Lee Reynolds Burr opened his Vanguard Studios in Beverly Hills, California, in 1964 to make oil paintings an attainable decoration for any American household. With seascapes, nautical scenes, still lifes, bullfights, cowboys, pastoral views, hot-air balloons, horse races and abstractions, there was a Vanguard Studios creation to match any taste and interior.
Born in Los Angeles, Burr studied art at the University of Southern California. After graduating and a stint in the U.S. Army, he worked in a local studio as a painter before becoming a home decor entrepreneur with financial support from his mother.
Only a fraction of the alleged hundreds of thousands of oil paintings produced by Vanguard were actually painted by Burr, even though they were signed “Lee Reynolds,” “Lee Burr” or just “Reynolds.” (As he would later state, those signed solely “Lee Reynolds Burr” were by his own hand, and he would sometimes include a thumbprint as proof.) Instead, a team of artists organized in an assembly line hand-painted and copied works on an eclectic range of subjects, the originals often being created by Burr while other canvases were purchased at auctions in Europe and reproduced at Vanguard. Sold in furniture stores and through interior decorators nationwide, the Reynolds-signed paintings soon became ubiquitous above couches in living rooms all over the United States.
These paintings regularly mirrored art-world trends, such as the Abstract Expressionism of the 1960s, but at prices that were much more affordable than fine art. Vanguard Studios was sold to the Kirsch Company in 1974, but Burr’s name was still used on Vanguard paintings. Burr would start East Park Gallery in 1981 and continue to produce works in a more contemporary style until his retirement in 1998.
In the collection of Impressionist and abstract paintings on 1stDibs, find a range of authentic Lee Reynolds paintings.
$1,280Sale Price|20% Off
“Cityscape”
By Lee Reynolds
Located in Southampton, NY
Original oil and acrylic painting on canvas of a contemporary cityscape.. Signed Lee Reynolds lower right. Vanguard Studio label verso. Circa 1975. Condition is excellent. The pain...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
“Woman putting on lipstick”
By Lee Reynolds
Located in Warren, NJ
Lee Reynolds Painting Oil Canvas Original 4’x5’ “woman Putting on Lipstick”. Stunning painting in good condition. Buyer must pickup or hire shipping service
Oil
Red Abstract OiI Compostion by Lee Reynolds
By Lee Reynolds
Located in Pasadena, CA
Modern Abstract Year: 1960-1970 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed lower right Size: Abstract oil on canvas by Lee Reynolds was a popular artist in the 1960s known for oversized, color...
Oil
Red Abstract OiI Compostion by Lee Reynolds
By Lee Reynolds
Located in Pasadena, CA
Modern Abstract Year: 1960-1970 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed lower right Size: Abstract oil on canvas by Lee Reynolds was a popular artist in the 1960s known for oversized, color...
Oil
Where I am - presence creates reality
By Mariia Voronchak
Located in Zofingen, AG
At the heart of the composition is a woman with a cello, immersed in her playing — a sound that flows not just from her hands, but from her entire being. Her face is calm and focused...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$9,449Sale Price|20% Off
H 32.68 in W 47.64 in
Toilet Venus Albani Mythological 17/18th Century Paint Oil on canvas Old master
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Toilet of Venus Francesco Albani (Bologna 1578 - 1660) Follower of Oil on canvas 64 x 96 cm In fine gilded frame 83 x 121 cm. The painting on offer, depicting ‘Venus’ Toilet',...
Oil
$5,522Sale Price|20% Off
H 30.32 in W 25.6 in
Lamentation Christ Van Dyck Paint 17/18th Century Oil on canvas Old master Art
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Lamentation of Christ Follower of Anthony van Dyck (Antwerp 1599 - London 1641) Late 17th-early 18th century Oil on canvas (64 x 51 cm. - Framed 77 x 65 cm.) This is a very...
Oil
$4,720
H 60.63 in W 44.49 in D 1.97 in
Realist Coastal Seascape with Sailing Boats by Ramón Martí Alsina
Located in Sant Celoni, ES
RAMÓN MARTÍ ALSINA (Barcelona, 1826–1894). "Coastal Seascape with Sailing Boats." Circa 1860 Oil on canvas. Signed lower right. Dimensions: 137 × 97 cm (53.94 × 38.19 in). ; 154 × 1...
Oil
$9,695Sale Price|20% Off
H 33.08 in W 38.98 in
Myth Apollo Issa De Lairesse Paint 17/18th Century Oil on canvas Old master Art
Located in Riva del Garda, IT
Gérard de Lairesse (Liège 1641 - Amsterdam 1711) workshop The Myth of Apollo and Issa (from Ovid, Metamorphoses, book VI, 122-124) Oil on canvas 65 x 82 cm. - Framed 84 x 99 cm...
