Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts.
After high school Breuer attended what is now San Francisco Art Institute, where she studied under many notable artists, including Richard Diebenkorn, Clyfford Still, David Park, and Mark Rothko.
Breuer matured as an artist in, and was profoundly affected by, the era of Abstract Expressionism, focusing more on material and application than representation. By the late 1960s, she was pouring water-thinned washes of acrylic paint onto large, wet, stretched, vertical canvases. During an exhibition of those works, a San Francisco gallerist suggested that she head to New York, where abstraction, Minimalism, and Conceptual art were continuing to gain traction. Breuer listened to this advice and set out for New York with intentions of staying only one year — she stayed for eight.
In New York, Breuer began working with a palette knife, making direct, abstract marks with dark colors and with great density. She gained recognition as a significant painter during her time there. In 1984 Breuer moved to northern New Mexico, a landscape that influenced her use of color, light, and more minimal compositions.
Find original Mala Breuer paintings, drawings and other art on 1stDibs.
$9,750
Untitled (Blue 1969), signature and year on verso. Additional marking on canvas
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
1927 - 2017 Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she attended the, now, San...
Canvas, Acrylic
$1,200
4.20.07
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
oil and wax on canvas Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she attended t...
Canvas, Wax, Oil
1978 (white)
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
oil and wax on linen 1927 - 2017 Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she ...
Wax, Oil
7.10.83 (Olympics)
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
oil and wax on canvas Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she attended ...
Canvas, Wax, Oil
$15,000
4.84
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
oil and wax on canvas 1927 - 2017 Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school sh...
Canvas, Wax, Oil
1978 (red)
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
oil and wax on linen 1927 - 2017 Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she ...
Wax, Oil
$5,000
1.4.96
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
acrylic on gessoed linen Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she attende...
Gesso, Linen, Acrylic
Untitled Red (1979)
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
oil on linen 1927 - 2017 Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she attended...
Linen, Oil
$5,000
1.13.96
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
oil and wax on canvas 1927 - 2017 Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she...
Canvas, Wax, Oil
10.15.95
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
acrylic on gessoed canvas 1927 - 2017 Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high schoo...
Gesso, Canvas, Acrylic
11.12.95
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
acrylic on canvas 1927 - 2017 Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she at...
Canvas, Acrylic
$5,000
6.15.96
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
acrylic on gessoed linen Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she attende...
Gesso, Canvas, Linen, Acrylic
$5,000
2.23.96
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
acrylic on linen Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she attended the, n...
Linen, Acrylic
Blue
By Toby Zallman
Located in Boston, MA
Artist Commentary: Made with plastic bags, beeswax, oil paint and graphite Keywords: abstract, calm Artist Biography: Toby Zallman has always combined ...
Plastic, Wax, Oil, Graphite
$1,800
H 24 in W 24 in D 1.5 in
Dredging Up Memories, Original Contemporary Aquamarine and Red Abstract Painting
By Denise Presnell
Located in Boston, MA
Dredging Up Memories, Original Contemporary Aquamarine and Red Abstract Painting 24" x 24" x 1.5" (HxWxD) Oil and Cold Wax on Panel This square-format work by artist Denise Presnell...
Wax, Oil, Panel
$2,900
H 29 in W 29 in D 3 in
abstract 29/29, Original Signed Contemporary Neutral Abstract Encaustic Painting
By Michele Renée Ledoux
Located in Boston, MA
abstract 29/29, Original Signed Contemporary Neutral Abstract Encaustic Painting 29" x 29" x 3" Beeswax, Resin, Pigment, and Oil on Wood Panel Hand-signed by the artist in verso. A contemporary minimalist encaustic work by artist Michele Renée Ledoux...
Resin, Wax, Oil, Pigment, Encaustic
$9,000
H 40 in W 40 in
BLUE 1051 Abstract Painting, Oil and Wax on Canvas, Signed, 2010+by Linda Touby
By Linda Touby
Located in White Plains, NY
Oil and wax on canvas painting from the BLUE series. Linda Touby pairs intuitive brushstrokes with bold, horizontal bands of vibrant blue, black, red, and yellow, offering a sense of...
Canvas, Oil, Wax
$1,546
H 31.89 in W 39.38 in D 0.79 in
At Dawn. Large, oversized, horizontal, abstract painting, brown, blue, dustyrose
By Tatiana Hellum
Located in Oslo, NO
At dawn, the world holds its breath — suspended between stillness and awakening. Hints of a city or a mountain ridge emerge through translucent layers of blue, rose, and ochre, as li...
