A bit of surfboard wax, a small Dixie cup and the sun sparked an epiphany for artist Peter Alexander and began his rise through the Light and Space movement of the 1960s. After seeing wax dry into a translucent block, Alexander chose resin as his signature medium and created sculptures that appear to be constructed out of light itself.
Alexander was born in 1939 in Los Angeles. By 1966, he had studied under Estonian-born American architect Louis Kahn at the University of Pennsylvania and transferred to several universities before graduating with a bachelor’s and master's degree in fine art from UCLA. He explored the possibilities of resin throughout the 1960s. Many of his resin sculptures are monolithic and contemplative, with a mysterious air, as seen in his Cloud Boxes, which seem to trap miniature clouds within blocks.
Like his Light and Space contemporaries James Turrell, Larry Bell, Mary Corse and DeWain Valentine, Alexander wished to capture light in the form of an artistic environment. After exhibiting at Nicholas Wilder Gallery in Los Angeles and the Robert Elkon Gallery in New York, Alexander turned to painting, drawing, lithography and polaroid photography as new ways to explore the effects of light. In his sculptures, the color changed in tone and intensity based on the light source and the position of the viewer. In his later work, Alexander’s curiosity about color informed much of his art, which combined light and hues to elicit various emotions.
He died in 2020 at the age of 81. Alexander’s art has appeared in films including Erin Brockovich, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Shopgirl. The Museum of Modern Art and Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the San Diego Museum of Art, the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Centre Pompidou in Paris have all exhibited his work.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of Peter Alexander’s prints and multiples.
9/8/13 (Aqua Waterfall)
By Peter Alexander, 1939
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Among the pioneering California-based Light and Space artists, Peter Alexander has spent the course of his career focusing intensely on light and its manifold effects in his sculptur...
Polyurethane
Surge
By Bill Thompson
Located in Westport, CT
This beautiful minimalist sculptural work explores the evocative power monochrome color. Originally working as a painter, Thompson focused on Minimalism. In his sculptural work, mono...
Polyurethane
Black and White (Minimalist Abstract 3D Wall Sculpture)
By Dai Ban
Located in Hudson, NY
18 x 24 x 8 inches styrofoam and venetian plaster Black and white three dimensional floating high contrast wall sculpture with clean lines Dai Ban presents new series of minimalis...
Plaster, Polyurethane
Mini Drip #207
By Dan Lam
Located in Dallas, TX
1.75 x 3.75 x 2 Mixed Media 2023 Each mini is a unique and original artwork. Biomorphic sculpture that draws you to play with it.
Resin, Foam, Polyurethane
Dom Pérignon Balloon Venus
By Jeff Koons
Located in Zurich, CH
Jeff Koons (*1955, USA) Dom Pérignon Balloon Venus, 2013 Lacquered polyurethane resin, champagne bottle and original box 49 x 50 x 36 cm (19 1/4 x 19 3/4 x 14 1/8 in.) Edition of 650...
Resin, Polyurethane
Carib
By Zammy Migdal
Located in Miami, FL
This installation is made up of individual metal and polyurethane painted elements that can also be purchased individually and create any design scheme. Influenced by the waters of ...
Steel
$12,720Sale Price|20% Off
H 96 in W 50 in D 6 in
Metal Elements Installation Feeling White Multi Element Wall Installation
By Zammy Migdal
Located in Miami, FL
This interactive installation allows the collector to plan their own design using these sophisticated elements made of steel or aluminum painted in polyurethane. This indoor or outdo...
Steel
ViVa
By Anastasia Pelias
Located in New Orleans, LA
Edition 3/3 Anastasia Pelias was born in New Orleans, LA to a Greek immigrant mother and a first generation Greek-American father. She received her BFA from the Newcomb College of T...
Metal
Sextant
By Bill Thompson
Located in Westport, CT
This beautiful minimalist sculptural work explores the evocative power monochrome color. Originally working as a painter, Thompson focused on Minimalism. In his sculptural work, mono...
