Thomas Downing Abstract 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 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 Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

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 Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Ellie Riley"Gypsy" Signed Mixed Media Abstract by Ellie Riley, 5-Foot Large-Scale Canvas, 2006

$8,500

H 60 in W 60 in D 2 in

"Gypsy" Signed Mixed Media Abstract by Ellie Riley, 5-Foot Large-Scale Canvas

Located in Miami, FL

ELLIE RILEY – "GYPSY" Mixed Media on Canvas ⚜ Hand Signed, Titled, and Dated on Verso ⚜ Frameless Display VIBRANT ABSTRACT WITH ORGANIC SHAPES AND KINETIC ENERGY A striking large-sc...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Thomas Downing Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Christina GschwantnerChristina Gschwantner – 4 Contemporary Abstract Multicolor Line Painting Canvas, 2026

$4,144

H 25.6 in W 21.66 in D 1.58 in

Christina Gschwantner – 4 Contemporary Abstract Multicolor Line Painting Canvas

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 Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

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

$7,460

H 48.43 in W 39.77 in D 1.58 in

Christina Gschwantner New Vivid Gestures Contemporary Abstract Painting Bright

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 Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Matt HigginsMisplaced, Contemporary Abstract Acrylic Painting, 2024

$435

H 14 in W 11 in D 1 in

Misplaced, Contemporary Abstract Acrylic Painting

Located in Philadelphia, PA

This artwork was crafted using acrylic paint on canvas, featuring a mix of geometric and organic shapes in a green palette. The painting was created in large confident brushstrokes a...

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Karnish ArtGolden Thread - Painting Abstract Expression Gilding Calm Ocean Blue Abundance, 2024

$600

H 24.02 in W 24.02 in D 0.79 in

Golden Thread - Painting Abstract Expression Gilding Calm Ocean Blue Abundance

By Karnish Art

Located in Pretoria, Gauteng

Title: Golden Thread Golden Thread - Painting Abstract Expression Gilding Calm Ocean Blue Abundance Gold In this piece, I've embraced the dance of harmony and flow. With featherli...

Category

2010s Abstract Expressionist Thomas Downing Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Christina GschwantnerChristina Gschwantner New Vivid Gestures Contemporary Abstract Painting Grey, 2026

$4,381

H 27.56 in W 23.63 in D 1.58 in

Christina Gschwantner New Vivid Gestures Contemporary Abstract Painting Grey

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 Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Christina GschwantnerChristina Gschwantner – Contemporary Abstract Multicolor Line Painting Canvas, 2026

$4,144

H 25.6 in W 21.66 in D 1.58 in

Christina Gschwantner – Contemporary Abstract Multicolor Line Painting Canvas

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 Abstract Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Peter StroudBlue on Brown Overlap, 1971

$45,600

H 49 in W 49 in

Blue on Brown Overlap

By Peter Stroud

Located in Columbia, MO

Peter Stroud (English, 1921-2012) was an abstract Constructivist artist whose work evolved from strict Constructivism into explorations of color and form. Largely self-taught, he als...

Category

1970s Abstract Geometric Thomas Downing Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Anna MedvedevaOrganic Forms G75, 2023

$15,000

H 60 in W 60 in D 1.5 in

Organic Forms G75

Located in King, ON

The oversized 60"x60" (152x152cm) abstract painting from series “Organic Forms” is inspired by minimalism, modern art and hard edge. This artwork is a vibrant and dynamic composition...

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Adrienn KrahlSummer Sorbet (Abstract painting), 2023

$4,036

H 48.43 in W 42.92 in

Summer Sorbet (Abstract painting)

By Adrienn Krahl

Located in London, GB

Summer Sorbet (Abstract painting) Acrylic, oil pastel and graphite on canvas — Unframed. Artwork exclusive to IdeelArt. This artwork will be shipped rolled in a dent-resistant tube...

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Graphite

Karnish ArtBeautiful Play - Painting Abstract Expression Flow Bold Statement Joy Pop, 2024

$600

H 24.02 in W 24.02 in D 0.79 in

Beautiful Play - Painting Abstract Expression Flow Bold Statement Joy Pop

By Karnish Art

Located in Pretoria, Gauteng

Title: The Beautiful Play Abstract Expression Flow Color Bold Statement Joy Painting Pop In this vibrant cascade of color, I've unleashed my passion for nature's undiluted energy a...

Category

2010s Abstract Expressionist Thomas Downing Abstract Paintings

Materials

Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Stretcher Bars

Karnish ArtRainbow Fire - Painting Abstract Expression Flow Bold Statement Joy Painting Pop, 2024

$600

H 24.02 in W 24.02 in D 0.79 in

Rainbow Fire - Painting Abstract Expression Flow Bold Statement Joy Painting Pop

By Karnish Art

Located in Pretoria, Gauteng

Title: Rainbow Fire Abstract Expression Flow Color Bold Statement Joy Painting Pop In this vibrant cascade of color, I've unleashed my passion for nature's undiluted energy and li...

Category

2010s Abstract Expressionist Thomas Downing Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil, Acrylic, Gesso, Canvas, Stretcher Bars

Thomas Downing abstract paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Thomas Downing abstract 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 abstract 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 Martin Canin. Thomas Downing abstract 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.