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
$2,400
H 7 in W 5 in D 3 in
"Faces (1/1)" (2023), Bronze Wall Installation by Bill Starke
By Bill Starke
Located in Denver, CO
"Faces" is a single edition bronze wall sculpture created by Bill Starke, depicting three finely carved human heads from differing perspectives. "Faces" is a single edition install...
Bronze
$450
H 1.75 in W 3.5 in D 2.25 in
"Cowrie Shell" (2024) By Tony Hochstetler, Original Bronze Sculpture
Located in Denver, CO
Tony Hochstetler's "Cowrie Shell" (2015) is an original handmade bronze sculpture that depicts the shell of a cowrie. TONY HOCHSTETLER is a sculptor of unusual animals and botanical...
Bronze
$1,500
H 5 in W 10.5 in D 1.25 in
"Boa (9/21)" (2014) By Tony Hochstetler, Original Bronze Still Life Sculpture
Located in Denver, CO
Tony Hochstetler's "Boa" (2014) is an original handmade bronze sculpture that perfectly captures the detail of a boa constrictor snake.
Bronze
$4,251
H 13.39 in Dm 16.93 in
VALTON Charles. The Griffin Marco. Patinated bronze. Marble base. Signed.
By Charles Valton
Located in Paris, FR
The Griffin Marco. Patinated bronze. Marble base. Signed and titled. Charles Valton was a French sculptor known for his works created in the animalier style, a 19th-century movement ...
Bronze
$5,400
H 17 in W 16 in D 16 in
"Seated Frog Fountain" (2024) By Tony Hochstetler, Original Bronze Sculpture
Located in Denver, CO
Tony Hochstetler's "Seated Frog Fountain" (2015) is an original handmade bronze sculpture that depicts a frog sitting on a rock. TONY HOCHSTETLER is a sculptor of unusual animals an...
Bronze
$2,400
H 8 in W 10.5 in D 9.5 in
"Rough Skinned Newt" (2023) By Tony Hochstetler, Original Bronze Sculpture
Located in Denver, CO
Tony Hochstetler's "Rough Skinned Newt" (2022) is an original handmade bronze sculpture that depicts a newt curiously looking upwards. Tony Hochstetler is a sculptor of unusual anim...
Granite, Bronze
$5,162
H 10.04 in W 7.76 in D 13.71 in
Alfred Dubucand (1828-1894): Two hunting dogs
Located in Berlin, DE
Dubucand Alfred 1828-1894 Two Hunting Dogs, Bronze on a Marble Base The Bronze with the monogram 'E.V.' and the number '2958' Two Hunting Dogs, Group Signed Alfred Dubucand, Fren...
Bronze
$6,500
H 11 in W 9 in D 9 in
Life Size Sculpture of Male Head in Patina Bronze "Giorgi"
By William J Rushton
Located in New York, NY
Bronze life-size male head with a dark brown patina. Rushton sculpts all of his busts using live models over the course of multiple sittings. While realistic and classical in charac...
Bronze
Sculpture, "Icarus Ascending"
Located in San Diego, CA
This is a limited edition figurative realistic sculpture by San Diego artist, Peter Dingli. It is made of bronze. Its dimensions are 21" x 35" x 15". A certificate of authenticity wi...
Metal, Bronze
$6,000
H 15 in W 8.5 in D 9 in
Life Size Sculpture of Male Head in Patina Bronze "Diadji"
By William J Rushton
Located in New York, NY
Bronze life-size male head with a dark brown patina. Sculpted in Florence Italy and casted in bronze just outside of the city. This is an earlier piece that holds a distinctly differ...
Bronze
$7,200Sale Price|20% Off
H 25 in W 17 in D 11 in
'Pioneer Woman & Children, ' Bronze and Marble Sculpture by Harold Castor
Located in Oklahoma City, OK
Master sculptor Harold Castor created this realistic depiction of the Pioneer Woman seeking new land and opportunity in the American West with her two ch...
Marble, Bronze
$1,650
H 5 in W 9 in D 6.5 in
"Mouse and Antler (12/15)" (2016) By Tony Hochstetler, Original Bronze Sculpture
Located in Denver, CO
Tony Hochstetler's "Mouse and Antler" (2016) is an original handmade bronze sculpture that depicts a mouse standing on a deer antler. TONY HOCHSTETLER is a sculptor of unusual anima...
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