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
$4,589
H 9.85 in W 28.75 in D 6.7 in
Else FÜRST (1873-1943), Fasane Foundry stamp of the Berlin foundry Kraas
Located in Berlin, DE
Else Fürst was a German sculptor and medalist who was murdered by the Nazis. Biographical data: Bronze signed Foundry stamp of the Berlin foundry Kraas. 25 x 73 cm Born: June 25,...
Bronze
$35,000
H 10.5 in W 11.5 in D 6.5 in
"Sudbourne Premier: Suffolk Punch Stallion" Herbert Haseltine, 1927 Bronze
Located in New York, NY
Herbert Haseltine Sudbourne Premier: Suffolk Punch Stallion, 1927 Signed left side: © HASELTINE / MCMXXVII Bronze, dark brown patina, parcel gilding ...
Bronze
$10,457
H 17.72 in W 13 in D 5.52 in
David Gorodensky. Llimited edition: 1/3. Sculpture by Sergey Oganov. Bronze
Located in Riga, LV
Sergey Oganov was born in 1974 in the family of the famous Belarusian sculptor Lev Oganov. Sergey began his first steps in the world of art while still being a schoolboy, helping hi...
Bronze, Metal
$14,000
H 10 in W 19 in
Horse Playing with a Dog (The Good Companions) Pierre-Jules Mene (1810-1879)
By Pierre Jules Mêne
Located in SANTA FE, NM
Antique Horse Bronze "Horse in the Stable Playing with a Dog (The Good Companions)" Jument à l'écurie jouant avec un chien Pierre-Jules Mene (French, 1810-1879) Bronze 19 x 10 inc...
Bronze
$13,943
H 9.45 in W 27.56 in D 9.85 in
Last Supper. Llimited edition: 5/5. Sculpture by Sergey Oganov. Bronze
Located in Riga, LV
"Last Supper" is a visual manifesto of solitude, choice, and the premonition of sacrifice. Time has frozen in the moment after betrayal – when inevitability has settled in, and the c...
Metal, Bronze
$12,781
H 17.33 in W 12.6 in D 4.34 in
Golden Fleece. Llimited edition: ЕА-3. Sculpture by Sergey Oganov. Bronze
Located in Riga, LV
Sergey Oganov was born in 1974 in the family of the famous Belarusian sculptor Lev Oganov. Sergey began his first steps in the world of art while still being a schoolboy, helping hi...
Granite, Bronze
$5,809
H 17.33 in W 25.99 in D 9.45 in
Bronze Walking Elephant By Rembrandt Bugatti (1884 - 1916)
By Rembrandt Bugatti
Located in Gent, VOV
Elephant walking Bronze statue of a "large Indian elephant walking" after Rembrandt Bugatti (Italian, 1884-1916). This bronze was cast using the...
Bronze
Aida
By Gaston Leroux
Located in New York, NY
GASTON LEROUX "Aida" Modeled scantily clad in a robe and head garment seated on a sculpted head of an Egyptian Pharoah, with a tambourine in her hand, with a green and brown patina, ...
Bronze
$4,938
H 10.04 in W 7.76 in D 13.71 in
Two Hunting Dogs Bronze Sculpture, Realist Style, Late 19th Century
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
Julio Pedro Borrego Woman in Bathing Suit
Located in San Francisco, CA
Julio Pedro Borrego is a Colombian artist born in 1951. He is obviously. Influenced by the Colombian master Botero as he likes to portray Rubenesque women. This fabulous.Bronze of a...
Bronze
$18,000
H 14.25 in W 10.125 in
"Jules Bastien LePage" Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Bas Relief of French Painter
By Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Located in New York, NY
Augustus Saint-Gaudens Jules Bastien LePage Bronze 14 1/4 x 10 1/8 inches Augustus Saint-Gaudens was born in 1848 in Dublin, Ireland. His father, Bern...
Bronze
THE LAST DAYS OF NAPOLÉON BY
Located in New Orleans, LA
This highly evocative bronze by Vincenzo Vela captures the deposed Emperor Napoléon on his deathbed, holding a map of Europe and lost in thought about what might have been. Remarkable among most portrayals of the exiled leader, this highly detailed sculpture depicts Napoléon at his most vulnerable. Nonetheless, Vela perfectly captures his still-heroic bearing, which imparts to this work a monumental quality and quiet dignity. The mate to this figure is the colossal marble at the Musée du Château de Malmaison, which was shown at the Paris Salon of 1867. The founder of the verismo movement in Italy, Vela was one of the great exponents of realism in sculpture. Born in Ligornetto, Switzerland in 1820, he studied under celebrated sculptor, Benedetto Cacciatori. He was also influenced both by the work of Tuscan sculptor Lorenzo Bartolini, who seamlessly combined neoclassicism with naturalism and the romantic painting of Francesco Hayez...
Marble, 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