Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

American, German, 1920-1984

An important and influential artist and educator, Jimmy Ernst was associated with two of the twentieth century's major art movements—Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism. The son of the Surrealist painter Max Ernst and the art historian Louise Straus, he was born Hans Ulrich Ernst in Cologne, Germany, on June 24, 1920. His parents divorced two years later, and his father moved to Paris, while Ernst stayed in Cologne with his mother. In 1930, Ernst traveled to Paris to visit his father, where he met many of the Surrealists including Luis Buñuel, Salvador Dalí, Andre Masson, Jean Miró, and Man Ray. After Hitler's rise to power in 1933, the Ernst apartment in Cologne was searched, and his mother began to fear for their safety. He was sent to live with his maternal grandfather, while his mother moved to Paris. Five years later, in 1938, Ernst immigrated to the United States. After settling in New York, he met other European exiles and members of the avant-garde. Ernst petitioned the Emergency Rescue Committee in 1941 to help his parents escape France. His father successfully fled Europe in 1941, arriving in America with Peggy Guggenheim. However, his attempt to rescue his mother was unsuccessful. In 1944 she was sent to Auschwitz, where she died. Ernst had his first solo exhibition at Norlyst Gallery in New York in 1941. On October 20, 1942, Guggenheim's legendary Art of this Century Gallery opened with Ernst as Director, a role that further associated him with the New York avant-garde. In 1950, he joined such eminent artists as Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko in the famous "Irascible Eighteen." The largely Abstract Expressionist group protested the perceived anti-abstractionist bias of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and drew much attention to the New York School. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s Ernst exhibited in the Grace Borgenicht Gallery, Inc., New York, and in various other galleries across in the United States and abroad. Ernst married Edith Dallas Bauman in 1947. They had two children, Amy Louise (1953) and Eric Max (1956). In 1969 Ernst moved to East Hampton, New York where he lived off and on for the rest of his life. In 1982 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate by Southampton College of Long Island University. Shortly before his death, in 1983, Ernst was elected to the American Academy and the Institute of Arts and Letters, both in New York. Ernst died suddenly of a stroke on February 6, 1984, in New York. His works are owned by numerous world-class public collections, including the Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.

Artist: Jimmy Ernst

Jimmy Ernst"Personal Equation" Jimmy Ernst, Abstract Surrealism, Black, Red, Blue, White, 1950

$28,000Sale Price|20% Off

"Personal Equation" Jimmy Ernst, Abstract Surrealism, Black, Red, Blue, White

By Jimmy Ernst

Located in New York, NY

Jimmy Ernst Personal Equation, 1950 Signed and dated lower right Oil on canvas 41 x 39 1/2 inches Provenance: Laurel Gallery, New York Grace Borgenicht Gallery, New York Collection ...

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1940s Surrealist Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Jimmy ErnstBlack on Black #4, 1962

$24,000

Black on Black #4

By Jimmy Ernst

Located in Miami, FL

The artist has painted the work in matte black and gloss black. It a sense this is also an optical art “Op Art” in that it changes as the light changes. Jimmy Ernst was a major figure of the New York School of abstract painting and part of The Irascibles, and son of Max Ernst: Provenance: Grace Borgenicht Gallery, New York, New York; Joseph H. Hirshhorn, New York and Washington, D.C. (acquired from the above in 1966); Joseph H. Hirshhorn bequest, Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, D.C., 1981; Sotheby's Arcade, New York, New York, February 24, 1995, lot 331; The Jeanne and Carroll Berry...

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1960s Abstract Expressionist Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

Materials

Enamel

Jimmy ErnstModern art painted disc by Jimmy Ernst, 1968

$5,500

Modern art painted disc by Jimmy Ernst

By Jimmy Ernst

Located in Colfax, CA

Painted mixed media by Jimmy Ernst. Jimmy Ernst, (1920-1984), was born in Cologne, Germany, the son of famous German Surrealist Max Ernst, and Luise Straus-Ernst, a well-known art hi...

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1960s Abstract Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

Materials

Metal

Leonardo NiermanPajaro de Fuego, Colorful Abstract Painting by Leonardo Nierman, 1980

$5,600

H 38.5 in W 30.5 in D 1 in

Pajaro de Fuego, Colorful Abstract Painting by Leonardo Nierman

By Leonardo Nierman

Located in Long Island City, NY

Original oil painting on masonite by noted Mexican abstract artist Leonardo Nierman (1932 - ), signed lower right. In its original gilt wood frame measuring 38.5 x 30.5 inches. Ar...

