Skip to main content

Lee Reynolds Figurative Paintings

American, 1936-2017

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.

to
1
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
20
466
321
258
228
1
1
Artist: Lee Reynolds
Orchestra
By Lee Reynolds
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Figurative abstract oil on canvas of a performing orchestra. Great colors and brushstrokes. Signed lower right.
Category

1980s Abstract Impressionist Lee Reynolds Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Related Items
Large Original Oil Painting Abstract Expressionist Horse
Located in Soquel, CA
Stunning large scale abstract expressionist horse's head/eye, circa 1990. Unsigned. Unframed. Size: 60"H x 60"W x 1.5.
Category

1990s Abstract Impressionist Lee Reynolds Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Stretcher Bars

Large Original Oil Painting Abstract Expressionist Horse
Large Original Oil Painting Abstract Expressionist Horse
$2,000 Sale Price
20% Off
H 60 in W 60 in D 1.5 in
Na Kumuwaiwai Hohonu, Underwater Spirt - Hawaiian Symbolist Figurative
By Marguerite Blasingame
Located in Soquel, CA
Na Kumuwaiwai Hohonu, Underwater Spirt - Hawaiian Symbolist Figurative Hawaiian symbolist nocturnal figurative of glowing whispy figure underwater with mountains and red coral garden by Marguerite Louis Blasingame (American; 1906-1947), circa 1940-45. Marguerite and her husband Frank Blasingame...
Category

1940s Abstract Impressionist Lee Reynolds Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Large Original Vintage oil Painting on Canvas, Figures, Framed, Signed Colvin
Located in Palm Coast, FL
This is a one-on-kind vintage oil painting on canvas depicting two figures. Presented in a nice gold frame The painting is in good vintage condition. Please see the photos. Measur...
Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Impressionist Lee Reynolds Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

John E. Thompson 1945 Interior Still Life, Colorado Modernist Oil Painting
By John Edward Thompson
Located in Denver, CO
This original 1945 oil painting by renowned Colorado modernist John E. Thompson (1882–1945) captures a serene and elegant interior still life. Featuring a delicate arrangement of a f...
Category

1940s Abstract Impressionist Lee Reynolds Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

"Two for Francis" Mixed Media Figural Abstract Oil Painting
By Marianne Kolb
Located in Surfside, FL
Marianne Kolb (born 1958 in Bern) is a self-taught Swiss painter currently living in the United States. She is known for her emotionally-charged figurative paintings that address the human condition. Kolb paints directly onto canvas with her hands, placing her figures in isolation on a monochromatic...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Impressionist Lee Reynolds Figurative Paintings

Materials

Paper, Varnish, Oil, Board

A Musician oil painting by Frederick E. Wright
Located in Hudson, NY
This work of a young musician by Frederick E. Wright is set in an exceptional original Doll & Richards, Boston, frame. The framed dimensions are 16' x 13 1/3" x 1". A hand-written la...
Category

Late 19th Century Abstract Impressionist Lee Reynolds Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Panel

Very Large Colorful French Oil Painting Group of Figures Chatting in Cafe Park
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Figures Chatting by Younnes Bouhabi (French contemporary) signed oil on canvas fabric pinned on board, unframed board: 31.5 x 39.5 inches Provenance: private collection, Paris Condit...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist Lee Reynolds Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Femme de petite vertue à la cigarette Signed Oil Painting
By Natalia Antadze
Located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Fabulous original French oil painting, depicting this "Femme de petite vertue", seated within an interior smkoing a cigarette. Beside her on the table, sits a bowl of strawberries an...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Impressionist Lee Reynolds Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Femme de petite vertue à la cigarette Signed Oil Painting
$1,636 Sale Price
30% Off
H 27.56 in W 19.69 in D 1.97 in
3rd Avenue
By Kim Dorland
Located in Vancouver, CA
Kim Dorland is a contemporary Canadian artist known for his expressive landscape paintings that blend abstraction and realism. Born in 1974 in Wainwright, Alberta, Dorland earned his...
Category

2010s Abstract Impressionist Lee Reynolds Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Wood Panel

3rd Avenue
3rd Avenue
$60,000 Sale Price
20% Off
H 96 in W 144 in
Seated Nude, Contemporary Oil Painting on Canvas by Miriam Bromberg
By Miriam Bromberg
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Miriam Bromberg Title: Nude Year: circa 1970 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.l. Size: 30 in. x 24 in. (76.2 cm x 60.96 cm)
Category

