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Larry Bell Art

American, b. 1939

The legendary Los Angeles art scene of the 1960s produced many spectacular visual artists, such as Ed Moses, Billy Al Bengston and James Turrell. Painter and sculptor Larry Bell is arguably among the most influential of the era’s marquee names. A quintessential contemporary abstract artist, Bell explored light with glass sculptures that are difficult to categorize, while his abstract prints are a meditation on color. Whether working in two or three dimensions, Bell's artistic intuition always leads the way.

Bell was born in 1939 in Chicago and grew up in California. From 1957 to 1959, he attended the Los Angeles Chouinard Art Institute where he created monochromatic abstract oil paintings that drew on Abstract Expressionism. Soon, he began incorporating mirrors and glass in his designs, which eventually evolved into provocative sculptural works.

During the mid-1960s, Bell developed his signature technique of modifying how light moves through and is reflected in his sculptures. Working with glass cubes he built, Bell used an industrial process that sees vaporized metals becoming thin plastic films to be added to the works’ interior panels. He essentially turned his transparent boxes into tapestries of diffuse color. Bell showed his cubes at a solo exhibition at Pace Gallery in New York City in 1965. The show was a huge success, selling out on its first day.

Bell continued experimenting with new methods and techniques, shifting his focus to larger and more monumental works in the late 1960s. In the 1970s, he developed adjustable glass sculptures with as many as fifty-six panels. He also dabbled in bronze sculpture and furniture design.

Throughout his career, Bell has exhibited widely, with shows at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Norton Simon Museum in California, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Denver Art Museum, Carré d'Art-Musée d'art contemporain de Nîmes in France and Tate Britain, among many others.

In 2019, gallerist Peter Blake held a show celebrating West Coast minimalism, including the work of Bell as a respected and influential veteran in the space. Later, in 2022, Hauser & Wirth gallery in Los Angeles held a joint exhibition featuring the work of Bell and artist John Chamberlain. The two artists were lifelong friends who met in the 1960s Los Angeles art scene. In a sense, the show brought Bell back full circle.

Find original Larry Bell art on 1stDibs.

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Nude 1, Large Conceptual Art Nude Screenprint by Larry Bell

Nude 1, Large Conceptual Art Nude Screenprint by Larry Bell

By Larry Bell

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Larry Bell, American (1939 - ) Title: Nude 1 Year: 1974 Medium: Screenprint with Flocking, signed, dated and numbered in pencil Edition: 17/60 Image Size: 71 x 28.5 inches Si...

Category

1970s Conceptual Larry Bell Art

Materials

Screen

Larry Bell, Untitled (Fraction of Fractions), mixed media, unique, signed
Larry Bell, Untitled (Fraction of Fractions), mixed media, unique, signed

Larry Bell, Untitled (Fraction of Fractions), mixed media, unique, signed

By Larry Bell

Located in New York, NY

Larry Bell Untitled (Fraction of Fractions), 2000 Pink, green and black painted elements with applied canvas and paper strips on French watercolor paper Pencil signed and dated lowe...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Larry Bell Art

Materials

Fabric, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Fraction
Fraction

Fraction

By Larry Bell

Located in London, GB

FRACTIONS The Fractions are a large body of small works on paper that Larry Bell made using collaged pieces of discarded Mirage works. Each Fraction is composed of one or more 3×3” s...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Larry Bell Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Fraction Series (4522) 12/21/98

Fraction Series (4522) 12/21/98

By Larry Bell

Located in London, GB

Larry Bell Fraction Series (LB 4522) 1998 Mixed media and collage on paper 25.4 x 25.4 cms (10 x 10 ins) LB 4368

Category

1990s Abstract Larry Bell Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Fractions Series (LB 4970)

Fractions Series (LB 4970)

By Larry Bell

Located in London, GB

Larry Bell Fractions Series (LB 4970) 1999 Collage on paper 25.4 x 25.4 cms (10 x 10 ins) LB11

Category

1990s Abstract Larry Bell Art

Materials

Mixed Media

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Larry BellCube #7 (Green / Clear), 2006

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H 15 in W 15 in D 15 in

Cube #7 (Green / Clear)

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Located in London, GB

Larry Bell Cube 7 (Green / Clear) 2006 Coloured glass coated with inconel, green clear and water clear coated glass 38.1 x 38.1 x 38.1 cms (15 x 15 x 15 ins)

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Untitled

Larry BellUntitled, 1978

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H 71 in W 41.5 in

Untitled

By Larry Bell

Located in Laguna Beach, CA

Larry Bell is most commonly known for his Minimalist sculptures—transparent cubes that thrive on the interplay of shape, light, and environment— that champion the ideas of the Light ...

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Untitled (Horizontal Fade Ellipse)

Untitled (Horizontal Fade Ellipse)

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Located in Laguna Beach, CA

Larry Bell is most commonly known for his Minimalist sculptures—transparent cubes that thrive on the interplay of shape, light, and environment— that champion the ideas of the Light ...

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1980s Minimalist Larry Bell Art

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Larry BellMSMS 20, 1993

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H 42 in W 42 in D 1.5 in

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Mixed media abstract by Larry Bell.

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1990s Modern Larry Bell Art

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Larry BellCube #20-2-92, 1993

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H 20 in W 20 in D 20 in

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Located in Laguna Beach, CA

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Larry Bell art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Larry Bell 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 pink and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Larry Bell in mixed media, canvas, fabric 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 Larry Bell art, so small editions measuring 10 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Richard Tuttle, Cy Twombly, and Charles Arnoldi. Larry Bell art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,000 and tops out at $200,000, while the average work can sell for $3,000.

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Questions About Larry Bell Art
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Larry Bell is a sculpture and installation artist born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 6, 1939. He is especially known for producing large illusionist works out of clear and colored glass. You'll find a collection of Larry Bell art on 1stDibs.