To capture weightlessness, movement and emotion in a single, gestural brushstroke required transgender artist James Nares to reimagine her entire art-making process. In addition to suspending herself above the canvas, Nares also created her own calligraphic brushes and paint, practicing meticulous strokes over and over until finally achieving that perfect swipe.
Dubbed an “action painter” and a “scientific painter,” Nares’ process is the result of years of researching, testing and expanding on her style. Nares moved to New York City in 1974 after studying at the Chelsea College of Art. As she is also a musician, Nares fell into the city’s “no wave” scene — a brief avant-garde music and visual art movement concentrated in downtown Manhattan. The experimentation with noise, and dissonance that became popular among no wave artists likely informed Nares’ art style and fueled her passion for creative experimentation throughout the 1980s.
Nares is represented by the Kasmin Gallery, which has exhibited her work since 1991. The artist’s solo exhibitions include 2014’s “High Speed Drawings” and 2013’s “Road Paint Paintings.” The latter featured works that Nares created with thermoplastic paint — the same type of paint that is used on tarmacs and roads. Her work is part of the collections of the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Whitney Museum of American Art. The Milwaukee Art Museum staged a retrospective on Nares in 2019.
While primarily known for her artwork, Nares' film projects have been part of solo exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and presented at the 2008 Anthology Film Archives in New York and at the New York IFC Center in 2011.
On 1stDibs, find authentic James Nares prints, drawings and paintings.
Iridescent Oil Paint and Wax on Paper by James Nares
By James Nares
Located in Stamford, CT
Unique oil paint and wax on paper by James Nares ( British, b. 1953 ). Untitled. circa 2008. Archivally framed in a 12-karat white gold frame.
Paper
$950Sale Price|20% Off
H 31.5 in W 26.5 in D 2 in
Mid-Century Modern Abstract Oil on Rice Paper Painting by French Artist Fandre
Located in Miami, FL
A vibrant mid-century modern abstract oil painting by French artist Fandre. The artwork showcases a dynamic composition of colorful shapes on unique rice paper, signed by the artist ...
Paper, Paint
Elegant Vintage Oil Painting on Canvas, 20th Century, Hand-Painted
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Vintage painting of elegant woman looking forward gracefully, with mysterious look, nice colors combinations, great decorative painting. Sig...
Canvas, Wood
James Strombotne painting "Two Women" Acrylic on Canvas
By James Strombotne
Located in Camden, ME
James S. Strombotne is an American painter and renowned contemporary artist. He was born in 1934 in Watertown, South Dakota, but was raised and educated in Southern California, rece...
Canvas, Acrylic
James Strombotne painting "Spring Bouquet" acrylic on canvas
By James Strombotne
Located in Camden, ME
James Strombotne is a contemporary artist who has had a successful career since 1956. His artwork is held in many prestigious museums and private collections, including those of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Hirschhorn Museum of the Smithsonian Institute. According to Strombotne, "Any subject is fair game...
Canvas, Acrylic
$2,280Sale Price|20% Off
H 32.5 in W 25 in D 2 in
Parisian Cityscape, Signed and Framed Oil on Canvas by Serge Belloni
Located in Vero Beach, FL
Parisian cityscape, signed and framed oil on canvas by Serge Belloni, ‘57 This painting has all the quintessential features of Belloni’s renowned Parisi...
Canvas
Painting by James Neill, 1990
By James Neill
Located in Sheffield, MA
James Neill is a contemporary fine artist who specialises in drawing. His work deals with ideas of abstraction and reconstruction. All of the drawings are highly technical and are cr...
Canvas
Olga Vladimirovna Rozanova Watercolor on Paper
Located in Pasadena, TX
Olga Rozanova "Abstract Geometrics" watercolor on paper (Russian, 1886-1918) Rozanova was born on June 22, 1886, in the small town of Melenki near Vladimir, Russia. After finishing at the Vladimir Women’s Gymnasium in 1904, she studied painting in Moscow. Dissatisfied with the “wretched system of instruction” at the state-run Stroganov Academy of Arts and Industry, she transferred to Konstantin Yuon’s private school, where she met Liubov Popova...
Paper
$1,200
H 27.5 in W 21.5 in D 1.25 in
Oil on Canvas Painting of Old City Jerusalem, Hand-Painted, 1980s
Located in Delray Beach, FL
Exceptional oil painting of of street view of the old city in Jerusalem. Edward Philips, Ben Avram (born 1941) is an artist who was born in Bombay, India ...
Canvas, Wood
Oil on Canvas by Leonard Nelson
By Leonard Nelson
Located in West Chester, PA
An early abstract painting by Leonard Nelson (1912-1993) signed and dated 1957 lower right. Acquired directly from the Nelson estate.
Canvas
By Suk Shuglie, Oil on Canvas, "Spring Trees"
Located in Litchfield, CT
Circa 1999, Acrylic on "Canvas on board", by Suk Shuglie, Pennsylvania. Colorful and bright, this wooded scene leavens the moodiness of late Winter with th...
Acrylic
James Carlin Oil on Canvas Bar Scene
Located in Water Mill, NY
James Carlin Listed American Artist (1906-2005) bar scene oil on canvas in a wood Frame. Measures: 30 x 40.
Framed Oil Painting on Board by Sara Skaaning
By Sara Skaaning
Located in New York, NY
Oil painting on board by Sara Skaaning. Based in the Island Mon, Denmark, the visual artist Sara Skaaning starts from her surroundings that twists and transforms until completely di...
Canvas, Paint
James Nares, 1st Edition, Skira Rizzoli, New York, 2014
By James Nares
Located in CA, CA
First Edition, published by Skira Rizzoli Publications, New York, 2014. This long-awaited comprehensive monograph catalogues the career of multi-disciplinary artist James Nares. B...
Paper
Sold
H 37.25 in W 83.13 in D 2 in
"Girl about Town" Signed, Dated and Numbered Screen Print by James Nares
By James Nares
Located in Stamford, CT
"Girl About Town" signed, dated and numbered 6/45 screen print by James Nares (American, 1953), 2017. The publisher of this print is Durham Press. Ne...
Paper
James Nares Screen Print in Colors "In Three Words 2" 2012
By James Nares
Located in Stamford, CT
A 2012 screen print by James Nares titled "In Three Words 2". In the 1980s, Nares began to paint using brushes of his own manufacture to create monumental stokes that appear almost...
Paper
James Nares, 2014
By James Nares
Located in CA, CA
First edition, published by Skira Rizzoli Publications, New York, 2014. This retrospective monograph catalogues the career of multi-disciplinary artist James Nares. Beginning with...
Untitled Oil on Waxed Paper by James Nares
By James Nares
Located in Stamford, CT
An oil on waxed paper, Untitled #15603, by James Nares (New York / England b. 1953).
Paper