Leonard Nelson Sculptures

American, 1912-1993

Leonard Nelson is considered one of the artists in the first generation of Abstract Expressionists. Sam Hunter, a leading critic and historian of modern and contemporary art introduces Leonard Nelson in his book Leonard Nelson: A Life In Art as "one of the least appreciated, though deserving, artists of indisputable quality in the legendary New York School". Nelson was part of that first generation of American abstract expressionists, such as Jackson Pollock, Arshile Gorky, Willem DeKooning, and Mark Rothko. Leonard Nelson has been called a "bridge" between Modernism and Abstract Expressionism. In the early 1950s Nelson became disenchanted with the New York art scene and left it for Philadelphia, beginning a teaching career that spanned more than forty years. Born in Camden, New Jersey, Nelson applied for a scholarship at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, regardless of having no portfolio. He was persuasive enough to be given one semester and subsequently was awarded an Academy fellowship to study painting. Nelson went on to earn the Academy's prestigious Cresson Traveling Scholarship award in 1939. He studied at PAFA from 1936 - 1940 with, among others, Henry McCarter and Daniel Garber, and then earned a teaching degree from the Philadelphia College of Art. Later Nelson earned a certificate from the Philadelphia Museum School. The Barnes Foundation also enriched his educational experience where he furthered his studies for five years. In 1951 Nelson accepted a teaching position at Moore College of where he taught until 1981 and remained professor emeritus until his death. Leonard Nelson's art was always ahead of its time. Several of his paintings and drawings from the late 1940s show an experimental style of colorfield painting. Colorfield painting was a term for organic, sensuous and joyous abstract painting in the 1960s. This is the direction that Nelson's later work of the 1970s, '80s and '90s would take. His early colorfield paintings in the 1960s were more representational of nature, using abstracted flowers and gardens. These works then evolved into a tight, highly textured reflection of nature and light in the 1970s. In these, luminescence and heavy impasto, carefully applied layer upon layer over months, or even years, resulted in some of Nelson's most celebrated works. Leonard Nelson was a dedicated teacher, painter, sculptor and print maker. He taught at the Art Center in Haiti, The Museum of Modern Art, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Print Club, Moore College of Art and The Hussian School of Art. Nelson is represented in many private and public collections including The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Walker Art Museum, The Dallas Museum of Contemporary Art, The Museum of Modern Art, The Portland Museum of Art and The Art Museum of San Francisco. Throughout his career Nelson had 65 one-man exhibitions in New York and Philadelphia. The Peridot Gallery, Hugo Gallery, Betty Parson Gallery, Peggy Guggenheim and Mortimer Brandt Gallery showed his works.

Creator: Leonard Nelson

Leonard Nelson Wall Sculpture

$11,500

Leonard Nelson Wall Sculpture

By Leonard Nelson

Located in West Palm Beach, FL

A great example of Leonard Nelson's Wall Sculpture. Leonard Nelson is Primarily Known as a Painter. Very few Sculptures were made, and even fewer have appeared in the marketplace. Th...

Category

1950s American Vintage Leonard Nelson Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Los Castillo Wall Sculpture

$450

H 11.82 in W 9.45 in D 0.79 in

Los Castillo Wall Sculpture

By Los Castillo

Located in Mexico City, CDMX

Circa 1960. We offer this handmade mixed metals copper brass stone inlay wall-mounted sculpture in the style of Los Castillo Taxco Mexico.

Category

1960s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Leonard Nelson Sculptures

Materials

Metal, Brass

Brass Longhorn Wall Sculpture

$950

H 16 in W 29 in D 5.25 in

Brass Longhorn Wall Sculpture

Located in New York, NY

Circa mid-20th century Hollywood Regency style decorative brass longhorn skull wall sculpture in a hand polished finish. Please note of wear consistent ...

Category

Mid-20th Century Korean Hollywood Regency Leonard Nelson Sculptures

Materials

Brass

Ceramic Wall Sculpture with Birds

$1,683 / item

H 11.03 in W 21.66 in D 1.19 in

Ceramic Wall Sculpture with Birds

Located in Antwerp, BE

Ceramic wall art sculpture with birds. Belgium 1960s. Width:55 cm. Height:28 cm. depth:3 cm.

Category

Mid-20th Century Belgian Mid-Century Modern Leonard Nelson Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Ceramic Link Chain Wall Sculpture

$2,100 / item

H 50 in W 30 in D 2 in

Ceramic Link Chain Wall Sculpture

By Asmaa Aman-Tran

Located in Attleboro, MA

Chains echo different emotions in us, some see them as a symbol of imprisonment, and vulnerability and some see as an emotion of inter connectivity and strong bond between the people...

