Skip to main content

Ralph Gibson Figurative Photography

American, b. 1939

Ralph Gibson is an American master photographer best known for literally inventing a new language of photography in the 1970s. Gibson was born in Los Angeles on January 16, 1939. Ralph Gibson builds a narrative meaning through contextualization and surreal juxtaposition. He studied photography while in the US Navy and then at the San Francisco Art Institute. He began his professional career as an assistant to Dorothea Lange and went on to work with Robert Frank on two films. Gibson has maintained a lifelong fascination with books and book-making. Since the appearance in 1970 of the Somnambulist, his work has been steadily impelled towards the printed page. To date, he has produced over 40 monographs. His photographs are included in over 150 museum collections around the world and have appeared in hundreds of exhibitions. Gibson has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst Exchange in Berlin, a New York State Council of the Arts Fellowship and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. The Rencontres d'Arles festival presented his work in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1989 and 1994. His book Syntax received a mention for the Rencontres d'Arles Book Award in 1983. He was decorated as an Officier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and appointed Commandeur de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government. His awards include the Leica Medal of Excellence Award, “150 Years of Photography” Award from the Photographic Society of Japan, a Grande Médaille de la Ville d'Arles and the Lucie Award for lifetime achievement. Gibson also received an honorary doctorate of fine arts from the University of Maryland and a second honorary doctorate from the Ohio Wesleyan University. He has worked exclusively with Leica for almost 50 years. Gibson currently lives in New York and travels frequently to Europe and Brazil.

to
1
1
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
20
4,577
1,750
324
293
1
Artist: Ralph Gibson
Man, Stick White Stripe

Man, Stick White Stripe

By Ralph Gibson

Located in Denton, TX

Edition 15/25 Gelatin silver print 16 x 20 in. Signed and dated in pencil on print verso by Ralph Gibson

Category

1970s Post-Modern Ralph Gibson Figurative Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Related Items
Avenue Simon Bolivar - Willy Ronis, 20th Century, French Humanist Photography
Avenue Simon Bolivar - Willy Ronis, 20th Century, French Humanist Photography

Avenue Simon Bolivar - Willy Ronis, 20th Century, French Humanist Photography

By Willy Ronis

Located in Paris, FR

One of the famous members of the Humanist photography in France. Signed lower right by the artist. Stamp of the artist's studio on the back.

Category

1950s Contemporary Ralph Gibson Figurative Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

Deena's back - Willy Ronis, 20th Century, French Humanist Photography
Deena's back - Willy Ronis, 20th Century, French Humanist Photography

Deena's back - Willy Ronis, 20th Century, French Humanist Photography

By Willy Ronis

Located in Paris, FR

One of the most famous members of the Humanist photography in France. Signed lower right by the artist. Stamp of the artist's studio on the back.

Category

1950s Contemporary Ralph Gibson Figurative Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

Jeffrey Cook

Jeffrey Cook

By George Dureau

Located in New Orleans, LA

George Valentine Dureau (1930 - 2014) was active/lived in Louisiana. George Dureau is known for Male nude figure, genre, portrait.

Category

Late 20th Century Ralph Gibson Figurative Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Rue Muller Willy Ronis Twentieth Century Humanist photography Paris black white
Rue Muller Willy Ronis Twentieth Century Humanist photography Paris black white

Rue Muller Willy Ronis Twentieth Century Humanist photography Paris black white

By Willy Ronis

Located in Paris, FR

One of the most famous members of the Humanist photography in France. Signed lower right by the artist. Stamp of the artist's studio on the back.

Category

1930s Contemporary Ralph Gibson Figurative Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

Carrefour Sèvres-Babylone Willy Ronis Twentieth Century Humanist photography art
Carrefour Sèvres-Babylone Willy Ronis Twentieth Century Humanist photography art

Carrefour Sèvres-Babylone Willy Ronis Twentieth Century Humanist photography art

By Willy Ronis

Located in Paris, FR

One of the most famous members of the Humanist photography in France. Signed lower right by the artist. Stamp of the artist's studio on the back.

Category

1940s Contemporary Ralph Gibson Figurative Photography

Materials

Photographic Paper, Silver Gelatin

Art Critic (Standing Before Monumental Framed Post War Abstraction)
Art Critic (Standing Before Monumental Framed Post War Abstraction)

Art Critic (Standing Before Monumental Framed Post War Abstraction)

Located in Camden, ME

Henry Rox (1899–1967) Art Critic (Standing Before Monumental Framed Post War Abstraction) c. 1948 Vintage silver gelatin print 8 × 10 inches Printed c. 1948 Estate stamp verso This ...

