Thomas Downing Art

American, 1928-1985

Thomas Downing was born in Suffolk, Virginia. In 1950, after graduating from Pratt Institute in New York City, he received a grant from the Virginia Museum of Fine Art to study in Europe. Upon returning from Europe, he settled in Washington, DC to teach at Catholic University. In 1954 Downing became a friend of Kenneth Noland, whose life drawing course he attended. From 1955 to 1956 Downing shared a studio with Howard Mehring, another artist who came to be identified with the Washington Color School. Downing had his first one-man show at the Washington Workshop Center for the Arts in 1959. In 1959 Downing first began using the small dot in his work, a motif he explored fully into the 1970s. Downing’s position in the Washington Color School came from his consistent approach to color. The canvas was the receptacle of color, on which Downing often worked in tonal modulations of a hue. Downing developed shaped canvases in 1966 as a structural solution to his deeper consideration of the “spatial definition” of color. After first working in a parallelogram shape, Downing next worked in chevron-shaped canvases that examined the illusionistic qualities of color. He exhibited these works in a solo exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery in 1966-1967 and later at the Allan Stone Gallery in New York in 1967. Downing’s second series of shaped canvases titled Folds were created in 1968. In the Fold series he discovered a new effect of relief and spatial depth within a flat work that could be enhanced by color. The projections and folding in the Fold paintings suggest the paintings exist in a world without gravity. Downing exhibited in a group show at Jefferson Place Gallery in 1960 and had his first solo exhibition there in the spring of 1961. Downing had solo exhibitions in New York at Allan Stone Gallery in 1962, 1967, and 1968. He also had solo exhibition in New York at Stable Gallery in September 1963 and January 1965. In the early 1970s Downing had regular solo exhibitions at the Pyramid Galleries in DC. Downing taught at the Corcoran School of Art and Design, Washington, DC from 1965 to 1968. There he was influential for the next generation of DC color artists including Sam Gilliam. He moved to New York in 1970 and taught at the School of Visual Arts. He then accepted a position at the University of Houston, Texas in 1975. Around 1976, Downing moved to Provincetown where he continued to paint until his death in 1985. In 2007 Thomas Downing was included in Optic Nerve: Perceptual Art in the 1960s at the Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio and Lyrical Color: Morris Louis, Gene Davis, Kenneth Noland and the Washington Color School at the Phillips Collection, Washington, DC.

Thomas Downing Watercolor, 1958 "Washington Color School"

$2,000

Thomas Downing Watercolor, 1958 "Washington Color School"

By Thomas Downing

Located in Sharon, CT

Rare very early watercolor by this famous 'Washington D.C. Colorist'(from the group of Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland and Gene Davis), signed and dated L.L. 1958. Matted and framed in ...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Paint

Thomas DowningSwap Series #9, 1967

$454,250

Swap Series #9

By Thomas Downing

Located in London, GB

Thomas Downing Swap Series #9, 1967 Signed by the artist Acrylic on canvas, in three parts 289.6 x 373.4 cm 114 x 147 inches

Category

1960s Abstract Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Harrison GilmanMystic Arboretum - Large Contemporary Abstract Geometric Botanical Painting, 2025

$4,000

H 40 in W 60 in

Mystic Arboretum - Large Contemporary Abstract Geometric Botanical Painting

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Harrison Gilman's large original artworks begin with a layer of fast-paced gestural abstraction followed by organic shapes and geometric structures. Some of his paintings remain in t...

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Jessie Woodward#567, Abstract Painting, Original Bright Artwork, Geometric Painting, Affordable, 2023

$1,874

H 27.56 in W 39.38 in D 1.58 in

#567, Abstract Painting, Original Bright Artwork, Geometric Painting, Affordable

By Jessie Woodward

Located in Deddington, GB

Original abstract piece exploring the language of paint and colour mixing, to evoke emotion in the viewer. Painted in her Bristol garden studio, Jessie ...

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Frederic PaulGlowing Sunset II - Original Vibrant Warm Tone Textured Abstract Artwork Framed, 2024

$635

H 9 in W 9 in

Glowing Sunset II - Original Vibrant Warm Tone Textured Abstract Artwork Framed

By Frederic Paul

Located in Los Angeles, CA

The delicate and poetic artworks of painter Frederic Paul reference his Asian roots in expressive and elaborate compositions. Inspired by the bold colors, spices, flora, and landscap...

