Skip to main content

Michael Kessler Art

American, b. 1954
Michael Kessler makes nature-based paintings that merge geometric elements with biomorphism. He began his art career as a landscape painter. While still an undergraduate at Kutztown University Kessler received a fellowship from the Whitney Museum of American Art to study and produce art in New York City at the Whitney Independent Study Program. During this period (1977–78) he met many important artists working in New York City including Richard Tuttle and Dorothea Rockburne. Influenced by the paintings of Brice Marden and Elizabeth Murray as well as the music of Phillip Glass and Steve Reich he began experimenting with his own work. His paintings soon became fully non-objective. Kessler's works are characterized by large fields of diaphanous color that are activated by organic linear structures that have been visually and physically woven into a grid structure, which consists of thick slabs of paint. These organic linear structures are overlapped and punctuated by dendritic growth patterns that suggest the bending of time and space. These visual elements as well as the color combinations have been carefully extracted from nature over time through prolonged observation and then reconstructed and orchestrated to transmit the dynamics of the Natural World. In this way Kessler synthesizes disparate elements into a new kind of harmony. In 1991 after returning from a year in Italy (via. the Rome Prize) Kessler became very involved with large-scale, site-specific installations. Gallery owner Chris Schmidt (Schmidt/Dean Gallery, Philadelphia) worked with Kessler to initiate this project by obtaining a commission from Arlen Specter for Kessler's first sitespecific work which was installed in Senator Specter's office at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. In Chicago Kessler continued this pursuit with Gallery owner Paul Klein who also got involved with the placement of sitespecific works in his gallery Klein Art Works. In 1993-95 Kessler taught art at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. During the 90s Kessler worked with Brenda Kroos in Cleveland, Ohio. He had several exhibitions there and many of his paintings were placed in corporate and private collections in the Cleveland area.
to
11
9
6
2
2
1
1
Untitled

Untitled

By Michael Kessler

Located in Buffalo, NY

Kessler makes nature-based paintings that merge geometric elements with biomorphism. He began his art career as a landscape painter. While still an undergraduate at Kutztown Universi...

Category

1980s Abstract Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Oil, Paper, Wood

White 1

White 1

By Michael Kessler

Located in Three Oaks, MI

Michael Kessler often describes his process in musical terms, likening his approach to improvisational jazz, where themes and motifs emerge and evolve organically. His paintings are ...

Category

2010s Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Acrylic

MEDIANIC
MEDIANIC

MEDIANIC

By Michael Kessler

Located in Three Oaks, MI

Michael Kessler’s work explores the continuum between gesture and geometry. Each work consists of as many as 50 micro-thin layers of translucent and transparent acrylic. Biomorphic tendrils branch to and fro, while arcs of line and color slip over and under matrices, balancing nature’s sinuous curves with the mindfulness of structure. He likens the gestural freedom in his works to a kind of painterly “tai chi” – a...

Category

2010s Abstract Geometric Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Acrylic, Panel

CELESTERRIAL 4
CELESTERRIAL 4

CELESTERRIAL 4

By Michael Kessler

Located in Three Oaks, MI

Kessler's use of geometry is not bound to rigid mathematical systems; rather, it serves as a vessel for expressive improvisation, much like a jazz composition. The geometric elements...

Category

2010s Abstract Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Acrylic, Board

CELESTERRIAL 3
CELESTERRIAL 3

CELESTERRIAL 3

By Michael Kessler

Located in Three Oaks, MI

Kessler's use of geometry is not bound to rigid mathematical systems; rather, it serves as a vessel for expressive improvisation, much like a jazz composition. The geometric elements...

Category

2010s Abstract Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Acrylic, Board

Emerald Pools (21)
Emerald Pools (21)

Emerald Pools (21)

By Michael Kessler

Located in Three Oaks, MI

Michael Kessler makes nature-based paintings that merge geometric elements with biomorphism. He began his art career as a landscape painter. While an undergraduate at Kutztown University Kessler received a fellowship from the Whitney Museum of American Art to study and produce art in New York City at the Whitney Independent Study Program. Michael Kessler’s work explores the continuum between gesture and geometry. Each work consists of as many as 50 micro-thin layers of translucent and transparent acrylic. Biomorphic tendrils branch to and fro, while arcs of line and color slip over and under matrices, balancing nature’s sinuous curves with the mindfulness of structure. He likens the gestural freedom in his works to a kind of painterly “tai chi” – a...

