Skip to main content

Ross Bleckner Abstract 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
4
2
1
1
1
3
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
2
2
2
2
1
73
575
519
320
281
4
4
3
2
1
Artist: Ross Bleckner
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 Abstract 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 Abstract 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 Abstract Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

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 Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Linen

Related Items
Landscape- Abstract Oil Painting - Large Size -Original Art Made in Italy
By Marilina Marchica
Located in Agrigento, AG
Landscape oil on cotton canvas 120x120 cm the painting is stretched out on a handcrafted wooden frame and is ready to hang it is shipped with a certificate of authenticity pure co...
Category

2010s Contemporary Ross Bleckner Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Graphite, Cotton Canvas

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 Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Board

Lucid Dreams Sculpture
By John Grande
Located in New York, NY
Mixed Media painted sculpture. Vibrant colors. About the artist: John Grande is a New York-based artist who reflects upon modern and contemporary culture with his constructed pa...
Category

2010s Abstract Expressionist Ross Bleckner Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Lucid Dreams Sculpture
H 80 in W 43 in D 32 in
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 Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Board

"Plato's Cave" (black & white, abstract, surreal, primitive, shapes)
By Nicholas Evans
Located in Paris, IDF
PLATO'S CAVE 2024, Paris, France A bold and graphic black & white painting with primitive undertones. Black and white acrylic paint lay over a purple-brown wash forming shapes. Very...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Ross Bleckner Abstract Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil, Plaster, Acrylic

"Saudade" (black & white, rich, text, type, abstract, surreal, natural, neutral)
By Nicholas Evans
Located in Paris, IDF
SAUDADE 2024, Paris, France An abstract, original painting on linen, which is primarily black & white with hand-painted typography detail. Centered at the bottom of the work reads t...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Ross Bleckner Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Linen

Grey & Tan Abstract Expressionist Textural Mid-Century Abstract by Peter Witwer
By Peter Witwer
Located in Soquel, CA
Grey & Tan Abstract Expressionist Textural Mid-Century Abstract by Peter Witwer Heavily textured, expressive composition by Peter Witwer (American, 1928-1968). Over the top of a heavy base layer of plaster, Witwer has added various layers of oil paint, creating a massive amount of depth and texture. Sections of red peek out from underneath various shades of tan, grey, and black. Spots of blue and purple are used sparingly, hidden in the composition. Presented in a wood frame. Canvas size: 20"H x 40"W Frame size: 26.63"H x 46.63"W Unsigned, but was acquired with a collection of the artist's work. Provenance: Without a will and a family that had little interest in his art, nearly all of his possessions and close to 100 paintings were turned over to SF’s Conservators Office. His friend, Albert Richard Lasker, purchased all of Peter’s possessions (including the art) and has taken care of them until this day, always sensing there was something remarkable about the collection. Wanting Peter’s work to finally be seen, Richard came to Lost Art Salon with Peter’s story after reading about the new gallery in a July, 2005 issue of the SF Chronicle. Born George Peter...
Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Ross Bleckner Abstract Paintings

Materials

Linen, Plaster, Oil

All The Pretty Faces
Located in Palm Desert, CA
"All the Pretty Faces" is an oil on canvas painting made by Shara Hughes in 2019. The artwork size is 36 x 30 inches. The work is signed verso, "Shara Hug...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Ross Bleckner Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Still Life of Fruits", 20th Century Oil on Cardboard by Artist Francisco Bores
By Francisco Bores
Located in Madrid, ES
FRANCISCO BORES Spanish, 1898 - 1972 STILL LIFE OF FRUITS signed "Borès 45´" (lower right) oil on cardboard 15-3/4 x 19-3/4 (40 x 50 cm.) framed: 18-1/4 x 22-1/8 inches (46 x 56 cm.) PROVENANCE Private French Collector Francisco Bores López (Madrid, May 5, 1898 - Paris, May 10, 1972) was a Spanish painter of the so-called New School of Paris. His artistic training originated both in the Cecilio Pla painting academy, where he met Pancho Cossío, Manuel Ángeles Ortiz or Joaquín Peinado...
Category

1940s Abstract Geometric Ross Bleckner Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Cardboard

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 Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Board

Chinese Contemporary art by Fu Ze-Nan - Abstract Expressionism New Wild No.1
By Fu Zenan
Located in Paris, IDF
Oil on linen Fu Zenan always known as Da Han is a Chinese artist born in 1953 who lives & works in Songzhuang, Beijing, China. He is graduated from the Suzhou University. In 1985, F...
Category

2010s Abstract Ross Bleckner Abstract Paintings

Materials

Linen, Oil

Railway Arches & Bridges Abstract Expressionist Art by Modern British Painter
By Angela Wakefield
Located in Preston, GB
Abstract Expressionist Painting inspired by the Railway Arches & Bridges of the Industrial North of England by Contemporary British Artist, Angela Wakefield. This original is a rare,...
Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Ross Bleckner Abstract Paintings

Materials

Board, Wood, Gesso, Acrylic, Oil, Mixed Media, Varnish, Paint

Previously Available Items
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 Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil, Watercolor

Ross Bleckner abstract paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Ross Bleckner abstract paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Ross Bleckner in oil paint, 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 abstract paintings, so small editions measuring 20 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Ralph Anderson, Nina Tichava, and Mary Amendola Marley. Ross Bleckner abstract paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $4,000 and tops out at $185,000, while the average work can sell for $10,000.

Recently Viewed

View All