1970s Abstract Impressionist Lee Reynolds Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Roman Bath" Series (2/3)
By Vaclav Vytlacil
Located in Lambertville, NJ
Jim’s of Lambertville is proud to offer this artwork by: Vaclav Vytlacil (1892-1984) He was born to Czechoslovakian parents in 1892 in New York City. Living in Chicago as a youth, he took classes at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, returning to New York when he was 20. From 1913 to 1916, he enjoyed a scholarship from the Art Students League, and worked with John C. Johansen (a portraitist whose expressive style resembled that of John Singer Sargent), and Anders Zorn. He accepted a teaching position at the Minneapolis School of Art in 1916, remaining there until 1921. This enabled him to travel to Europe to study Cézanne’s paintings and works of the Old Masters. He traveled to Paris, Prague, Dresden, Berlin, and Munich seeking the works of Titian, Cranach, Rembrandt, Veronese, and Holbein, which gave him new perspective. Vytlacil studied at the Royal Academy of Art in Munich, settling there in 1921. Fellow students were Ernest Thurn and Worth Ryder, who introduced him to famous abstractionist Hans Hofmann. He worked with Hofmann from about 1922 to 1926, as a student and teaching assistant. During the summer of 1928, after returning to the United States, Vytlacil gave lectures at the University of California, Berkeley, on modern European art. Soon thereafter, he became a member of the Art Students League faculty. After one year, he returned to Europe and successfully persuaded Hofmann to teach at the League as well. He spent about six years in Europe, studying the works of Matisse, Picasso, and Dufy. In 1935, he returned to New York and became a co-founder of the American Abstract Artists group in 1936. He later had teaching posts at Queens College in New York; the College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California; Black Mountain College in North Carolina; and the Art Students League. His paintings exhibit a clear inclination toward modernism. His still lives and interiors from the 1920s indicate an understanding of the art of Cézanne. In the 1930s, his works displayed two very different kinds of art at the same time. His cityscapes and landscapes combine Cubist-inspired spatial concerns with an expressionistic approach to line and color. Vytlacil also used old wood, metal, cork, and string in constructions, influenced by his friend and former student, Rupert Turnbull. He eventually ceased creating constructions as he considered them too limiting. The spatial challenges of painting were still his preference. During the 1940s and 1950s, his works indicated a sense of spontaneity not felt in his earlier work. He married Elizabeth Foster in Florence, Italy, in 1927 and they lived and worked in Positano, Italy for extended periods of time. Later on, they divided their time between homes in Sparkill, New York and Chilmark, Massachusetts, where Vyt, as he was affectionately called, taught at the Martha's Vineyard Art...
Category

20th Century Abstract Impressionist Lee Reynolds Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

"Roman Bath" Series (2/3)
"Roman Bath" Series (2/3)
$14,375
H 21 in W 18 in D 2 in
Sleeping Under A Lemon Yellow Sky. Large Expressionist Figurative Oil Painting
Located in Brecon, Powys
The sky isn’t always blue. Our sky takes on so many different colours, it creates patterns and moods in a tangible way as we react to what we see. In this piece Francesca Owen has cr...
Category

2010s Abstract Impressionist Lee Reynolds Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Previously Available Items
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...
Category

Late 20th Century American Modern Lee Reynolds Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Lee Reynolds figurative paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Lee Reynolds figurative paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of figurative paintings to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of purple and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Lee Reynolds in oil paint, paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 1980s and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Lee Reynolds figurative paintings, so small editions measuring 51 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Danny McCaw, Faye Vander Veer, and Onelio Marrero. Lee Reynolds figurative paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,800 and tops out at $1,800, while the average work can sell for $1,800.
Questions About Lee Reynolds Figurative Paintings
  • 1stDibs ExpertOctober 7, 2024
    To tell if a Lee Reynolds painting is real, experts recommend having a certified appraiser or knowledgeable art dealer evaluate it for you. Many of Lee Reynolds's original works were mass-produced, so there are numerous copies of his most famous pieces. While you can sometimes make a determination by comparing the signature on your piece to images taken of authentic paintings, it is often very difficult to separate a reproduction from an original without years of experience and specialized training. On 1stDibs, explore a selection of Lee Reynolds Burr art.
  • 1stDibs ExpertNovember 20, 2024
    Whether Lee Reynolds paintings are worth anything varies. Reynolds ran an art workshop that mass-produced paintings, so his signature and name appear on thousands of works, even ones he did not personally make. Since they were made in large quantities, these workshop paintings usually have little monetary value. However, an authenticated painting produced by Reynolds himself may be worth more. For example, his painting Sailing Boats fetched over $1,100 at auction in 2024. A certified appraiser or experienced art dealer can tell you how much a particular Reynolds in your collection may be worth. Shop a variety of Lee Reynolds paintings on 1stDibs.

Recently Viewed

View All