Category

2010s Abstract Geometric Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Acrylic

Jillidu
Jillidu

Jillidu

By Michael Kessler

Located in Three Oaks, MI

Michael Kessler makes nature-based paintings that merge geometric elements with biomorphism. He began his art career as a landscape painter. While an undergraduate at Kutztown University Kessler received a fellowship from the Whitney Museum of American Art to study and produce art in New York City at the Whitney Independent Study Program. Michael Kessler’s work explores the continuum between gesture and geometry. Each work consists of as many as 50 micro-thin layers of translucent and transparent acrylic. Biomorphic tendrils branch to and fro, while arcs of line and color slip over and under matrices, balancing nature’s sinuous curves with the mindfulness of structure. He likens the gestural freedom in his works to a kind of painterly “tai chi” – a...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Geometric Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Acrylic

Birchonapsen

Birchonapsen

By Michael Kessler

Located in New Orleans, LA

Acrylic on canvas

Category

2010s Abstract Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Acrylic

Grill 11

Michael KesslerGrill 11

Price Upon Request

Grill 11

By Michael Kessler

Located in New Orleans, LA

Acrylic on panel.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Michael Kessler Art

Treeclips 14

Michael KesslerTreeclips 14

Price Upon Request

Treeclips 14

By Michael Kessler

Located in New Orleans, LA

Acrylic on panel.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Michael Kessler Art

Related Items
Light blue waves 2024 - geometric abstract painting
Light blue waves 2024 - geometric abstract painting

Light blue waves 2024 - geometric abstract painting

By Roberto Lucchetta

Located in New York, NY

This hand-painted piece by Lucchetta is part of the op art series where he is able to catch movement with his unique technique. Lucchetta is challenging himself. His precise stable h...

Category

2010s Abstract Geometric Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Wood, Ink, Acrylic, Cardboard

Landscape - XXI century, Contemporary Oil & Acrylic Painting, Abstraction
Landscape - XXI century, Contemporary Oil & Acrylic Painting, Abstraction

Landscape - XXI century, Contemporary Oil & Acrylic Painting, Abstraction

By Monika Rossa

Located in Warsaw, PL

MONIKA ROSSA studied painting at the University of Arizona, in the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris and at the Escuela de Diseno in Barcelona. She practices drawing and easel painting....

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Board

Refraction (Contemporary Wood Panel Painting)
Refraction (Contemporary Wood Panel Painting)

Refraction (Contemporary Wood Panel Painting)

Located in New Orleans, LA

Artist's Statement: "Around 30 years ago, not long after I had started painting seriously, I was at a one-man exhibition of the great Brice Marden at the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art when I visited the annex to get a cocktail. There was one other guy at the small bar table in an otherwise empty room, waiting for his coffee to be handed to him. He turned and dumped half of it down my front. I immediately recognized him as none other than Brice Marden. He apologized profusely, but I stopped him and said: 'No problem: how often is it that Brice Marden dumps coffee on your pants? They're worth more now.' We both had a good laugh. At any rate - I was certainly channeling his early work when I began work on this series. They are made with oil and beeswax on wood panels...

Category

2010s Abstract Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Oil, Wood Panel, Acrylic

Rorschach - Original Colorful Mixed Media Textured Wood Wall Sculpture Artwork
Rorschach - Original Colorful Mixed Media Textured Wood Wall Sculpture Artwork

Rorschach - Original Colorful Mixed Media Textured Wood Wall Sculpture Artwork

By Rebecca Klundt

Located in Los Angeles, CA

This original geometric abstract wall sculpture by Rebecca Klundt is a 20 inch tall by 15 inch wide mixed media artwork, constructed from reclaimed wood and finished with acrylic pai...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Geometric Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Driftwood, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel

1960 Italy Abstract Painting and Paper Collage by Ermete Lancini
1960 Italy Abstract Painting and Paper Collage by Ermete Lancini

1960 Italy Abstract Painting and Paper Collage by Ermete Lancini

Located in Brescia, IT

This stunning abstract artwork was made in 1960, by the well known Italian artist Ermete Lancini. The artwork is a painting and a collage with newspaper sheet and other glued element...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Paper, Magazine Paper, Oil

Fuego 12 - Minimalist Vibrant Colorful Striped Modern Abstract Acrylic Resin Art
Fuego 12 - Minimalist Vibrant Colorful Striped Modern Abstract Acrylic Resin Art

Fuego 12 - Minimalist Vibrant Colorful Striped Modern Abstract Acrylic Resin Art

By Ricky Hunt

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Geometric Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel

"Aubrieta, " Abstract Painting
"Aubrieta, " Abstract Painting

"Aubrieta, " Abstract Painting

By Roger Mudre

Located in Westport, CT

This large abstract contemporary statement painting by Roger Mudre features many light circle shapes, layered over one another in a concentric fashion and a cool blue and silver pale...