Polyurethane
$19,920Sale Price|20% Off
H 120 in W 60 in D 3 in
The Stairs from the Pentagon Archives Multi Elements Metal Installation
By Zammy Migdal
Located in Miami, FL
An installation work of photos on aluminum, these hexagonal elements inference the hexagon of the Pentagon. The artist is telling a story of what ma...
Steel
Alien
By Connie DK Lane
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Polyurethane/insulating foam, paints, tree branch, and mixed media.
Foam, Wood, Paint, Mixed Media, Polyurethane
$57,259
H 27.56 in W 23.63 in D 19.69 in
Sedilsasso Polyurethane Sculpture, Contemporary, Circa 1969, Unframed
By Piero Gilardi
Located in Roma, IT
This artwork is a composition of three stones made by Piero Gilardi in 1969. The Certificate of Authenticity is provided by Archivio Piero Gilardi n. 1969.01 dated 17/12/2017. This s...
Polyurethane
$8,000
H 28 in W 28 in
"Lemon Squeeze", Abstract, Acrylic Painting on Aluminum Panel by Kevin Barrett
By Kevin Barrett
Located in New York, NY
"Lemon Squeeze" by Kevin Barrett Epoxy, acrylic, and urethane on carved aluminum panel Barrett is noted for creating unique, rhythmic, abstract indoor and outdoor sculpture and wall...
Metal
Untitled
By Peter Alexander, 1939
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Among the pioneering California-based Light and Space artists, Peter Alexander has spent the course of his career focusing intensely on light and its manifold effects in his sculptur...
Resin
Untitled
By Peter Alexander, 1939
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Among the pioneering California-based Light and Space artists, Peter Alexander has spent the course of his career focusing intensely on light and its manifold effects in his sculptur...
Resin
11/22/13
By Peter Alexander, 1939
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Among the pioneering California-based Light and Space artists, Peter Alexander has spent the course of his career focusing intensely on light and its manifold effects in his sculptur...
Polyurethane
Violet Puff
By Peter Alexander, 1939
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Violet Puff, 2014 Urethane 42 x 42 inches Peter Alexander came to prominence in the 1960s Los Angeles art scene with geometric resin sculptures of simple forms and transparent hues....
Polyurethane
Pink Leaner
By Peter Alexander, 1939
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Pink Leaner, 2015 Urethane 95 H x 2 W x 4.75 D inches 10/8/14 2011 Urethane 24.5 x 22.5 x 11 cm Peter Alexander came to prominence in the 1960s Los Angeles art scene with geometric...
Polyurethane
5/13/16 (Grey Box)
By Peter Alexander, 1939
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Among the pioneering California-based Light and Space artists, Peter Alexander has spent the course of his career focusing intensely on light and its manifold effects in his sculptur...
Polyurethane
Cube With Green Sphere
By Peter Alexander, 1939
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Among the pioneering California-based Light and Space artists, Peter Alexander has spent the course of his career focusing intensely on light and its manifold effects in his sculptur...
Resin
Tecate
By Peter Alexander, 1939
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Among the pioneering California-based Light and Space artists, Peter Alexander has spent the course of his career focusing intensely on light and its manifold effects in his sculptur...
5/25/14 (Ruby Bar)
By Peter Alexander, 1939
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Among the pioneering California-based Light and Space artists, Peter Alexander has spent the course of his career focusing intensely on light and its manifold effects in his sculptur...
Resin
1/14/15 (Pink Cube)
By Peter Alexander, 1939
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Among the pioneering California-based Light and Space artists, Peter Alexander has spent the course of his career focusing intensely on light and its manifold effects in his sculptur...
5/15/15 Green Yellow Leaner
By Peter Alexander, 1939
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Among the pioneering California-based Light and Space artists, Peter Alexander has spent the course of his career focusing intensely on light and its manifold effects in his sculptur...
6/18/15 (Turquoise Leaner)
By Peter Alexander, 1939
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
Among the pioneering California-based Light and Space artists, Peter Alexander has spent the course of his career focusing intensely on light and its manifold effects in his sculptur...