Leon Polk Smith Paintings
American, 1906-1996
Leon Polk Smith (1906 -1996) holds a unique place in a long tradition of American geometric abstract painting, which includes such artists as Bourgoyne Diller, Fritz Glarner, Al Held, and Ellsworth Kelly. Born near Chikasha, a Native American territory later annexed by the U.S. as the state of Oklahoma, Smith’s parents, who were of Cherokee ancestry, raised him with both a strong sense of his heritage and an abiding respect for the land. Art would eventually draw Smith to New York where he would quickly embrace elements of geometric abstraction in his work. His visual vocabulary was influenced by such historical figures as Hilla Rebay, both an abstract painter and the first director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Dutch De Stijl painter Piet Mondrian. However, many of Smith’s hard-edge compositions could be viewed as distillations of imagery drawn from the Oklahoma landscape and Native American art forms of his youth. Polk Smith’s exploration of non-objective imagery in the late 1950s put him at the forefront of movements including Color Field, Minimalist, and Hard Edge painting. Robert Buck, former director of the Brooklyn Museum, described Polk Smith as “an influential pioneer in the development of American Modernism”, adding, “He created a new vocabulary in painting that has had a far-reaching influence on subsequent generations of artists.”
One of Smith’s earliest and most successful forays into printmaking came in 1968 when he received a grant to work at June Wayne’s Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles. Smith would create sixteen untitled prints at Tamarind. These bold and vibrant prints incorporate a variety of his painting motifs, many of which relate to his Correspondence Series of 1960-1967, with their interplay of organic forms on solid color backgrounds. Prints would continue to be an important aspect of Smith’s creative output. The artist would go on to make over 50 print editions in this country and Europe.to
1
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
8
780
727
722
683
1
Artist: Leon Polk Smith
Constellation Blue Violet Green Red - Post War Abstract Shaped Acrylic Painting
By Leon Polk Smith
Located in Palm Desert, CA
"Constellation Blue Violet Green Red” is a Post-War Abstract, shaped canvas painting by Hard-Edge American Painter, Leon Polk Smith. The artwork is signed verso, “Leon Polk Smith Con...
Category
Mid-20th Century Hard-Edge Leon Polk Smith Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Related Items
No. 16 painting by Naohiko Inukai
Located in Hudson, NY
A great strong-edge painting by Naohiko Inukai, No. 16 is part of a series the artist created in the mid 1960s. Many from this series were shown at Inuk...
Category
1960s Hard-Edge Leon Polk Smith Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Sun
By James Koenig
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original hard edge abstraction by American artist James Koenig. This work titled "Sun" is part of the Draw Near exhibition currently on view at Benjaman Gallery.
Category
1960s Hard-Edge Leon Polk Smith Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
"The Cove" - Contemporary Vibrant Geometric Coastal Seascape with Jagged Clouds
Located in Carmel, CA
Robert Glick (American, born 1950)
"The Cove" 2024
Acrylic paint, Canvas, Stretcher bars
The artist signed the bottom right and the back of the painting.
This painting by Robert Gli...
Category
2010s Hard-Edge Leon Polk Smith Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars
$8,500
H 40 in W 60 in D 1.5 in
Mid Century Hard Edge Abstraction James Koenig Ribbon Structure 1971
By James Koenig
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original hard edge abstraction by American artist James Koenig titled "Ribbon Structure". This work created in 1971 will be featured in the u...
Category
1970s Hard-Edge Leon Polk Smith Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Shift - Canvas, Blue
By Scot Heywood
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
“I painted flat from the get-go,” says Scot Heywood, who has explored abstraction throughout the course of his artistic career. His early influences included the Abstract Expressioni...
Category
2010s Hard-Edge Leon Polk Smith Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Optical wall sculptures
By Charles Hinman
Located in New York, NY
Our shaped canvas which also is a sculptural form in essence for a wall, is a geometric and forward play of optical illusion. Hinman is an important pioneer of exploration in the co...
Category
1970s Hard-Edge Leon Polk Smith Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Hot Triangles
By James Koenig
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original American Modern hard edge abstraction by James Koenig. This work titled "Hot Triangles" is part of the Draw Near exhibition currently on view at Benjaman Gallery.
Category
1970s Hard-Edge Leon Polk Smith Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
Cool Triangles
By James Koenig
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original hard edge abstraction by American artist James Koenig titled "Cool Triangles. This work is part of Draw Near exhibition which opened at Benjaman Gallery on March 11. Th...
Category
1970s Hard-Edge Leon Polk Smith Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
sbc 195 (Abstract painting)
By Susan Cantrick
Located in London, GB
sbc 195 (Abstract painting)
Acrylic on Linen - Unframed
Like sbc 194, this acrylic painting on medium-weave linen deviates from Cantrick’s habitual formats.
Indeed, the seascape f...
Category
2010s Hard-Edge Leon Polk Smith Paintings
Materials
Linen, Acrylic
"Rembrandt Woman", acrylic painting, portrait, abstract, cubism, classic pose
Located in Toronto, Ontario
"Rembrandt Woman" is an intriguing painting, a woman in classic Dutch master portrait pose with a hand modestly holding her secrets dear, yet por...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Hard-Edge Leon Polk Smith Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Ribbon Structure #6
By James Koenig
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original hard edge abstraction by American artist James Koenig. This piece is featured in Draw Near which is currently on view at Benjaman Gallery.
Category
1970s Hard-Edge Leon Polk Smith Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
Ribbon Structure #4
By James Koenig
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original hard edge abstraction by American artist James Koenig. This work titled "Ribbon Structure #4" is part of the Draw Near exhibition currently on view at Benjaman Gallery
Category
1970s Hard-Edge Leon Polk Smith Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
Leon Polk Smith paintings for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Leon Polk Smith paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Leon Polk Smith in acrylic paint, canvas, fabric and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 1990s and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Leon Polk Smith paintings, so small editions measuring 38 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Patricia A Pearce, Erle Loran, and Clifford Singer.