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Peter Alexander Sculptures

American, 1939-2020

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.

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Artist: Peter Alexander
9/8/13 (Aqua Waterfall)
9/8/13 (Aqua Waterfall)

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Peter Alexander Sculptures

Materials

Polyurethane

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Untitled
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Peter Alexander, 1939Untitled, 1968

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H 8 in W 8 in D 5.25 in

Untitled

By Peter Alexander, 1939

Located in Laguna Beach, CA

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Untitled
Untitled

Peter Alexander, 1939Untitled

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H 3.5 in W 5.25 in D 5.25 in

Untitled

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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...

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11/22/13
11/22/13

Peter Alexander, 193911/22/13, 2013

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H 77 in W 6.5 in D 1.5 in

11/22/13

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Violet Puff
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Peter Alexander, 1939Violet Puff, 2014

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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....

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Pink Leaner
Pink Leaner

Peter Alexander, 1939Pink Leaner, 2015

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H 95 in W 2 in D 4.75 in

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...

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5/13/16 (Grey Box)

5/13/16 (Grey Box)

By Peter Alexander, 1939

Located in Laguna Beach, CA

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Cube With Green Sphere
Cube With Green Sphere

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...

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1960s Minimalist Peter Alexander Sculptures

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Tecate

Peter Alexander, 1939Tecate

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H 77.5 in W 52 in

Tecate

By Peter Alexander, 1939

Located in Laguna Beach, CA

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5/25/14 (Ruby Bar)
5/25/14 (Ruby Bar)

Peter Alexander, 19395/25/14 (Ruby Bar)

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5/15/15 Green Yellow Leaner

Peter Alexander, 19395/15/15 Green Yellow Leaner

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H 93.5 in W 4.13 in D 3.25 in

5/15/15 Green Yellow Leaner

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6/18/15 (Turquoise Leaner)

6/18/15 (Turquoise Leaner)

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Located in Laguna Beach, CA

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Peter Alexander sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Peter Alexander sculptures available for sale on 1stDibs. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Nancy Legge, Robert Kvenild, and Hunt Slonem.