John Baldessari Photography
American, 1931-2020
Although Conceptual artist John Baldessari is best known for the richly provocative juxtapositions of photographic images and text that characterize his prints and paintings, he actually had something of a traditional art world upbringing — if such a thing exists.
Born in Southern California, Baldessari earned several art degrees, from art education to art history to painting. He also taught art at various institutions such as the California Institute of the Arts throughout his life. Among his many students were David Salle, Tony Oursler, Jim Shaw and Mike Kelley. While helping to shape the art world in Los Angeles, he simultaneously developed his own name as an artist.
In the 1950s, Baldessari’s works were primarily semiabstract paintings, but during the late 1960s, he began to distance himself from painting, as he bristled at the idea of limiting art to a single medium. Baldessari decided to take his career in a dramatically different direction. He burned all his paintings at a funeral home in San Diego, then incorporated the ashes into cookie dough, producing (nonedible) baked goods for an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
“It was a very public and symbolic act,” he said, “like announcing you’re going on a diet in order to stick to it.”
From that point on, Baldessari took on an MO of experimentation, dabbling in mediums from video to printmaking to sculpture. “I just stare at something and say: Why isn’t that art? Why couldn’t that be art?” he said in an interview in 2008.
The works for which Baldessari is most highly regarded, however, are striking collages of images and text — many of which are seemingly nonsensical — such as Tom’s Hand Grips the Steering, Wheel… (2015), in which the title’s text is displayed beneath a hippopotamus. As such is his body of work: bringing a sense of joviality to the sometimes too-serious world of Conceptual art.
Before he died in 2020, Baldessari was honored with the 2014 National Medal of Arts Award, the Americans for the Arts Lifetime Achievement Award, the Venice Biennale’s Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement and more.
Find original John Baldessari art on 1stDibs.
to
1
1
6
1
1
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
8
1
4
7
1
8
1
4
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
1
1
1
1
61
10,172
2,780
2,504
1,383
1
8
1
Artist: John Baldessari
Signed John Baldessari print 1991 (Baldessari Love and Work)
By John Baldessari
Located in NEW YORK, NY
John Baldessari Love and Work 1991:
Baldessari’s Love & Work 1991, photogravure and color aquatint, features clasped hands clutching surrealistically amidst a black background. Classic, timeless Baldessari imagery that is sure to work well in any setting.
Medium: Color photogravure and aquatint on wove paper. 1991.
Dimensions: 26 x 11.5 inches.
Well-preserved and in very good overall condition. Framed in acrylic plexiglass.
One of the 15 numbered artist's proofs, aside from the general edition of 60.
Signed, inscribed "A.P." and numbered 12/15 in pencil, lower margin.
Published by Brooke Alexander, Inc., New York.
Collections:
MoMa New York
John Baldessari:
It is hard to characterize John Baldessari's varied practice—which includes photomontage, artist’s books, prints, paintings, film, performance, and installation—except through his approach of good-humored irreverence. Baldessari is commonly associated with Conceptual or Minimalist art, though he has called this characterization “a little bit boring.” His two-dimensional works often incorporate found images, composed in layers or presented as distinct pieces with an element of surprise, like a brightly colored geometric shape in the place of a face or a starkly printed sardonic caption. Baldessari has demonstrated a lasting interest in language and semantics, articulating these concerns through the use of puns or the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated images and words, as in his 1978 work Blasted Allegories. His self-referencing photomontages and use of text have been sources of inspiration for countless artists, including Cindy Sherman, David Salle, and Barbara Kruger. Baldessari identifies his own artistic lineage, saying, "I would prefer to go to the source with Duchamp rather than credit Warhol as an influence."
Related Categories:
Surrealist. Ed Ruscha. Los Angeles. Conceptual art. Photography. Minimalist. John Baldessari prints.
Category
1990s Pop Art John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Aquatint, Photogravure, Lithograph, Screen
"Four Hands and a Baseball Bat" by John Baldessari (Monochrome, Sports, Photo)
By John Baldessari
Located in New York, NY
This is a black and white archival inkjet print on Canson Infinity paper. Hand signed and numbered by the artist, John Baldessari. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Lincoln Cent...