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Rice Paper

Christina GschwantnerContemporary New Abstract Grey Dots Colors Artist Christina Gschwantner, 2025

$6,074

H 47.25 in W 47.25 in D 1.58 in

Contemporary New Abstract Grey Dots Colors Artist Christina Gschwantner

Located in Barcelona, Barcelona

At Escat Gallery we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of trust and professionalism for our collectors. Every artwork in our collection comes with a Certificate of Au...

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

1980s American School Style Interior Scene of a Sitting Room Watercolor Painting

$595

H 21 in W 17.5 in D 0.5 in

1980s American School Style Interior Scene of a Sitting Room Watercolor Painting

Located in Morristown, NJ

American School (20th c.), Interior scene, watercolor on paper, signed and dated "Wisner, '81" lower right. A charming, colorful and detailed representation of a beautiful room-scape. It makes me want to grab a good book and snuggle up by the fire. The framing is by The House of Heydenryk...

Category

1980s American American Classical Vintage Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Glass, Wood, Paint, Paper

Jacqueline Jandrell"Untitled 5" - Contemporary Abstract Art -Acrylic on Canvas, 2017

$3,400

H 48 in W 72 in D 1 in

"Untitled 5" - Contemporary Abstract Art -Acrylic on Canvas

By Jacqueline Jandrell

Located in West Hollywood, CA

Jacqueline Jandrell is an emerging artist who is South African by birth. She immigrated to the UK with her family after the loss of her father and grandfather. Becoming an immigrant ...

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

orientalist watercolor

$174Sale Price|62% Off

H 13.39 in W 9.85 in D 1.19 in

orientalist watercolor

By Societé anonyme francaise

Located in TARBES, FR

Discover this magnificent orientalist watercolor, dating from the end of the 20th century. This masterpiece captures the vibrant and mysterious essence of the Orient through soft col...

Category

1990s Algerian Islamic Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Paper

Roger LersyLarge Modernist French Abstract Expressionist Colorful Bird Painting Roger Lersy, 1961

$3,600

H 35 in W 31 in

Large Modernist French Abstract Expressionist Colorful Bird Painting Roger Lersy

By Roger Lersy

Located in Surfside, FL

Roger Lersy, French (1920 - 2004) Oil on canvas Signed, R. Lersy, dated 1961 lower right Measuring 35 X 31 Matted and framed. sight 26 X 21.5 Roger Lersy was born in Paris, France ...

Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Shiri PhillipsRoyal Pink - Color Drenched Impasto Textural Thick Paint Abstract Painting, 2025

$415

H 16 in W 16 in

Royal Pink - Color Drenched Impasto Textural Thick Paint Abstract Painting

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Impasto-painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Her paintings are flooded with texture through the layering of acrylic paint i...

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Drawing, Ships, French School

$1,000Sale Price|20% Off

H 12.5 in W 15.75 in D 0.5 in

Drawing, Ships, French School

Located in Kittery Point, ME

Two Ships, one called Le Fromidable
Dated 20 mai 92, situated Rochefort

Category

19th Century French Antique Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Paper

Drawing, Continental School, Squirrels

$2,000

H 18.875 in W 19.25 in D 2 in

Drawing, Continental School, Squirrels

Located in Kittery Point, ME

European red Squirrels Inscribed indistinctly and dated 40 (lr) Black and red chalk on paper.

Category

1940s European Vintage Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Paper

19th C. Pair of Watercolors, American School

$3,250 / set

H 15 in W 12.5 in D 1 in

19th C. Pair of Watercolors, American School

Located in Kittery Point, ME

Western Wild Birds, each monogrammed ES lower left. Watercolor on Paper.

Category

19th Century American Antique Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Paper

Thomas Downing art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Thomas Downing art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Thomas Downing in acrylic paint, canvas, fabric and more. Not every interior allows for large Thomas Downing art, so small editions measuring 17 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Joseph Solman, Martin Canin, and Maureen Chatfield. Thomas Downing art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $28,000 and tops out at $28,000, while the average work can sell for $28,000.