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1980s Abstract Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Masonite

Earl HillGas Station Attendant (African American artist), 1966

$3,000

H 18 in W 15 in

Gas Station Attendant (African American artist)

By Earl Hill

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Earl Hill (1927-1985). Gas Station Attendant, 1966. Oil on masonite panel, 10.5 x 13.5 inches, 15 x 18 inches framed. Signed and dated lower right. Inscribed...

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Mid-20th Century Abstract Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

David Rosen (b.1912)Victorian Couple with Angel, Abstract Oil on Masonite, 1970, c.1970

$1,590Sale Price|40% Off

H 30.25 in W 26.38 in D 0.13 in

Victorian Couple with Angel, Abstract Oil on Masonite, 1970

By David Rosen (b.1912)

Located in Soquel, CA

Moody figurative abstract expressionist painting of a Victorian couple with an angel by artist David Rosen (American, 1912-2004), c. 1970. Signed "Rosen" lower right. Unframed. Image...

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1970s Abstract Expressionist Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Jack HammackTabletop Still Life Mid-century Abstract Painting, 1957

$900

H 27 in W 23 in D 1 in

Tabletop Still Life Mid-century Abstract Painting

Located in Wilton Manors, FL

Jack Hammack (1924-1990) Cubist Tabletop Still Life, 1957 Oil on paper measuring 16 x 20 inches. Framed measurement, 23 x 27 inches. Signed and dated lower right.

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Mid-20th Century Abstract Expressionist Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil

Jocelyn AudetteAmerica Rising - Patriotic 9/11 Figurative Abstract, 2001

$850

H 26 in W 22 in D 1.5 in

America Rising - Patriotic 9/11 Figurative Abstract

By Jocelyn Audette

Located in Soquel, CA

Vivid and evocative abstracted painting of 9/11 by artist Jocelyn Audette (American, b. 1952), circa 2001. Impasto adds texture and interest. Label on verso with artist's name. Pres...

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Early 2000s Abstract Expressionist Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Masonite

Katarina JoysHaiku Abstract Expressionist Painting in Acrylic and Oil on Canvas

$5,594Sale Price|20% Off

H 37.4 in W 41.3 in D 1.9 in

Haiku Abstract Expressionist Painting in Acrylic and Oil on Canvas

By Katarina Joys

Located in London, London

95x105cm (Full size 98x111cm) acrylic, oil on canvas one-of-a-kind 2025 The painting will be shipped rolled without stretcher bars. All customs charges are included in the final ...

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21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

SOPHIE DUMONTPoint d’Équilibre: Contemporary Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas, 2026

$2,214

H 22.45 in W 22.45 in D 0.79 in

Point d’Équilibre: Contemporary Abstract Oil Painting on Canvas

By SOPHIE DUMONT

Located in LANGRUNE-SUR-MER, FR

Point d’Équilibre is a contemporary abstract library oil painting by French artist Sophie Dumont, combining architectural structure, layered texture and a restrained palette of ochre...

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21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Ahmed Dafrawy"Foreign Attraction" Abstract Oil Painting 31" x 24" inch by Ahmed Dafrawy, 2025

$2,650

H 31 in W 24 in D 1 in

"Foreign Attraction" Abstract Oil Painting 31" x 24" inch by Ahmed Dafrawy

By Ahmed Dafrawy

Located in Culver City, CA

"Foreign Attraction" Abstract Oil Painting 31" x 24" inch by Ahmed Dafrawy Dafrawy’s fine arts academic background started in 2014 when he received the certificate of drawing cours...

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21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel

Heinrich Maryan FramaUntitled, Nude Surreal Figures Together Slovenian French Oil Painting

$2,800

H 24.5 in W 28.5 in

Untitled, Nude Surreal Figures Together Slovenian French Oil Painting

By Heinrich Maryan Frama

Located in Surfside, FL

Genre: Surrealism Subject: Abstract Medium: Oil Surface: Canvas Country: France In this surreal composition by Heinrich M. Frama the artist clumps a group of figures towards the mid...

