Skip to main content

Ross Bleckner Paintings

American, b. 1949

Influential contemporary artist Ross Bleckner is renowned for his large-scale abstract and figurative paintings that convey themes of change, loss and memory. Using recurring symbolism such as flowers, birds, urns and candelabras, along with patterns like stripes and dots, Bleckner’s immersive works elicit a hypnotic effect while suggesting ideas related to the body, health and disease. 

Born in 1949 in New York City, Bleckner later studied at New York University alongside artists such as Chuck Close and Sol LeWitt. He went on to study at the California Institute of the Arts, graduating with a Master of Fine Arts in 1973.

In 1979, he began exhibiting with Mary Boone Gallery. During the 1980s, Bleckner became one of New York’s most prominent emerging artists through paintings that tackled the emotional toll of the AIDS crisis, particularly on the gay community. Bleckner’s powerful works depicting multicolored volumetric circles, or “cells as seen under a microscope,” garnered acclaim from art critics and collectors. In 1995, he became the youngest artist to have a retrospective at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

In recent years, Bleckner’s paintings, watercolors and abstract, landscape and still-life prints have continued to capture international attention. His works have been exhibited at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid, Kunstmuseum Luzern in Lucerne, the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern and the Gropius Bau in Berlin.

Bleckner’s art is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.

On 1stDibs, discover a range of Ross Bleckner’s prints, paintings and drawings and watercolor paintings.

to
1
6
3
2
1
1
2
3
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
3
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
4
2
1
1
77
902
651
640
610
6
4
3
2
2
Artist: Ross Bleckner
West to East
By Ross Bleckner
Located in Palm Desert, CA
An oil on linen canvas painting by contemporary artist Ross Bleckner. "West to East" is an abstract oil painting executed in deep and brilliant orange on a neutral ground...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Oil, Linen

Ross Bleckner Geometric Abstract Painting, 1960s
By Ross Bleckner
Located in Larchmont, NY
Ross Bleckner (American, b. 1949) Untitled (Geometric Abstraction) Acrylic on board 19 1/2 x 16 3/4 in. Signed lower right: Ross '66 Ross Bleckner grew up in Hewlett, Long Island, N...
Category

1960s Abstract Geometric Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Board

Ross Bleckner Childhood Clown Watercolor Painting
By Ross Bleckner
Located in Larchmont, NY
Ross Bleckner (American, b. 1949) Untitled Watercolor 13 3/4 x 11 in. Signed: Ross Ross Bleckner grew up in Hewlett, Long Island, New York; drawing all the time without being aware ...
Category

Late 20th Century Contemporary Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Watercolor, Acrylic, Graphite

Ross Bleckner Abstract Oil Painting
By Ross Bleckner
Located in Larchmont, NY
Ross Bleckner (American, b. 1949) Untitled, c. 20th century Oil on board 18 x 20 in. Ross Bleckner grew up in Hewlett, Long Island, New York; drawing all the time without being aware that other artists existed. He was the middle child between two sisters; his father manufactures electronic parts He attended New York University where Sol Lewitt, Chuck Close and others were his teachers. He graduated in 1972, then spent a year at the California Institute of Arts. His contacts in the next few years were very fortuitous; Sol Lewitt and Chuck Close, Carl Andre, David Salle, Julian Schnabel, etc. Bleckner is on the nervous side, beset by self-doubt, insomnia, and gloom. He is unpretentious, although he is bluntly handsome, with olive complexion, and a compact build. He is "10 percent that is superficial and 90 percent that has to do with the depths and that is threatened by living. He is a very complicated individual. He is a very, very morose, deeply feeling, hardworking artist- he takes a lot from within himself - but always, no matter how successful he is, he feels he is going to fall into those depths." 1 Bleckner first exhibited his work in New York in 1974. The following year he was given his first one-man show; he was included in the 1975 Whitney Biennial.. Since about 1985 has addressed many of his paintings to the subject of AIDS- both documenting it as a historical phenomenon and commemorating specific individuals who have died. Written and submitted by Jean Ershler Schatz, artist and researcher from Laguna Woods, California. Bio sourced from the Archives of askArt. Sources include: Ross Bleckner's Mood Indigo...
Category

