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.
$20,000
MVD #91
By Larry Bell
Located in New York, NY
Larry Bell (born 6 December, 1939) is an American contemporary artist and sculptor. He is best known for his glass boxes and large-scaled illusionistic sculptures. He is a grant reci...
Mixed Media, Paper
$1,000
Larry Bell - Tony Shafrazi Gallery invitation (hand signed by Larry Bell) Framed
By Larry Bell
Located in New York, NY
Rare vintage offset lithograph invitation to the exhibition: Larry Bell at Tony Shafrazi, 130 Prince Street, SoHo New York, February 16 – March 23, 1991 The card has been boldly sign...
Lithograph, Offset
$3,000
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...
Mixed Media
Larry Bell Abstract Mixed Media Fraction Series #1331 - Signed in Graphite
By Larry Bell
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Larry Bell Abstract Mixed Media in excellent condition from his “Fraction” Series. The work is nicely framed. Sheet size is: 10 x 9 3/4 inches. The frame is 13 3/8 x 13 3/8 inches. T...
Paper, Mixed Media
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...
Fabric, Canvas, Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Larry Bell Abstract Mixed Media Fraction Series #948 - Signed in Graphite
By Larry Bell
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Larry Bell Abstract Mixed Media in excellent condition from his “Fraction” Series. The work is nicely framed. Sheet size is: 10 x 10 inches. The frame is 13 3/8 x 13 3/8 inches. The ...
Paper, Mixed Media
$2,500
Larry Bell - Rare Fragments poster, Signed and Inscribed to Charles Rand Penney
By Larry Bell
Located in New York, NY
Larry Bell Rare, historic Signed and Inscribed Poster, 1981 Silkscreen Poster Exhibition entitled "Fragments and other Considerations" Hand Signed, inscribed and dated by the artist ...
Screen
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...
Screen
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
Mixed Media
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
Mixed Media
$2,200
H 26 in W 51 in D 2 in
Indian Contemporary Art by Sumit Mehndiratta - Nailed it Series No.98
By Sumit Mehndiratta
Located in Paris, IDF
Silk thread on wooden panel - artwork can be shipped only framed in a crate
Wood, Mixed Media
$1,008
H 25.6 in W 19.69 in
"El patito feo" by Antonio Saura, Abstract Print, Duckling, Blue, Bright Colors
By Antonio Saura
Located in Köln, DE
Color lithgraph by Antonio Saura "El patito feo", 1997 65 x 50 cm Copy 186/250 Edition of 285 Antonio Saura (Huesca, Spain 1930–1998 Cuenca) found his...
Lithograph
$5,370
H 48 in W 67 in
My Joyful Heart - Lively Colorful Abstract 3-D Painted Weaving
By Shiri Phillips
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Impasto-painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Her paintings are flooded with texture through the layering of acrylic paint i...
Wire
Valentine
By Katherine Bello
Located in Kansas City, MO
Artist : Katherine Bello Title : Valentine Materials : Acrylic and paper on board Date : 1/2020 Dimensions : 18"x18"x.75" Signed and Dated by Hand COA Provided Katherine Bello's aim as an artist is to capture a sense of place, a moment of time, or a feeling - to evoke a sense of wonder. Bello loves paint and paint brushes; bold, gestural mark-making and the interplay of color. She is influenced by light and landscape, poetry, history and science. Formerly educated in Chemical Engineering and Interior Design, Bello is drawn to the process of creating Something out of Nothing. Abstract, sbstract art...
Canvas, Paint, Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Board
$635
H 9 in W 9 in
Glowing Sunset II - Original Vibrant Warm Tone Textured Abstract Artwork Framed
By Frederic Paul
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The delicate and poetic artworks of painter Frederic Paul reference his Asian roots in expressive and elaborate compositions. Inspired by the bold colors, spices, flora, and landscap...
Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Rice Paper
$15,500
H 40 in W 50 in D 1.5 in
"Love for Meadow VIII", Colorful Bright Abstract Painting, Textured Impasto
By Sveta Hessler
Located in Carmel, CA
Sveta Hessler (Russian, born 1973) "Love for Meadow VIII" 2026 Acrylic and mixed media on stretched canvas Signed on verso. "Love for Meadow VIII" is a richly textured contemporary ...