Category
2010s Conceptual John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
John Baldessari, Throwing Three Balls in the Air to Get a Straight Line
By John Baldessari
Located in Hamburg, DE
John Baldessari (American, 1931-2020)
Throwing Three Balls in the Air to Get a Straight Line (Best of Thirty-Six Attempts), 1973
Medium: Complete set of twelve offset lithographs i...
Category
20th Century Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Offset
National City (4)
By John Baldessari
Located in New York, NY
Edition of 12
Color photographs with acrylic paint
Category
1990s Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Price Upon Request
National City (6)
By John Baldessari
Located in New York, NY
Edition of 12
Color photographs with acrylic paint
Category
1990s Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Materials
C Print
Price Upon Request
National City (W)
By John Baldessari
Located in New York, NY
Edition 10/12
Color photographs with acrylic paint
Category
1990s Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Materials
C Print
Price Upon Request
National City 5
By John Baldessari
Located in New York, NY
1 from a series of 8 color photographs with acrylic paint
Category
20th Century Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Materials
C Print
Price Upon Request
National City 2
By John Baldessari
Located in New York, NY
1 from a series of 8 color photographs with acrylic paint
Category
20th Century Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper
Price Upon Request
National City 1
By John Baldessari
Located in New York, NY
1 from a series of 8 color photographs with acrylic paint
Category
20th Century Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Mixed Media
Price Upon Request
Related Items
H2O l - large format photograph of sun reflections on pool water surface
By Erik Pawassar
Located in San Francisco, CA
mesmerizing light reflections of glistening sunlight on turquoise aquamarine water surface, an homage to the iconic pool reflections paintings by artist David Hockney
H2O by Erik Pa...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Plexiglass, Archival Ink, Giclée, Ar...
snowstorm over Provincetown Harbor (from Cook Street Beach), Provincetown
By Frank Yamrus
Located in New York, NY
Archival pigment print (Edition of 11)
Signed, dated, and numbered, verso
This photograph is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City.
Please note that prices increase as editi...
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Archival Pigment
Flora Italiana ( Waratah Red ) - large format botanical still life photograph
By Linda Rosewall
Located in San Francisco, CA
Original large format still life photograph from Linda Rosewall's series "Flora Italiana", an intensely beautiful body of works exploring the botanical splendor of Italian flowers with highly detailed captures
Flora Italiana ( Waratah Red )
64 x 48 inches (162 x 122cm)
signed edition of 7
40 x 30 inches (102 x 76cm)
signed edition of 25
archival fine art pigment print
signed & numbered by artist on label
custom/larger sizes are available on request
___________________
About the artist
Linda Rosewall’s artistic path was cemented during her childhood. She was inspired by her farther, an accomplished musician and composer who raised his six children as a performing family act.
The experience of traveling the United States and Canada in a small airplane piloted by her father provided the opportunity for Linda to capture these moments on her small Kodak Instamatic Camera.
At the age of 18, she enrolled at Columbia College of Fine Arts Chicago. During her studies, Linda apprenticed under photographer Norman Bilisko and later worked with Dennis Manarchy...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
$3,800
H 64 in W 48 in D 0.03 in
Flora Italiana ( Papavero Bianco ) - large scale botanical still life photograph
By Linda Rosewall
Located in San Francisco, CA
Original large format still life photograph from Linda Rosewall's botany study series "Flora Italiana", an intensely beautiful body of works exploring the botanical splendor of Italian flowers in the natural world with highly detailed captures.
Flora Italiana ( Papavero Bianco )
delicate white poppy flower petals
64 x 48 inches (162 x 122cm)
signed edition of 7
40 x 30 inches (102 x 76cm)
signed edition of 25
archival fine art pigment print
signed & numbered by artist on label
custom/larger sizes are available on request
___________________
About the artist
Linda Rosewall’s artistic path was cemented during her childhood. She was inspired by her farther, an accomplished musician and composer who raised his six children as a performing family act.
The experience of traveling the United States and Canada in a small airplane piloted by her father provided the opportunity for Linda to capture these moments on her small Kodak Instamatic Camera.
At the age of 18, she enrolled at Columbia College of Fine Arts Chicago. During her studies, Linda apprenticed under photographer Norman Bilisko and later worked with Dennis Manarchy...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Cloud Study I - large format photograph of dramatic cloudscape sky
By Frank Schott
Located in San Francisco, CA
an homage to Caspar David Friedrich, towering thunder clouds over the Mediterranean Sea, captured with a large format camera to allow epic scale photograph...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Archival Paper, Giclée, Black and ...