20th Century Abstract Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Ross Bleckner Abstract Oil Painting
By Ross Bleckner
Located in Larchmont, NY
Ross Bleckner (American, b. 1949) Untitled, c. 1970 Oil on canvas 43 x 34 in. Signed verso: Ross B/ho Ross Bleckner grew up in Hewlett, Long Island, New York; drawing all the time without being aware that other artists existed. He was the middle child between two sisters; his father manufactures electronic parts He attended New York University where Sol Lewitt, Chuck Close and others were his teachers. He graduated in 1972, then spent a year at the California Institute of Arts. His contacts in the next few years were very fortuitous; Sol Lewitt and Chuck Close, Carl Andre, David Salle, Julian Schnabel, etc. Bleckner is on the nervous side, beset by self-doubt, insomnia, and gloom. He is unpretentious, although he is bluntly handsome, with olive complexion, and a compact build. He is "10 percent that is superficial and 90 percent that has to do with the depths and that is threatened by living. He is a very complicated individual. He is a very, very morose, deeply feeling, hardworking artist- he takes a lot from within himself - but always, no matter how successful he is, he feels he is going to fall into those depths." 1 Bleckner first exhibited his work in New York in 1974. The following year he was given his first one-man show; he was included in the 1975 Whitney Biennial.. Since about 1985 has addressed many of his paintings to the subject of AIDS- both documenting it as a historical phenomenon and commemorating specific individuals who have died. Written and submitted by Jean Ershler Schatz, artist and researcher from Laguna Woods, California. Bio sourced from the Archives of askArt. Sources include: Ross Bleckner's Mood Indigo by Lisa Liebmann, in ARTnews, May 1993...
Category

1970s Contemporary Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

My Sister's Brain
By Ross Bleckner
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Ross Bleckner My Sister’s Brain, 2013 Oil on linen 72 x 84 inches
Category

2010s Abstract Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

Related Items
The Fantasy of Castle No.2 - Contemporary art, Geometric, Abstract
Located in Coquitlam, BC
Artist: Da Hong Born in 1984 Henan China, and currently living in Beijing He graduated from Jingdezhen Ceramic University in 2007 The artist enjoyed piling up the blocks on the c...
Category

2010s Contemporary Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Donna Isham Portrait Female Blue Face Black Abstract Figurative People
Located in Nantucket, MA
The title of this painting is Isis. Dark tones combined with accents of blue present a confident female portrait.
Category

2010s Abstract Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Ink, Graphite, Acrylic

Donna Isham Gold Portrait Face Female Bright Colors Abstract Figurative Blue
Located in Nantucket, MA
Pheobe is part of a series of abstract portraits Donna Isham created in 2022. Bold brush strokes and the use of brilliant colors form into confident and strong female images.
Category

2010s Abstract Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Acrylic

Everything is Early (Colorful Autumn colors Large Abstract Oil painting, Nature)
By Richmond Burton
Located in Cody, WY
Richmond Burton’s works are known for their kaleidoscopic color, undulating patterns, and lyrical handling of expressionistic mark making. His Visceral, seductive, and organic compositions play with decorative patterning without compromising a conceptual backbone. Their intensity of vision allows for transcendent thought, experience, and connection while challenging any preconceived norms or rules defining abstract painting. “Structure is never absent; it’s just uninsistent, even accidental. The paintings are built up in stages, but never give the impression of being hard-worked. They have a fluid, textural presence, like luxury fabrics printed with overlapping, off-register layers of patterning.” — Holland Cotter, The New York Times (1999). Richmond Burton (b. 1960, Talladega, AL) obtained a BA in architecture from Rice University Houston, TX (1984). He lives and works in Woodstock, NY. Burton has shown extensively both domestically and internationally and has work in the collections of The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL; The Broad, Los Angeles, CA; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX; Fogg Museum at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, NY; and National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, among others. Recent solo exhibitions include venues such as Sarah Moody Gallery of Art at University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL (2015); Silas Marder Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY (2014); Philip Slein Gallery, St. Louis, MO (2013); and George Lawson...
Category

1990s Contemporary Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

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 Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Board

Lee Hurst (3/4 Figure, Hands Together), Mixed media on Pergamenata parchment
By Howard Tangye
Located in London, GB
Howard Tangye (b.1948, Australia) has been an influential force in fashion for decades. Lecturing at London’s Central Saint Martins for 35 years, including 16 years as head of BA Wom...
Category

2010s Contemporary Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Paint, Paper, Parchment Paper, Charcoal, Crayon, Oil Crayon, Oil Pastel,...