Category

2010s American Organic Modern Leonard Nelson Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Stoneware

C. Jere 'Spiral II' Wall Sculpture

$850

H 46 in W 20 in D 11 in

C. Jere 'Spiral II' Wall Sculpture

By Artisan House, Curtis Jeré

Located in Asbury Park, NJ

Artisan House Inc., C. Jere wall-mounted sculpture in brass and chrome, style no. 100688, Spiral II. Complete with in-tact "Certificate of Authenticity."

Category

1980s American Vintage Leonard Nelson Sculptures

Vintage Gold Metal Wall Sculpture

$1,741

H 7.09 in W 23.63 in D 23.63 in

Vintage Gold Metal Wall Sculpture

Located in Isle Sur Sorgue, FR

Vintage gilded metal wall sculpture for wall decoration.

Category

Late 20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Leonard Nelson Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Tripart pottery wall sculpture

$19,500

H 30.75 in W 111.25 in D 3.25 in

Tripart pottery wall sculpture

Located in New York, NY

Tripart pottery wall sculpture with organic design.

Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Leonard Nelson Sculptures

Materials

Pottery

Brutalist wall sculpture, 1970s

$1,102

H 29.53 in W 70.87 in D 1.97 in

Brutalist wall sculpture, 1970s

Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest

Architectural brutalist wall mounted sculpture made from cast metal. Imposing wall sculpture 1970s - Belgium Height: 75cm Width: 180cm Ref.: 25090304 *All images are always part...

Category

1970s German Brutalist Vintage Leonard Nelson Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Brutalist wall sculpture, 1970s

$1,451

H 29.53 in W 66.93 in D 1.97 in

Brutalist wall sculpture, 1970s

Located in Leuven, Vlaams Gewest

Architectural brutalist wall mounted sculpture made from cast metal. Imposing wall sculpture 1970s - Belgium Height: 75cm Width: 170cm Ref.: 25090305 *All images are always part...

Category

1970s German Brutalist Vintage Leonard Nelson Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Midcentury Wall Sculpture

$3,200

H 2.75 in Dm 25.5 in

Midcentury Wall Sculpture

Located in New York, NY

A circa 1960s Italian wall sculpture. Measurements: Diameter: 25.5" Depth: 2.75".

Category

1960s Italian Vintage Leonard Nelson Sculptures

Materials

Metal

Bronze Bust Sculpture Att. Will Rogers on Green Stone Base by Leonard McMurry

$5,000

H 18.5 in W 8 in D 8 in

Bronze Bust Sculpture Att. Will Rogers on Green Stone Base by Leonard McMurry

Located in Oklahoma City, OK

A large striking bronze bust sculpture of a man with the likeness of Will Rogers. This piece was created by Leonard McMurry, also known as Oklahoma’s “Michelangelo”. It stands on a green marbled stone square base. The sculpture depicts a man, with an extreme likeness to Will Rogers. The man has combed hair, which is parted to one side. The sculpted bronze bust has a fabulous patina, and the square green stone it is affixed to is marbled with fantastic greens, blacks, and creams. About the Artist: Leonard McMurry, (1913–2008) - McMurry is best known for his bronzes, which are primarily figurative, in many venues, from Oklahoma City to St. Louis to New York City. In 1941 his work received Honorable Mention in the Prix de Rome competition. In 1952 his work was included in the National Sculpture Society show in New York. Among his works in Oklahoma are The 89er, at the Oklahoma City Civic Center, The Legend of the Great Westerner (informally called "Buffalo Bill") at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, and Healing Hands, at the City of Faith Hospital/Oral Roberts University in Tulsa. (which at the time was the largest casting in the world.) For the 1982 Diamond Jubilee of Oklahoma statehood, McMurry completed a series of twenty-one busts of Oklahoma's governors. He also created fourteen busts for the National Hall of Fame for American Indians in Anadarko. Leonard McMurry died in 2008. Born to a family of prominent cotton farmers in the Texas panhandle, McMurry moved to Oklahoma in 1955 and studied under the sculptor's Carl Mose and Ivan Mestrovic...

Category

20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Leonard Nelson Sculptures

Materials

Stone, Bronze

Ceramic Chain mail wall sculpture

$1,300 / item

H 279 in W 15 in D 3 in

Ceramic Chain mail wall sculpture

By Asmaa Aman-Tran

Located in Attleboro, MA

This ceramic link chain wall hanging portrays a nomadic feel that embodies a sense of wanderlust and free-spiritedness. handbuilt from stoneware cla...

Category

2010s American Organic Modern Leonard Nelson Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Leonard Nelson sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Leonard Nelson sculptures are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider sculptures by Naomi Feinberg, Peter Shire, and Jason Seley. Prices for Leonard Nelson sculptures can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $11,500 and can go as high as $11,500, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $11,500.