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Martin Puryear Art

American, b. 1941

One of the most lauded contemporary American sculptors, Martin Puryear (b. 1941) has had — and continues to have — an impressive career. 

Born in Washington, D.C., where he earned a fine art degree from the Catholic University of America in 1963, Puryear started his journey not in fine art, but in craft. As a teen, he learned how to build everything from furniture to musical instruments to canoes. Later, following his undergraduate work, he joined the Peace Corps as a volunteer in Sierra Leone and learned traditional craft methods, including pottery, weaving and woodworking. He then studied printmaking in Sweden before returning to the United States and earning his MFA from Yale University’s School of Art and Architecture. There, he specialized in sculpture.

Blending minimalism with the craft arts, Puryear’s work is often abstract and large scale. His sculptures of hemp rope, wood, bronze and more are studies of both form and material. And beneath the surface, his works touch upon complicated topics, including religion and Black history: Several of his pieces acknowledge iconic Black figures such as Sally Hemings (Thomas Jefferson’s slave and mother to six of his children) and Booker T. Washington, a former slave who became a prominent leader in the Black community and founded what is now Tuskegee University.

Puryear represented the United States at the 1989 Bienal de São Paulo, where he won the festival’s Grand Prize, and at the 2019 Venice Biennale. He has also received the National Medal of Arts, the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship and the Skowhegan Medal for Sculpture. Puryear’s works can be found in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields in Indiana and the Anderson Collection at Stanford University in California.

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Artist: Martin Puryear
Hand-Signed 1984 Los Angeles Olympics Poster
Hand-Signed 1984 Los Angeles Olympics Poster

Hand-Signed 1984 Los Angeles Olympics Poster

By Martin Puryear

Located in London, GB

Original poster produced for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics Offset lithographic on wove paper 1982 61 x 91 cm Hand signed by Puryear Edition of 750 with only 200 hand-signed examples ...

Category

1980s Abstract Martin Puryear Art

Materials

Lithograph, Wove Paper

Los Angeles Olympic Games 1984 (hand signed with official Olympic Committee COA)
Los Angeles Olympic Games 1984 (hand signed with official Olympic Committee COA)

Los Angeles Olympic Games 1984 (hand signed with official Olympic Committee COA)

By Martin Puryear

Located in New York, NY

Martin Puryear Los Angeles Olympic Games 1984, 1982 Offset Lithograph on Parsons Diploma Parchment Paper Hand signed on the front with COA, Edition of 750 (though only approximately 200-250 remain) 21 × 34 1/2 inches Unframed This limited edition, pencil signed offset lithograph was published in a limited edition of 750, and printed as one of the fifteen Official Fine Art Olympic Posters for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. A statement released by the 1984 Olympic committee explains the set as follows - "The posters commissioned for the 1984 Olympics contain an enlightened selection of the best American artists with special emphasis on those who work in Southern California...As the Games develop, transpire and pass into memory, these fifteen posters contain the images, forms and symbols that will represent the 1984 Olympics in the museums, galleries, homes and the minds of people all over the world.” Printed and Published by Knapp Communications Corporation and includes Certificate of Authenticity from the publisher. This work is NOT to be confused with the ubiquitous plate signed poster of the same image, which was printed on different paper in an open edition.) In 1982, the Olympic Committee commissioned 15 artists to create posters for the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Hockney designed this offset lithograph depicting Olympic swimming...

Category

1980s Contemporary Martin Puryear Art

Materials

Parchment Paper, Lithograph, Offset

Lean To

Lean To

By Martin Puryear

Located in San Francisco, CA

Edition of 50

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Martin Puryear Art

Materials

Etching

From Above (Beijing)

From Above (Beijing)

By Martin Puryear

Located in Berkeley, CA

COLOR HARDGROUND ETCHING WITH AQUATINT AND DRYPOINT. RIVES BFK PAPER IMAGE SIZE: 18” x 24”; PAPER SIZE: 29” x 34” EDITION OF 40

Category

2010s Martin Puryear Art

Materials

Etching

Side (Beijing)

Side (Beijing)

By Martin Puryear

Located in Berkeley, CA

COLOR HARDGROUND ETCHING WITH AQUATINT AND DRYPOINT. RIVES BFK PAPER IMAGE SIZE: 24” x 24”; PAPER SIZE: 35” x 34” EDITION OF 40

Category

2010s Martin Puryear Art

Materials

Etching

End (Beijing)

End (Beijing)

By Martin Puryear

Located in Berkeley, CA

COLOR HARDGROUND ETCHING WITH AQUATINT AND DRYPOINT. RIVES BFK PAPER IMAGE SIZE: 24” x 18”; PAPER SIZE: 35” x 28” EDITION OF 40

