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 Downing"Untitled" Thomas Downing, Washington Color School, Dots, Red, White, Abstract, 1972

$60,000

"Untitled" Thomas Downing, Washington Color School, Dots, Red, White, Abstract

By Thomas Downing

Located in New York, NY

Thomas Downing Untitled, 1972 Acrylic on canvas 39 1/4 x 84 1/4 inches Thomas Downing received his BA in 1948 from Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, and then moved to Ne...

Category

1970s Abstract Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

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

Nicholas Evans"For Granted I." (quiet, floral, soft, natural, abstract, antique French linen), 2024

$390

H 13 in W 9.45 in D 0.79 in

"For Granted I." (quiet, floral, soft, natural, abstract, antique French linen)

By Nicholas Evans

Located in Paris, IDF

"For Granted I.", 2024, Paris, France "For Granted I." is a quiet, rich and cerebral abstract painting using a subtle but powerful color palette of brown, magenta, purple, green and...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Canvas

Juanita Bellavance Mystique 7, blue, earthy, green, white, calm, atmospheric, 2025

$2,230

H 40 in W 40 in D 1.5 in

Mystique 7, blue, earthy, green, white, calm, atmospheric

By Juanita Bellavance

Located in Cumming, GA

This abstract landscape radiates a sense of calm and renewal through its layered, atmospheric composition. A soft wash of aqua blue drifts across the canvas, suggesting open sky or...

Category

2010s Abstract Impressionist Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Juanita Bellavance Down home, Contemporary abstract, teal, green, brown, white, 2020

$960Sale Price|20% Off

H 24 in W 24 in D 1.5 in

Down home, Contemporary abstract, teal, green, brown, white

By Juanita Bellavance

Located in Cumming, GA

This contemporary abstract painting has a structure that is reminiscent of fencing, trees, barns and blue skies. It creates a remarkable sense of home and comfort.

Category

2010s Abstract Impressionist Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Juanita Bellavance Variation 15, Green, white, Contemporary decor wall art, spring fresh colors, 2022

$960Sale Price|20% Off

H 24 in W 24 in D 1.5 in

Variation 15, Green, white, Contemporary decor wall art, spring fresh colors

By Juanita Bellavance

Located in Cumming, GA

Fresh green and white original painting. Wall art for the spring season.

Category

2010s Abstract Impressionist Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Juanita Bellavance It was a misty day, Contemporary landscape, seafoam, ethereal abstract,, 2022

$2,400Sale Price|20% Off

H 48 in W 48 in D 1.5 in

It was a misty day, Contemporary landscape, seafoam, ethereal abstract,

By Juanita Bellavance

Located in Cumming, GA

This painting has emerged over several years. Each iteration is wonderful and better than the last. it is in my favorite stage so far. I love how it has so much history behind it....

Category

2010s Abstract Impressionist Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Drawing, Flemish School, 18th Century

$1,920Sale Price|20% Off

H 14.625 in W 18 in D 1 in

Drawing, Flemish School, 18th Century

Located in Kittery Point, ME

Ancient Ruins with Strollers. Brown wash and graphite.

Category

Mid-18th Century Dutch Neoclassical Antique Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Paper

Nicholas Evans"It Trails You" (contemporary, original painting, pattern, abstract, bold), 2025

$580

H 19.69 in W 15.75 in D 0.99 in

"It Trails You" (contemporary, original painting, pattern, abstract, bold)

By Nicholas Evans

Located in Paris, IDF

IT TRAILS YOU 2025 Paris, France This bold abstract oil painting on natural linen canvas uses a single deep dark green-blue color applied in thick, fluid layers. The paint creates l...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Juanita Bellavance Whispers of the Canopy 2, neutral, soft, sienna, botanical, large, 2025

$3,360Sale Price|20% Off

H 60 in W 48 in D 1.5 in

Whispers of the Canopy 2, neutral, soft, sienna, botanical, large

By Juanita Bellavance

Located in Cumming, GA

This abstract painting evokes a tender quietude, as if nature-inspired calm itself paused to exhale. Soft, interwoven shapes in muted earth tones drift across the canvas like memorie...

Category

2010s Abstract Impressionist Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

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

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

orientalist watercolor

$172Sale 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

American Steel Engraving of George Washington in Orig. Gilt Starred Frame C 1800

$45,000

H 32.5 in W 23 in D 1.75 in

American Steel Engraving of George Washington in Orig. Gilt Starred Frame C 1800

By John Trumbull

Located in Charleston, SC

American Steel Engraving of General George Washington "Before the Battle of Trenton" By John Trumbull Under Original Wavy Glass and Thirteen Starred Gilt Frame, Early 19th Century. T...

Category

Early 1800s American American Colonial Antique Thomas Downing Art

Materials

Steel

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.