Category

2010s Abstract Geometric Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Acrylic, Wood Panel, Mica

"Brescia" Abstract Painting Collage
"Brescia" Abstract Painting Collage

"Brescia" Abstract Painting Collage

By Michael Pauker

Located in Soquel, CA

Abstract expressionist painting and collage by Bay Area artist Michael Pauker (American, b.1957). Titled and dated "Brescia 2014" on verso. Unsigned. From a collection of his work. F...

Category

2010s Abstract Expressionist Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Wood, Mixed Media, Oil, Magazine Paper

Glimpses No. 8 - Original Turquoise Green Gold Abstract Geometric Artwork
Glimpses No. 8 - Original Turquoise Green Gold Abstract Geometric Artwork

Glimpses No. 8 - Original Turquoise Green Gold Abstract Geometric Artwork

By Alexander Eulert

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Alexander Eulert's original mixed media paintings on wood panels are abstract propositions of worlds where divergent forces coalesce into harmonious geometric interactions. He draws ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Geometric Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

Fuego 6 - Modern Acrylic Geometric Resin Artwork
Fuego 6 - Modern Acrylic Geometric Resin Artwork

Fuego 6 - Modern Acrylic Geometric Resin Artwork

By Ricky Hunt

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Ricky Hunt’s mixed media minimalist wall art is influenced by his tumultuous past that led to a paradigm shift in creativity and life. He covers the wood panel with layers of acrylic...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Geometric Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Resin, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Wood Panel

Untitled Abstract Landscape
Untitled Abstract Landscape

Michael GregoryUntitled Abstract Landscape, 1985

$3,000

H 34.25 in W 27.75 in D 0.25 in

Untitled Abstract Landscape

By Michael Gregory

Located in San Francisco, CA

Artist: Michael Gregory – American (1955- ) Title: Untitled Year: 1985 Medium: Oil on paper Size: 26 x 20 inches Matted size: 34.25 x 27.75 inches Signature: Signed, dated lower cen...

Category

1980s Abstract Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Paper, Oil

Previously Available Items
Tree diptych
Tree diptych

Michael KesslerTree diptych, circa 2010

Sold

H 24.5 in W 80 in D 2 in

Tree diptych

By Michael Kessler

Located in Three Oaks, MI

Michael Kessler makes nature-based paintings that merge geometric elements with biomorphism. He began his art career as a landscape painter. While an undergraduate at Kutztown Univer...

Category

20th Century Abstract Geometric Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Acrylic, Panel

LUPULIN
LUPULIN

Michael KesslerLUPULIN

Sold

H 48 in W 36 in D 1.5 in

LUPULIN

By Michael Kessler

Located in Three Oaks, MI

Michael Kessler’s work explores the continuum between gesture and geometry. Each work consists of as many as 50 micro-thin layers of translucent and transparent acrylic. Biomorphic tendrils branch to and fro, while arcs of line and color slip over and under matrices, balancing nature’s sinuous curves with the mindfulness of structure. He likens the gestural freedom in his works to a kind of painterly “tai chi” – a...

Category

2010s Abstract Geometric Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Acrylic, Wood Panel

Aspen Blue (3)

Michael KesslerAspen Blue (3), circa 2010

Sold

H 18 in W 60 in D 1.5 in

Aspen Blue (3)

By Michael Kessler

Located in Three Oaks, MI

Michael Kessler makes nature-based paintings that merge geometric elements with biomorphism. He began his art career as a landscape painter. While an undergraduate at Kutztown University Kessler received a fellowship from the Whitney Museum of American Art to study and produce art in New York City at the Whitney Independent Study Program. Michael Kessler’s work explores the continuum between gesture and geometry. Each work consists of as many as 50 micro-thin layers of translucent and transparent acrylic. Biomorphic tendrils branch to and fro, while arcs of line and color slip over and under matrices, balancing nature’s sinuous curves with the mindfulness of structure. He likens the gestural freedom in his works to a kind of painterly “tai chi” – a...

Category

2010s Abstract Geometric Michael Kessler Art

Materials

Acrylic

Aspenized 19

Michael KesslerAspenized 19

Sold

H 60 in W 40 in

Aspenized 19

By Michael Kessler

Located in New Orleans, LA

Acrylic on panel.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Michael Kessler Art

Waterclock

Michael KesslerWaterclock

Sold

H 28 in W 70 in

Waterclock

By Michael Kessler

Located in New Orleans, LA

Acrylic on panel.

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Michael Kessler Art

Michael Kessler art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Michael Kessler art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of red and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Michael Kessler in paint, acrylic paint, synthetic resin paint 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 Michael Kessler art, so small editions measuring 11 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Jeanette Fintz, Shingo Francis, and Jim Waid. Michael Kessler art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,200 and tops out at $15,000, while the average work can sell for $8,500.

Artists Similar to Michael Kessler