Thomas Downing Paintings

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.

Artist: Thomas Downing

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 Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Mario AngelCity of Angels - Acrylic Painting on Canvas, Abstract, 48in x 60in, 2026

$5,888

H 48 in W 60 in D 1.5 in

City of Angels - Acrylic Painting on Canvas, Abstract, 48in x 60in

By Mario Angel

Located in Mississauga, CA

This striking acrylic on canvas by Mario Angel, titled "City of Angels," offers a compelling journey into figurative abstraction, where the artist masterfully weaves together themes ...

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Svetlana SaratovaContrast and Form 2. Absrtaction., 2023

$511

H 15.75 in W 15.75 in D 0.79 in

Contrast and Form 2. Absrtaction.

By Svetlana Saratova

Located in Zofingen, AG

This painting is a unique creation executed on a square canvas using modeling paste. The artist employed only two colors - white and gold - to craft an exquisite and elaborate image....

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Paste

Christina GschwantnerChristina Gschwantner New Vivid Gestures Contemporary Abstract Painting Bright, 2025

$6,390

H 40.56 in W 34.26 in D 1.58 in

Christina Gschwantner New Vivid Gestures Contemporary Abstract Painting Bright

By Christina Gschwantner

Located in Barcelona, Barcelona

The work reflects the artist’s mastery of gesture and emotion, where each mark becomes a visual language. A striking piece that brings movement, depth, and intensity to any collectio...

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Philippe Saucourt"At Full Speed" Red Grey Rose and Golden Abstract Painting, 2009

$580

H 11.82 in W 11.82 in D 0.71 in

"At Full Speed" Red Grey Rose and Golden Abstract Painting

By Philippe Saucourt

Located in Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

In his artworks, the painter Philippe Saucourt seeks the harmony of opposites between movement and flatness, between transparency and opacity, between density and emptiness, and betw...

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Sofie Swann"A Simple Life" Minimalistic Abstract Painting, 2024

$1,350

H 20 in W 20 in D 1.5 in

"A Simple Life" Minimalistic Abstract Painting

By Sofie Swann

Located in Westport, CT

This abstract painting by Sofie Swann features a light neutral background with a simple, deep midnight blue outline of a house shape in the center of the composition. This painting i...

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Marcy RosenblatBlue Line And Stars, 2016

$4,122

H 35.83 in W 35.83 in

Blue Line And Stars

By Marcy Rosenblat

Located in London, GB

Acrylic on canvas. The textured appearance of her paintings emanates from the intervention of common household products such as paper towels during the painting process. Marcy Rose...

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Paul WestacottLet Us Down Easy: Abstract Acrylic Painting on Canvas, Signed, 2017

$800

H 24 in W 24 in

Let Us Down Easy: Abstract Acrylic Painting on Canvas, Signed

By Paul Westacott

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Drawing inspiration from the vibrant California landscape, British artist Paul Westacott creates original abstract artworks that showcase a harmonious b...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Thomas Downing Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Hachiro KannoTN811-D by Hachiro Kanno - Calligraphy-based abstract painting, diptych, 2020

$11,154

H 39.38 in W 57.49 in

TN811-D by Hachiro Kanno - Calligraphy-based abstract painting, diptych

By Hachiro Kanno

Located in Paris, FR

TN811-D is a diptych painting by Japanese contemporary artist Hachiro Kanno, composed of two panels of equal size (100 cm x 73 cm). Sold unframed. The painter draws its resources fro...

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic, Ink

Trisha GilmoreStipule: Abstract Painting, Acrylic, Mixed-Media on Canvas, 2010s, New, 36x36, 2021

$2,050

H 36 in W 36 in

Stipule: Abstract Painting, Acrylic, Mixed-Media on Canvas, 2010s, New, 36x36

By Trisha Gilmore

Located in SEATTLE, WA

Stipule by Trisha Gilmore is an acrylic, mixed-media painting on canvas that invites a lush, intuitive, and quiet energy. Soft minty greens set an airy backdrop, while layered brushs...

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Nikki Hill SmithMonumental Contemporary Abstract Oil Painting, Large-Scale Gestural Canvas, 2022, 2022

$13,361

H 84.26 in W 59.85 in D 1.97 in

Monumental Contemporary Abstract Oil Painting, Large-Scale Gestural Canvas, 2022

By Nikki Hill Smith

Located in Pampilhosa da Serra, PT

This contemporary abstract oil painting by Nikki Hill Smith unfolds as a dynamic constellation of layered gestures, tonal contrasts, and spontaneous movement. Set against a warm neut...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Thomas Downing Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Julie NaimaFree Soul Abstract Painting on Canvas, Acrylic, 24x24, Signed, Modern, 2024

$800

H 24 in W 24 in

Free Soul Abstract Painting on Canvas, Acrylic, 24x24, Signed, Modern

By Julie Naima

Located in Los Angeles, CA

The original artworks by Canadian artist Julie Naima feature visually appealing abstract compositions with organic shapes that evoke a sense of tranquility and serenity. The harmonio...

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Trisha GilmoreThe Birds and the Flower Chatting: Mixed-Media on Canvas, 2010s, New, 51x51, 2024

$3,500

H 51 in W 51 in

The Birds and the Flower Chatting: Mixed-Media on Canvas, 2010s, New, 51x51

By Trisha Gilmore

Located in SEATTLE, WA

The Birds and the Flower Chatting by Trisha Gilmore is an acrylic, mixed-media painting on canvas that uses a lush, intimate, and emotionally layered technique to connect abstract el...

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Thomas Downing paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Thomas Downing paintings 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 paintings, so small editions measuring 17 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Jack Roth, Michael David, and Judith Kruger. Thomas Downing paintings 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.