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20th Century Surrealist Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Clifford Mitchell Jr."Receding Flood, 1959" African American Abstract Expressionist Oil Connecticut, 1959

$16,500

H 30.25 in W 55.25 in D 2 in

"Receding Flood, 1959" African American Abstract Expressionist Oil Connecticut

Located in Yardley, PA

An exceptional, early work by important Connecticut-based artist Clifford Mitchell, Jr. (1925-2005). This fantastic abstract expressionist compositi...

Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Carole Baines"Labyrinth" Abstract Painting 83" x 83" inch by Carole Baines, 2025

$8,000

H 83 in W 83 in

"Labyrinth" Abstract Painting 83" x 83" inch by Carole Baines

By Carole Baines

Located in Culver City, CA

"Labyrinth" Abstract Painting 83" x 83" inch by Carole Baines Carole Baines is a self-taught, London-born artist based between Townsville and Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Carole...

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21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Jocelyn Auld"Two Figures with Doorway" Original Contemporary Abstract Oil Painting, Signed, 2026

$750

H 11 in W 14 in D 0.63 in

"Two Figures with Doorway" Original Contemporary Abstract Oil Painting, Signed

Located in Soquel, CA

"Two Figures with Doorway" Original Contemporary Abstract Oil Painting, Signed Vibrant oil painting by Jocelyn Auld (American, b. 1999.) Two abstracted figures stand to the left of ...

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2010s Abstract Expressionist Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

Materials

Wood, Masonite, Oil

Previously Available Items

Jimmy ErnstUntitled 1963 Abstract Oil Painting by Jimmy Ernst, 1963

Sold

H 8.5 in W 8.25 in

Untitled 1963 Abstract Oil Painting by Jimmy Ernst

By Jimmy Ernst

Located in Hudson, NY

This abstract is signed and dated "Jimmy Ernst 63" on the lower right. Measurement of artwork is 8 ½" x 8 ¼" and framed measures 15 ½" x 15" x 1 ¼" in a painted frame. Provenance: Gift from the artist to his personal friend architect John Johansen...

Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Jimmy Ernst"2:19 Blues" Jimmy Ernst, Louis Armstrong Jazz, Abstract Surrealism, 1947

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H 25 in W 24 in

"2:19 Blues" Jimmy Ernst, Louis Armstrong Jazz, Abstract Surrealism

By Jimmy Ernst

Located in New York, NY

Jimmy Ernst 2:19 Blues, 1947 Signed and dated lower right; signed, titled, and dated on the reverse Oil on canvas 23 x 22 inches Provenance: Private Collection, New Jersey An impor...

Category

1940s Surrealist Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Jimmy Ernst"Untitled, " Jimmy Ernst, Abstract Expressionism, Black Red Midcentury Surrealism, 1950

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H 18 in W 13.5 in

"Untitled, " Jimmy Ernst, Abstract Expressionism, Black Red Midcentury Surrealism

By Jimmy Ernst

Located in New York, NY

Jimmy Ernst Untitled, 1950 Watercolor on paper 18 x 13 1/2 inches Signed and dated lower right Provenance: Gift of the artist, Long Island, NY, circa 1960 Estate of the above, 2020...

Category

1950s Surrealist Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Jimmy Ernst"Untitled, " Jimmy Ernst, Abstract Expressionism, Black Red Midcentury Surrealism, 1950

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H 18 in W 13.5 in

"Untitled, " Jimmy Ernst, Abstract Expressionism, Black Red Midcentury Surrealism

By Jimmy Ernst

Located in New York, NY

Jimmy Ernst Untitled, 1950 Watercolor on paper 18 x 13 1/2 inches Signed and dated lower right Provenance: Gift of the artist, Long Island, NY, circa 1960 Estate of the above, 2020...

Category

1950s Surrealist Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Watercolor

Jimmy Ernst"Anti - Personal", 1958

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H 47 in W 49 in

"Anti - Personal"

By Jimmy Ernst

Located in Lambertville, NJ

Signed and Dated Lower Right Jimmy Ernst (1920 - 1984) The son of Dada Surrealist artist Max Ernst and art historian Louise Straus-Ernst, Jimmy Ernst was influenced by the sty...

Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist Jimmy Ernst Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Jimmy Ernst abstract paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Jimmy Ernst abstract paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Jimmy Ernst in oil paint, paint, canvas and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Jimmy Ernst abstract paintings, so small editions measuring 9 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of William Gear, Agnes Hart, and Marisa Busanel. Jimmy Ernst abstract paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $8,000 and tops out at $35,000, while the average work can sell for $24,000.