Oil
$2,360Sale Price|28% Off
H 24.02 in W 29.14 in
Spanish Landscape Oil Painting on Canvas, Impressionist, Circa 1890
By Enrique Galwey
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Enrique Galwey (1864-1931) - Landscape - Oil canvas Oil measurements 61x74 cm. Frameless. Signed down right (Barcelona 1864-1931). Spanish painter. He began his training at the San ...
Canvas, Oil
$1,575Sale Price|25% Off
H 35.44 in W 35.44 in
Hide and seek, 90x90 cm, oil on canvas
By Elizeveta Pugacheva
Located in Yerevan, AM
My work touches on the importance of home and a sense of security. I believe it is a basic human need to feel like someone is waiting for you. I depict not only my homeland, but also...
Canvas, Oil
$2,265Sale Price|20% Off
H 25.6 in W 21.26 in
Spanish Lady with Mantilla and Red Carnation Portrait Oil 1929 European art
By Daniel Sabater y Salabert
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Spanish Lady with Mantilla and Red Carnation Portrait Oil 1929 Artist: Daniel Sabater Salabert (Valencia, 1888 – Barcelona, 1951) Medium: Oil on panel Dimensions: 65 x 54 cm (25.6 x...
Oil
$23,750
H 24 in W 48.25 in D 2 in
"Panorama Flight" Multicolor Butterflies on Brilliant Gold Background Framed
By Hunt Slonem
Located in New York, NY
A wonderful composition of one of Slonem's most iconic subjects, Butterflies. This piece depicts multicolor delicate butterflies in ascension placed in a wonderful brilliant golden l...
Oil, Wood Panel
$1,758
H 19.69 in W 19.69 in D 1.19 in
"White Landscape" l Abstract Painting, Contemporary Art by Marilina Marchica
By Marilina Marchica
Located in Agrigento, AG
White Landscape mixed media on canvas 50x50 cm 2019 original Artwork Ready to Hang My painting tells of the relationship between man, nature and time, the landscape, the sign a...
Enamel
$3,068
H 35.44 in W 51.19 in D 0.79 in
Light 5 July 04:23, Modern Landscape Painting, Minimalistic, Abstract, Sea View
By Robert Motelski
Located in Hallein, AT
Robert Motelski's paintings are exceptional visions of nature, visions of space which surrounds us. They tell about being, fate and passing. They depend on the season of year, the ti...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$1,026
H 43.31 in W 27.56 in D 0.79 in
Where I am - a melody of tenderness sounds
By Mariia Voronchak
Located in Zofingen, AG
At the center of the painting stands a woman immersed in a state of inner harmony, playing the flute as if the very space around her responds to her melody. Her figure is gentle and ...
Canvas, Acrylic, Oil
Sold
H 31.5 in W 88.19 in
Extra-large 1990 abstract contemporary oil painting in pastel colors
By Lee Reynolds
Located in Frederiksberg C, DK
This extra-large contemporary oil painting by American artist Lee Reynolds Burr from 1990 hangs as a relaxing and joyful interior element. In this co...
Canvas, Oil
Large Red and Orange Abstract Painting
By Lee Reynolds
Located in Houston, TX
Large Lee Reynolds abstract painting that incorporates hues of Red, Orange, and White. The painting is framed and signed in the bottom right corner. Dimensions Without Frame: H 48 in. x W 60 in. x D 1.5 in. Artist Biography: Born in Los Angeles, Lee Reynolds Burr has a BFA from the University of Southern California. He has served as Chairman, Board of Directors of East Park Gallery in Los Angeles. Lee was born in Los Angeles, CA in 1936 to Hazel Stuart Burr and Charles Reynolds Burr. He attended Los Angeles High School and received his fine arts degree at USC. Lee enlisted in the US Army and was honorably discharged in 1956. Upon his return to Los Angeles Lee worked for a local studio as a painter. He quickly realized he wanted to start his own art business and in the 1960’s used a small loan from his mother to found Vanguard Studios in Beverly Hills, CA. He was the director for Vanguard Studios in Beverly Hills, California in the late sixties and many thousands of artworks bear the signature "Lee Reynolds" or "Lee Burr...
Canvas, Oil, ABS
Sold
H 30.25 in W 60.25 in
Lee Reynolds Vanguard Studios Mid Century Abstract Oil Painting c.1960s
By Lee Reynolds
Located in San Francisco, CA
Lee Reynolds Vanguard Studios Mid Century Abstract Oil Painting c.1960s Fabulous sixties abstract painting created at Vanguard Studios in Beverly Hills, California. Original oil on...
Canvas, Oil