$4,400
H 48 in W 72 in
Descending Circles, White and Blue, Handmade Unique Monotype Cyanotype, Paper
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This cyanotype monotype features a constellation of overlapping circular forms that seem to hover like celestial bodies or drifting clouds. The soft, mottled texture within each whit...
Category
2010s Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Paper, Monotype
H2O IV - Homage to David Hockney
By Erik Pawassar
Located in San Francisco, CA
large format photograph of sun reflections on pool water surface, mesmerizing light reflections of glistening sunlight on turquoise aquamarine water surface, an homage to the iconic ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Ink, Giclée
H2O IV - large format photograph of sun reflections on pool water surface
By Erik Pawassar
Located in San Francisco, CA
mesmerizing light reflections of glistening sunlight on turquoise aquamarine water surface, an homage to the iconic pool reflections paintings by artist David Hockney
40 x 32 inches...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
$2,200
H 40 in W 32 in D 0.03 in
Flora I - large format photograph of abstract floral and liquid cloud explosion
By Christian Stoll
Located in San Francisco, CA
large scale abstraction of floral water clouds in a liquid landscape
FLORA I by Christian Stoll
48 x 76 inches (122 x 193cm)
signed edition of 7
25 x 40 inches (64 x 102cm)
signe...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Giclée
Christian StollFlora I - large format photograph of abstract floral and liquid cloud explosion, 2016
$4,400
H 48 in W 76 in D 0.1 in
Flora Italiana (Waratah Red) - large format botanical still life photograph
By Linda Rosewall
Located in San Francisco, CA
Original large format still life photograph from Linda Rosewall's series "Flora Italiana", an intensely beautiful body of works exploring the botanical ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
$1,800
H 40 in W 30 in D 0.03 in
LA Parking - large scale photograph of midcentury urban architectural element
By Frank Schott
Located in San Francisco, CA
LA Parking by Frank Schott
a burst of red in an urban landscape of striking minimalism, from a series of photographs capturing the mid century modern architecture and architectural e...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Archival Ink, Giclée
Marmo di Carrara - large format photograph of iconic Italian marble quarry
By Frank Schott
Located in San Francisco, CA
Signed large scale photograph of the Mediterranean marble quarries in Carrara, Italy, iconic material source of classic Italian art and architecture, captured with a large format camera to allow epic scale print sizes with incredible image details
Marmo di Carrara...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Archival Pigment, Archival Ink, Giclée
$2,200
H 27 in W 40 in D 0.3 in
Previously Available Items
Millennium Piece (With Blue Apple)
By John Baldessari
Located in New York, NY
Iris print (Edition of 100)
Signed and numbered, recto
It is hard to characterize John Baldessari's varied practice—which includes photomontage, artist’s books, prints, paintings,...
Category
1990s Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Color
Learn to Read
By John Baldessari
Located in Dubai, Dubai
Offset Lithograph on coated satin white stock paper
22.00 x 17.00 in (55.9 x 43.2 cm)
Produced in a limited edition (exact edition size believed to be c.1,000).
Sold in excellent ...
Category
Early 2000s Conceptual John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Lithograph
Millennium Piece (With Blue Apple)
By John Baldessari
Located in New York, NY
Iris print (Edition of 100)
Signed and numbered, recto\
This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City.
It is hard to characterize John Baldessari's varied practice—...
Category
1990s Contemporary John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Color
Millennium Piece (With Blue Apple)
By John Baldessari
Located in New York, NY
Iris print
Signed and numbered, recto
(Edition of 100)
This work is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City.
About the artist:
It is hard to characterize John Baldessari's var...
Category
1990s Post-Modern John Baldessari Photography
Materials
Color
Blue Masterstroke over Red Diagram and Two Cowboys
By John Baldessari
Located in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Edition of 60. Signed by the artist lower right under image. Edition number lower right under image. Includes custom white wood frame in UV acrylic.
Category
20th Century John Baldessari Photography
John Baldessari photography for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic John Baldessari photography available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of photography to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of blue and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by John Baldessari in c print, aquatint, archival ink and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large John Baldessari photography, so small editions measuring 12 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Anthony Goicolea, Bill Jacobson, and William Greiner. John Baldessari photography prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $4,000 and tops out at $14,268, while the average work can sell for $8,300.