Untitled (Man with guitar)
Located in Cliffside Park, NJ
Manuel Soto-Muñoz (1913-2000), Puerto Rican born American painter. Recipient award of merit Florida Southern College, 1958; prize Art Students League New York, 1950; 1st prize Salón ...
Category

Late 20th Century Contemporary Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Extra-Large Warm Blue And Orange Contemporary Abstract Face By Hans Bouman
Located in Frederiksberg C, DK
An exquisite contemporary painting by Dutch artist, Hans Bouman. In this painting Bouman creates a captivating interplay of colors and forms that gives rise to an enigmatic abstract face that invites interpretation and contemplation. This captivating large-scale abstract painting is a harmonious blend of warm white, earthy tones, invigorating orange, and calming blue hues. Hans Bouman, born in the Netherlands in 1951, embarked on his artistic journey at the Amsterdam Graphic School and the Gerrit Rietveld Academy of Fine Arts. During the early 1980s, Paris became his haven of inspiration, where his debut in galleries marked the onset of an international presence that continues to flourish. Bouman's artistic evolution is characterized by cycles of creativity, but it is his larger-than-life hieratic heads that he is renown for. These remarkable pieces pay homage to influences as diverse as the Moai sculptures of Easter Island, the intricate masks of Africa...
Category

1990s Abstract Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Malibu Barbie - Colorful Abstract Figurative Portrait Original Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Inspired by her background in fashion, artist Lindsey McCord creates vibrant portraits that encapsulate the confidence that comes with the fun of being stylish and chic. Her figures ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Oil Pastel, Graphite, Canvas, Mixed Media, Spray Paint, Acrylic

"Congratulatory" (Abstract, Figurative, Black & White, Portrait, Antique Wood)
By Nicholas Evans
Located in Paris, IDF
CONGRATULATORY 2020 Paris, France Subtle, black & white, figurative portrait in chalk on antique wood. Wood itself has a lot of character, with a beautiful, grey patina. Evidence o...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Wood, Acrylic, Chalk

"Le Gilet Bleu” The Blue Jacket
By René Genis
Located in Berlin, MD
Rene Genis (French 1922-2004) "Le Gilet Bleu” The Blue Jacket. Portrait of a young man in a blue jacket/sweater with an insignia on the breast and a blue ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Impressionist Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Laid Paper

Bea - Colorful Abstract Figurative Portrait Painting
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Inspired by her background in fashion, artist Lindsey McCord creates vibrant portraits that encapsulate the confidence that comes with the fun of being stylish and chic. Her figures ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Oil Pastel, Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Graphite

Previously Available Items
Throbbing Hearts
By Ross Bleckner
Located in New York, NY
Throbbing Hearts 2005 Signed and numbered by the artist Screenprint (Edition of 250) 23 x 21 inches (58 x 53 inches) This work is offered by CLAMP in New York City.
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Lithograph

Abstract Contemporary American Original Figurative Watercolor Painting
By Ross Bleckner
Located in New York, NY
Ross Bleckner (1949) is an American contemporary artist. His work can be found in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, ...
Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Paper

Untitled
By Ross Bleckner
Located in New York, NY
Oil and watercolor on paper 12 x 16 inches This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City.
Category

1980s Contemporary Ross Bleckner Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil, Watercolor

Ross Bleckner paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Ross Bleckner paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of paintings to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of green and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Ross Bleckner in paint, oil paint, fabric and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Ross Bleckner paintings, so small editions measuring 10 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Larry Zox, Jack Roth, and Tom Holland. Ross Bleckner paintings 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 $185,000, while the average work can sell for $4,500.

Recently Viewed

View All