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 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

Ragellah RourkeThe Return of Spring (Modern Abstract Acrylic Painting in Pink, Yellow, & Gold), 2019

$6,000

H 48 in W 36 in D 1.5 in

The Return of Spring (Modern Abstract Acrylic Painting in Pink, Yellow, & Gold)

By Ragellah Rourke

Located in Hudson, NY

Abstract acrylic painting on canvas with a pastel pink, yellow, and gold palette “The Return of Spring”, painted by Ragellah Rourke in 2019 48 x 36 inches, acrylic on canvas Sides are cleanly painted so additional framing is optional Wire backing for easy hanging Artist signature located on the back This contemporary, abstract painting was created by Hudson Valley based artist, Ragellah Rourke in 2019. Her most recent body of work focuses on relationships between color and space. Elements of symbolism, reminiscent of Gustav Klimt, decorate the composition with abstract markings and calligraphic gestural brushwork. Warm yellow and gold tones with hints of green radiate upwards into a background of pastel pink, recalling the awaking the nature during the beginning of spring. There is wire installed on the back for easy hanging. The painting’s sides are cleanly painted so additional framing is optional. Artist Statement: My paintings are very textural and built up slowly over long periods of time. The surface holds the memory of the painting’s development, all the time looking for clues for what will come next. I look for connections between the forms that develop. They are never something that I logically calculate, but rather a long string of chances, thoughts, and guesses. The appearance and meaning develop throughout the progression of the painting. It is a continuous search for resolution, balance and mystery within the painting. Artist CV: 1963 Born Albany, NY 1998 BA Painting, The University at Albany, State University of New York Residing: East Berne, NY SOLO EXHIBITIONS: 2012 Carrie Haddad...

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Abstract Paintings

Canvas, Paper, Acrylic

Cleve GrayRed Mountain, 1992

$55,000

H 48.5 in W 60.5 in

Red Mountain

By Cleve Gray

Located in Greenwich, CT

Abstract painting wherein a calligraphic brushstroke delineates a mountaintop.

Category

1990s Abstract Thomas Downing Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Felix AkulwEvent Horizon. Contemporary Abstract Painting, 2020

$2,950

H 19.69 in W 19.69 in

Event Horizon. Contemporary Abstract Painting

By Felix Akulw

Located in Brecon, Powys

Felix Akulw uses bright, intricate designs that seem to move and alter as one views them. Light, colour and shape are of paramount importance in his work. ...

Category

2010s Abstract Thomas Downing Abstract Paintings

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

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.