Canvas, Acrylic
Signs of Life
By Michael Rich
Located in Atlanta, GA
This painting is in excellent condition and has only been shown in a gallery setting. The paintings, drawings and prints of Michael Rich reflect an approach to nature and landscap...
Canvas, Wax, Oil
$30,740
H 26 in W 34 in D 2.5 in
Golden Yellow & Brown Abstract Expressionist Mixed Media Art on Paper, 1999
By Angela Wakefield
Located in Preston, GB
Golden Yellow & Brown Abstract Expressionist Mixed Media Art on Paper, 1999 - a Unique Original Painting - an extremely rare early work from leading British Contemporary Artist, ...
Gesso, Canvas, Cotton, Wood, Paint, Paper, Parchment Paper, Varnish, Cot...
Yogiri (Abstract Painting)
By Janise Yntema
Located in London, GB
Diptych. The dimensions of each element are 84 x 60 cm (33.1 x 23.6 in) Janise Yntema’s practice is rooted in the mastery of wax-based media, ranging from traditional heated encaust...
Mixed Media, Wax, Oil, Panel
Untitled No. 63 Abstract Composition Mixed Media
By Michael David
Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL
Untitled No 63, abstract composition 1987 Mixed media on wood panel, wax, oil, paper. signed with initials, gallery label. Abstract painter Michael David is best known for his use of encaustic, a technique that incorporates heated beeswax and pigment. Considered an inheritor of Abstract Expressionism, David’s abstract work primarily centers on the use of a densely layered surface to facilitate a direct and immediate spiritual experience. He often incorporates religious iconography and symbolism, art historical themes such as the nude, and contemporary politics into his paintings resulting in a critical dialogue between the layered abstraction of the surface and the integrated representational imagery. Alongside his work on canvas, David has developed a body of studio photography that recreates paintings by Caravaggio, Manet, and Mantegna, among others, in works that confront racism, homophobia, and sexism. David also works in mixed media and environmental sculpture...
Oil, Paper, Wax, Wood Panel
$3,650
H 36 in W 36 in
How Can I Keep From Singing - Colorful Abstract Painting, Mixed Media
By Claudia Jean McCabe
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This contemporary colourful abstract work is composed of mixed media. For more than three decades, Canadian artist Claudia jean mccabe has explored the world of abstraction. Inspire...
Canvas, Acrylic, Wood Panel
Peek-a-boo
By Irina Burda
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Peek-a-boo" draws on the simplicity of a childhood game, where disappearance and sudden reappearance spark surprise and laughter. In adult life, this innocent play becomes a metapho...
Canvas, Acrylic
$679
H 19.69 in W 15.75 in D 0.79 in
Tender Memories. Contemporary Floral Abstract Painting, Framed
By Tatiana Hellum
Located in Oslo, NO
Tatiana said about this artwork, "Tender Memories is about the way certain moments stay with me long after they have passed. They do not return as clear images, but as sensations: fr...
Canvas, Acrylic
1972 (15)
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
poured acrylic on canvas 1927 - 2017 Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts ...
Acrylic
1978 (black)
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
oil and wax on canvas
Wax, Oil
As Good As Gold (7.16.83)
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
oil and wax on canvas Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she attended the...
Canvas, Wax, Oil
12.83
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
oil and wax on canvas Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she attended th...
Canvas, Wax, Oil
3.25.96 (2)
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
acrylic, oil, and wax on linen Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she att...
Linen, Wax, Oil, Acrylic
1977 (3)
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
acrylic on canvas Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she attended the, no...
Canvas, Acrylic
Web (11.82)
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
oil and wax on canvas Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she attended the...
Canvas, Wax, Oil
Fire (9.19.83)
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
oil and wax on canvas 1927 - 2017 Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she...
Canvas, Wax, Oil
1975 (maroon, deep plum, lavender grey)
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
acrylic on canvas b. 1927 Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she att...
Canvas, Acrylic
1973 (1)
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
acrylic on canvas b. 1927 Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she att...
Acrylic
1976 (5)
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she attended the, now, San Francisco A...
Acrylic
7.77
By Mala Breuer
Located in Phoenix, AZ
Mala Breuer grew up attending classes in painting and drawing from a young age at the California College of Arts and Crafts. After high school she attended the, now, San Francisco A...
Acrylic