Contemporary New York City-based artist Mark Beard has long demonstrated command in a variety of mediums — he works in oil paint, bronze, ceramics and more. Beard is known mainly for his portraits and figurative paintings, but he is prolific in figurative drawing and nude photography as well.
Beard was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1986, he began working as a set designer, and for the next decade, he created more than 20 sets in New York City, London, Frankfurt, Vienna and Cologne. As a painter and printmaker, Beard didn’t wish to confine himself to a rigid style and instead sought to explore Impressionism, Art Nouveau and other movements in a range of mediums. In order to freely move from one style to the next, Beard created several different personas, assigning a specific biography to each one.
Beard's most prominent artistic alter ego is Bruce Sargeant, whom the artist has positioned in exhibitions as an early 20th-century painter. Beard's work as Sargeant is a detailed study of the male physique. The paintings often feature sculpted athletic men engaged in physical activities like wrestling and rowing. The work is steeped in homoeroticism, and the artist’s name itself is a reference to painter John Singer Sargent — while he’s best known for his Edwardian-era portraits, John Singer Sargent also created murals and drawings of male nudes that were similarly reflective of a homoerotic sensibility.
Beard is also an accomplished landscape painter. His great-grandfather, George Beard, was a regional painter and photographer of the Rocky Mountains. Mark spent summers at his grandfather's 19th-century log cabin retreat as a child. These formative experiences are reflected in his own stunning landscape paintings.
Beard's artwork is held in many high-profile museum collections, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Today, Beard resides in the Manhattan loft that he purchased in 1994 with his partner, James Manfred. It serves as both his home and his studio. The space is filled with his oil paintings, drawings and sculptures.
On 1stDibs, find Mark Beard paintings, drawings, photography and more.
![[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Statue of an Athlete](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/mark-beard-sculptures-bruce-sargeant-1898-1938-statue-of-an-athlete-for-sale-picture-2/a_9323/a_35855421542990089601/Statue_of_an_Athlete_installation_crop_artnet_master.jpg?width=240)
![[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Statue of an Athlete](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/mark-beard-sculptures-bruce-sargeant-1898-1938-statue-of-an-athlete-for-sale/a_9323/a_35855421542990079678/Statue_of_an_Athlete_artnet_master.jpg?width=240)
[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Statue of an Athlete
By Mark Beard
Located in New York, NY
This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. “Bruce Sargeant is a mythic figure in the modern art movement. He embodies a world that is in many ways lost to us; he...
Bronze
$3,850
H 23 in W 15 in D 13 in
French Bronze Bust on Marble of “Diana”
By Alexandre Falguière
Located in San Francisco, CA
The University of Michigan’s Museum of Art, which holds such a bust in its collection, describes this aridly as a “Bust-length figure of a woman with head turned proper left, down-tu...
Marble, Bronze
$5,850
H 7 in W 14 in D 7 in
"Reclining Figure", Frederick Hart, Bronze Figurative Sculpture, 7x14x7 in.
By Frederick Hart
Located in Dallas, TX
"Reclining Figure" by Frederick Hart is a figurative female and male figure bronze sculpture with the edition number 54/65. Frederick Hart was an American sculptor. His is best known for his Three Soldiers statue at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Ex Nihilo (1983) depicting Creation scenes above the doors of the Washington National Cathedral...
Bronze
$12,500
H 11.75 in W 17 in D 5 in
Antique Bronze Portrait Draft Horse by Isidore Jules Bonheur (France, 1827-1901)
By Isidore Jules Bonheur
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Antique Bronze Portrait of a Draft Horse Isidore Jules Bonheur (France, 1827-1901) Circa 1840s Cast bronze mounted on a rectangular plinth atop a marble s...
Bronze
Deer battle
By Thomas Francois-Cartier
Located in Riga, LV
Deer battle France, bronze, marble, h 29.5 x 66.5 x 18 cm base size 64x20 cm
Marble, Bronze
$74,000
H 54 in W 84 in D 72 in
"Whirlwind", Martin Eichinger, Figurative, Bronze, Romantic, 54x84x72 in.
By Martin Eichinger
Located in Dallas, TX
The dynamic nature of this ecstatic pirouette must be experienced from all sides. Whirlwind examines the forces of attraction and separation in a relationship. The couple’s solid bon...
Bronze
$175,000
H 144 in W 108 in D 36 in
"Caduceus", James Muir, Monumental Bronze Fountain Sculpture Allegory, Medical
Located in Dallas, TX
"Caduceus", recognized as a universal medical symbol, in this bronze representation by James N. Muir has become an Angel of Healing bringing love and peace to the earth and all of it...
Bronze
$500Sale Price|50% Off
H 7.75 in W 7.25 in D 5.5 in
'Sitting Ballerina' Cast Bronze Figure on Granite Base
Located in Toronto, ON
Bronze sculpture of a ballerina taking a rest. Her leotard is patinated to a lovely green shade to contrast with the bronze colour of the rest of her figure. Ballet slippers are visi...