Category

2010s Martin Puryear Art

Materials

Etching

Drawing for Sanctuary

Drawing for Sanctuary

By Martin Puryear

Located in San Francisco, CA

Framed: 24 1/2 x 21 5/8 inches

Category

1980s Martin Puryear Art

Materials

Pencil

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Large scale black and white abstract interior scene with dots, lines, brushstrokes, and hand painting in grey, to hang in contemporary, modern and minimalist spaces. While British pop artists such as David Hockney and Patrick Caulfield numbered amongst Howard Hodgkin's circle of friends, Hodgkin's work is painterly, emotional, expressionist, and abstract. Early Evening in the Museum of Modern Art, by Howard Hodgkin. Signed by the artist, numbered, and dated 79 lower center in red crayon. Soft-ground etching printed from the same plate as 'Late Afternoon in the Museum of Modern Art', with hand coloring in black gouache on Grey BFK Rives mould-made paper. This print depicts an abstracted scene, perhaps a sculpture in front of a window in the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, in Hodgkin's signature painterly style. The expressive mark-making in this print is an example of the artist’s movement in the late 70s towards pronounced gestures. Wide areas of deep black pigment contrast urgent swipes of ink. Always seeking greater richness in his prints, Hodgkin layered ink and hand coloring in this print, rendering each impression in the edition unique. Part of a series of four prints reflecting on a visit to...

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Abstract Black and Grey Etching
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Dynamic French abstract etching in black and grey by artist Julia Lan, circa 1980. Signed lower right. Original artwork on paper displayed on a white mat with a gold border. Mat f...

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1980s Martin Puryear Art

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Howard Hodgkin Late Afternoon in the Museum of Modern Art abstract black white
Howard Hodgkin Late Afternoon in the Museum of Modern Art abstract black white

Howard Hodgkin Late Afternoon in the Museum of Modern Art abstract black white

By Howard Hodgkin

Located in New York, NY

Abstract black, white and tan print of interior scene with dots, lines, shadow and painted brushstroke texture. Ideal for display in minimalist, modern and contemporary spaces. While British pop artists such as David Hockney and Patrick Caulfield numbered amongst Howard Hodgkin's circle of friends, Hodgkin's work is painterly, expressionist, and abstract. Late Afternoon in the Museum of Modern Art by Howard Hodgkin. Soft-ground etching on buff BFK Rives mould-made paper. Edition 100: this impression 36/100. Signed by the artist, numbered 36/100, and dated 79 lower center in red crayon. Printed from the same plate as Early Evening in the Museum of Modern Art. Published by Petersburg Press. This print depicts an abstracted scene, perhaps a sculpture in front of a window in the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, in Hodgkin's signature painterly style. The expressive mark-making in this print is an example of the artist’s movement in the late 70s towards pronounced gestures. Hodgkin used his hand as a mark-making tool, combining these textures with loose and urgent brushwork. Howard Hodgkin was introduced to the etching technique used in Late Afternoon in the Museum of Modern Art at Petersburg Press, where this print was produced and where he would become a long-time collaborator. This technique allowed him to work fluidly and spontaneously, creating the moody interior scenes that mark Hodgkin’s work from the late 70s and early 80s. Part of a series of four prints reflecting on a visit to the Museum...

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La Pique (The Pike) from A los toros avec Picasso, hand signed
La Pique (The Pike) from A los toros avec Picasso, hand signed

La Pique (The Pike) from A los toros avec Picasso, hand signed

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Located in BRUCE, ACT

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Joan Miro La Femme Arborescente Aquatint Etching - Signed Authentic Edition
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Rick, from: Men in the Cities - American Pop Art
Rick, from: Men in the Cities - American Pop Art

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Located in London, GB

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Joan Miro Grans Rupestres II Etching Signed Authentic Edition Contemporary Art
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Previously Available Items
Dark Loop
Dark Loop

Dark Loop

By Martin Puryear

Located in Buffalo, NY

Dark Loop, 1982 Woodcut on ivory Japanese paper 20 1/2 × 27 4/5 in 52.1 × 70.6 cm Edition of 2/2 (A.P.) This work is in pristine mint condition and would come with a COA and apprais...

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1980s Contemporary Martin Puryear Art

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Phrygian

Martin PuryearPhrygian, 2012

Sold

H 35 in W 28 in

Phrygian

By Martin Puryear

Located in San Francisco, CA

Edition of 50

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Martin Puryear Art

Martin Puryear art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Martin Puryear available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Martin Puryear in etching, aquatint, drypoint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Martin Puryear, so small editions measuring 14 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Richard Tuttle, James Brooks, and Paul Burlin. Martin Puryear prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,500 and tops out at $60,000, while the average work can sell for $8,000.