Category

1940s Dada Ralph Gibson Figurative Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Shoe Couch

Ted AdamsShoe Couch, 2009

$1,000

H 11 in W 14 in

Shoe Couch

By Ted Adams

Located in Hudson, NY

Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. Edition of 25. If the exhibition piece is sold or the customer orders a different print size, the photograph is prod...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Ralph Gibson Figurative Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Longing

Ted AdamsLonging, 1985

$1,000

H 11 in W 14 in

Longing

By Ted Adams

Located in Hudson, NY

Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. Edition of 25. If the exhibition piece is sold or the customer orders a different print size, the photograph is produced upon purchase. Please allow two weeks for production. Shipping time depends on method of shipping. Price is subject to availability. The Robin Rice Gallery reserves the right to adjust this price depending on the current edition of the photograph. Ted Adams’ first solo show at the Robin Rice Gallery juxtaposes surrealism with the documentary art form. What differentiates Mr. Adams’ work from traditional photojournalism is his keen eye for capturing the irony in the events that unfold before our eyes. It is the found objects in everyday life to which Adams is most attuned. He creates a subtle mood and visual mystery that conveys meaning not only from the image itself but also through imagining what exists just beyond the frame. "I see photography as a way of cropping the world—selectively taking things out of context—which often results in stripping the meaning out of the original subject matter, or at least making the image open to interpretation. It’s the opposite of traditional photojournalism whose intention is to create ‘narrative’ and context rather than discard them." While he has exhibited artistic photography in a variety of genres, in the past five years he turned his artistic eye inward to reflect a more autobiographical tone. While some people compare his work to that of Robert Frank, Adams finds himself more and more influenced by Larry Clark whose career was built on pictures drawn from his own life and drug-addled friends rather than a specific documentary mission. The unique presentation of this collection of twenty-three silver gelatin prints enhances the voyeuristic sensibility of Mr. Adams’ work. Each photograph is jewel box in size, measuring 4" x 6" to invite the viewer in to make an intimate appraisal. The craftsmanship of the wide, dark wood frames hearkens back to late 19th-century Shaker design—yet the aesthetic is boldly contemporary, providing a strong backdrop to draw the viewer’s gaze directly to the subject matter. This artisanship extends to the printing where Adams exhibits his skills in traditional darkroom processes. He shoots mostly with Leica and Nikon 35mm film cameras...

Category

1980s Contemporary Ralph Gibson Figurative Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Solitary

Ted AdamsSolitary, 2003

$1,000

H 14 in W 11 in D 1 in

Solitary

By Ted Adams

Located in Hudson, NY

Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. Edition of 25. If the exhibition piece is sold or the customer orders a different print size, the photograph is pro...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Ralph Gibson Figurative Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Untitled from "On The Acropolis"

Untitled from "On The Acropolis"

Located in New York, NY

Listing includes free shipping in the US and a 14-day return policy. All prints are made to order and will arrive in mint condition directly from Tod Papageorge...

Category

1980s Ralph Gibson Figurative Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin, Photographic Paper

Emmitt Johnson

Emmitt Johnson

By George Dureau

Located in New Orleans, LA

George Valentine Dureau (1930 - 2014) was active/lived in Louisiana. George Dureau is known for Male nude figure, genre, portrait.

Category

Late 20th Century Ralph Gibson Figurative Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Previously Available Items
"Untitled" from the Somanmbulist
"Untitled" from the Somanmbulist

Ralph Gibson"Untitled" from the Somanmbulist, 1968

Sold

H 20.75 in W 16.75 in D 1.5 in

"Untitled" from the Somanmbulist

By Ralph Gibson

Located in Astoria, NY

Ralph Gibson (American, b. 1939), "Untitled" from the Somnambulist, Vintage Gelatin Silver Print, 1968, artist stamp to the verso, with Joseph Bellows Gallery label to the reverse, e...

Category

1960s Contemporary Ralph Gibson Figurative Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Ralph Gibson figurative photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Ralph Gibson figurative photography available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Ralph Gibson in silver gelatin print and more. Not every interior allows for large Ralph Gibson figurative photography, so small editions measuring 20 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Bill Owens, and Al Satterwhite. Ralph Gibson figurative photography prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $3,500 and tops out at $3,500, while the average work can sell for $3,500.