Granite, Bronze
$4,479
H 4.93 in W 2.37 in D 3.15 in
Bronze, Monkey With Skull, 1900, German, Signed
Located in Eltville am Rhein, DE
Hugo Wolfgang Reinhard Oberlahnstein 1853 - 1900 Berlin Monkey with Skull, circa 1900 Bronze, signed Foundry: Gladenbeck "HG" Size: approx. 12.5 x 6 x 8 cm, plus 2 cm base Rare cas...
Bronze
$27,000
H 70 in W 12 in D 17 in
"Dreams of Ecstasy", Martin Eichinger, Figurative, Bronze, Romance, 70x12x17 in.
By Martin Eichinger
Located in Dallas, TX
Immerse yourself in a world where emotions run high and desires are laid bare with our stunning Dreams of Ecstasy sculpture. Crafted with exquisite detail, this towering masterpiece ...
Bronze
$40,700
H 62 in W 38 in D 33 in
"From the Heart", Martin Eichinger, Figurative, Bronze, Romantic, 62x38x33 in.
By Martin Eichinger
Located in Dallas, TX
The male figure lies atop a cresting wavelike column, seemingly elevated by the experience. One hand is nearly touching his heart while the other hand is held open in a gesture of re...
Bronze
$44,000Sale Price|20% Off
H 43 in W 31 in D 18 in
"Ex Nihilo Fragment 3", Frederick Hart, Figurative Bronze Sculpture, 43x31x18 in
By Frederick Hart
Located in Dallas, TX
"Ex Nihilo Fragment 3" by Frederick Hart is a figurative bronze with the edition of 61/65. I saw Ex Nihilo (Out of Nothingness) as a single expression of creation, as the metamorphosis of divine spirit and energy. The figures emerge from the nothingness of chaos, caught in the moment of eternal transformation — the majesty and mystery of divine force in a state of becoming. -Frederick Hart Ex Nihilo, Fragment No.3. Detail from the full-scale plaster for the final stone sculpture of Ex Nihilo, commissioned as part of The Creation Sculptures at Washington National Cathedral...
Bronze
$7,850
H 19 in W 11 in D 7 in
"Union", Frederick Hart, Bronze Figurative Sculpture, 19x11x7 in., Woman & Man
By Frederick Hart
Located in Dallas, TX
"Union" by Frederick Hart is a figurative female and male figure bronze sculpture with the edition number 299/350. Inspired by The Creation Sculptures of the Washington National Cathedral...
Bronze
Sold
H 45 in W 11 in D 7.5 in
Study of Brian: Figurative Plaster Sculpture of Male Athlete by Mark Beard
By Mark Beard
Located in Hudson, NY
Figurative plaster sculpture of a posing male athlete by Mark Beard as Bruce Sargeant (pseudonym in homage to the fashion photographer, B...
Plaster
Sold
H 45 in W 11 in D 7.5 in
Study of Caleb: Figurative Plaster Sculpture of Male Athlete by Mark Beard
By Mark Beard
Located in Hudson, NY
Figurative plaster sculpture of a posing male athlete with ball by Mark Beard as Bruce Sargeant (pseudonym in homage to the fashion photographer, Bruce Weber, and figurative painter, John Singer Sargent...
Bronze
![[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Wrestler Bust](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/mark-beard-sculptures-bruce-sargeant-1898-1938-wrestler-bust-for-sale/a_9323/a_44635721558630152184/Beard_Sargeant_Wrestler_Bust_1stdibs_master.jpg?width=240)
![[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Wrestler Bust](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/mark-beard-sculptures-bruce-sargeant-1898-1938-wrestler-bust-for-sale-picture-2/a_9323/a_44635721561479827354/Beard_Sargeant_Wrestler_Bust_side_1stdibs_master.jpg?width=240)
[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Wrestler Bust
By Mark Beard
Located in New York, NY
Painted plaster Signed and inscribed, verso This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. “Bruce Sargeant is a mythic figure in the modern art movement. He embodie...
Plaster
Sold
H 32 in W 11 in D 5 in
Study of Athlete (with Ball): Bronze Sculpture of Nude Male by Mark Beard
By Mark Beard
Located in Hudson, NY
Study of Athlete (with Ball): Academic Bronze Figurative Sculpture of Nude Male by Mark Beard modern figurative bronze sculpture of a nude athlete 32 ...
Bronze
Sold
H 29 in W 9 in D 5 in
Statue of Athlete, Study: Academic Bronze Figurative Sculpture of Nude Male
By Mark Beard
Located in Hudson, NY
modern figurative bronze sculpture of a nude athlete 29 x 9 x 5 inches Base measures 11 x 11 7 inches This figurative bronze sculpture was originally made as a study for the large...
Bronze