Canvas, Stretcher Bars, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$2,000
H 28 in W 28 in D 0.5 in
Gemini, 1960s Op Art geometric silkscreen, mixed media paper, Signed AP, Framed
By Anne Youkeles
Located in New York, NY
Anne Youkeles Gemini, ca. 1969 Three-dimensional mixed media silkscreen on folded sheets of thin card Hand-signed by artist in pencil, titled and annotated Artist's Proof I from the ...
Paper, Mixed Media, Laid Paper, Screen
$9,000
H 21 in W 29 in
"Roman Walls #21" Cleve Gray, Vibrant Red, Abstract Expressionist, Gestural
By Cleve Gray
Located in New York, NY
Cleve Gray Roman Walls #21, 1980 Signed and dated lower right; signed, titled, and dated on the reverse Acrylic and marble dust on paper, mounted on linen 20 x 28 inches Provenance ...
Canvas, Linen, Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$650
H 29 in W 21.5 in
Vintage Agam American Portrait Abstract Modernist Offset Print Poster
By Yaacov Agam
Located in Surfside, FL
Yaacov Agam, Israeli (b. 1928), after Offset Print Poster: Birth of a Flag: An American Portrait 1776-1976 Biographical info: The son of a rabbi, Yaacov Agam can trace his ancestry...
Offset
Poster for Peace
By Robert Rauschenberg
Located in New York, NY
A very good impression of this color offset lithograph with strong colors. Signed, dated and numbered 230/250 in pencil by Rauschenberg. Published by S...
Color, Lithograph, Offset
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
H 30 in W 22 in
Pass Series 105: Abstract Geometric Mixed Media on Paper, 30x22 in
By Lloyd Martin
Located in Lake Worth, FL
Artist: Lloyd Martin Title: Pass Series 105 Size: 30 x 22 inches Medium: Mixed media, acrylic, pastel, graphite, collage on paper Year: 2018 Price: 3,500 American artist Lloyd Marti...
Paste, Paper, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Graphite
Pat Lay, KB0952-2-P, 2015, Mixed Media
By Pat Lay
Located in Darien, CT
Art history has always been a source of inspiration. Since 2010 she has been specifically interested in investigating Tibetan Tangkas. Visiting key collections nearby at the Newark Museum, the Metropolitan Museum and the Rubin Museum repeatedly studying their structure and content. Pat Lay has used computer data and computer parts...
Ink, Mixed Media, Handmade Paper, Digital Pigment, Screen
Barcelona, Abstract Geometric Lithograph by Larry Bell
By Larry Bell
Located in Long Island City, NY
Larry Bell, American (1939 - ) - Barcelona, Year: 1989, Medium: Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 62/75, Size: 30 x 22 in. (76.2 x 55.88 cm)
Lithograph
Untitled (In Barcelona Suite), Larry Bell
By Larry Bell
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Larry Bell (1939) Title: Untitled (In Barcelona Suite) Year: 1989 Medium: Color Aquatint on Arches paper Edition: 53/75, plus proofs Size: 30 x 22 inches...
Aquatint
Untitled (In Barcelona Suite), Larry Bell
By Larry Bell
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Larry Bell (1939) Title: Untitled (In Barcelona Suite) Year: 1989 Medium: Color Aquatint on Arches paper Edition: 75, plus proofs Size: 3...
Aquatint
Cube # 32 (Amber / Green)
By Larry Bell
Located in London, GB
Larry Bell Cube # 32 (Amber / Green) 2005 Coloured glass coated with inconel 50.8 x 50.8 x 50.8 cms (20 x 20 x 20 ins) LB9551
Glass
Cube #7 (Green / Clear)
By Larry Bell
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)
Glass
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 ...
Paper
Untitled (Horizontal Fade Ellipse)
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 ...
Paper
MSMS 20
By Larry Bell
Located in Houston, TX
Mixed media abstract by Larry Bell.
Canvas, Mixed Media
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 ...
Brass
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 ...
Glass
Cube #20-2-92
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 ...
Glass
Lux III ED. 35/150
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 ...
Canvas, Mirror