Havard art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of purple and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by James Havard in paint, mixed media, acrylic paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large James Havard art, so small editions measuring 4 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of David Mellen, Gary Komarin, and Bill Maggio. James Havard art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $6,000 and tops out at $25,000, while the average work can sell for $12,000.

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