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Vija Celmins Art

American, Latvian, b. 1938

Visual artist Vija Celmins is renowned for her extraordinarily detailed Photorealist paintings, prints and drawings of natural phenomena, from the surface of the sea to spiderwebs.

After immigrating to the United States from Latvia with her family in the late 1940s, Celmins found herself drawn to images in American comic books. Their word balloons and narrative captions proved important to the development of her English language skills, and the books' images would also leave a lasting impression as Celmins took to drawing at a young age.

As a budding artist, Celmins studied the fine arts at the John Herron School of Art in Indiana, Yale University and UCLA, where she began drawing everyday objects found around her studio — much like the Pop artists of the era — such as a lamp and a heater as well as photographs from World War II, which haunted her early memories. She visited New York City as a student to see the works of Abstract Expressionists such as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.

Over time, Celmins developed a fascination with science and, in particular, scientific images, leading to her painting her famous natural subjects, from the night sky to the desert floor. One global event that particularly captivated her was the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969, which provided the world with photographs of our celestial neighbor. She began drawing the surface of the moon from those images.

“The images are not from observations of nature but are ‘found images’ from old magazines, books and photos,” said Celmins. “Thus they are already flattened and a step removed from nature. My work lies between intimacy and distance.”

Celmins’s first retrospective was held at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia in 1962. She has since been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Menil Collection in Houston. Today, she lives and works in New York.

Find original Vija Celmins art on 1stDibs.

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Untitled (Desert)
By Vija Celmins
Located in New York, NY
A superb impression of this scarce, early color lithograph on Arches. One of only 12 artist's proofs, aside from the edition of 65. Signed, dated and inscribed "Artist's proof" in pencil by Celmins. Printed by Ed Hamilton...
Category

1970s Contemporary Vija Celmins Art

Materials

Color, Lithograph

Spider Web; 2009; Screenprint; 17 1/2 x 19 inches; Edition of 117
By Vija Celmins
Located in West Hollywood, CA
Vija Celmins "Spider Web" 2009; Screenprint 17 1/2 x 19 inches Edition of 117 Signed and numbered unframed
Category

Early 2000s Vija Celmins Art

Materials

Screen

Untitled (Saturn)
By Vija Celmins
Located in New York, NY
Publisher: A.R.T. Press, NY Printer: Type Craft, Inc. Signed and numbered in pencil
Category

1990s Vija Celmins Art

Materials

Mezzotint

Untitled (Web I)
By Vija Celmins
Located in New York, NY
Portfolio: The MOCA Portfolio Sheet size: 23 x 18 1/4 inches Frame dimensions: 24 15/16 x 20 1/8 inches Printer: Jacob Samuels, Los Angeles Publisher: ...
Category

Early 2000s Vija Celmins Art

Materials

Mezzotint

Vija Celmins-Spider Web-17.5" x 19"-Serigraph-2009-Contemporary-Black & White
By Vija Celmins
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A wonderful Spider Web by Vija Celmins, commissioned as part of Lincoln Center’s 50th Anniversary celebration. Ms. Celmins recently received an award from the International Print Cen...
Category

Early 2000s Vija Celmins Art

Materials

Screen

SPIDER WEB, Vija Celmins, 2009, screen print, signed and numbered, Ed. of 117
By Vija Celmins
Located in New York, NY
This screen print depicts one of Celmins' signature subjects, the spider web, which she has represented in various media, including charcoal, oil paint, and multiple printmaking tech...
Category

Early 2000s Photorealist Vija Celmins Art

Materials

Screen

Night Sky 1 ( Reversed )
By Vija Celmins
Located in Tbilisi, GE
Photogravure, aquatint, photo etching and drypoint in colors, on Hahnemühle Copperplate paper - One of the 7 SP (Special Proofs) aside from the edition of 65 pc + 10 AP
Category

20th Century Contemporary Vija Celmins Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Untitled (Large Desert)
By Vija Celmins
Located in New York, NY
Medium: Lithograph Printer: Ed Hamilton Publisher: Cirrus Editions, Los Angeles Catalogue reference: MMA 4 Edition size: 65, plus proofs Signed, dated, ...
Category

1970s Photorealist Vija Celmins Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled (Ocean)
By Vija Celmins
Located in New York, NY
Sheet size: 28 1/2 x 45 1/2 inches Printer: Ed Hamilton, Cirrus Editions Publisher: Cirrus Editions, Los Angeles Edition: 65, plus proofs Catalogue ref...
Category

1970s Contemporary Vija Celmins Art

Materials

Lithograph

Constellation - Uccello
By Vija Celmins
Located in San Francisco, CA
Edition of 49
Category

1980s Vija Celmins Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

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By Vija Celmins
Located in New York, NY
Signed and numbered in pencil, lower margin
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1980s Realist Vija Celmins Art

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Untitled
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Located in New York, NY
Printer: Simmelink-Sukimoto Editions, Los Angeles Publisher: Parkett Publishers, New York Edition size: 60, plus proofs Signed and numbered in pencil, lower margin
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1990s Contemporary Vija Celmins Art

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Located in New York, NY
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Untitled (Galaxy)
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1970s Contemporary Vija Celmins Art

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Starfield
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Edition 1 of 10 APs
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Vija Celmins Art

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Mezzotint

Vija Celmins art for sale on 1stDibs

1stDibs offers a wide variety of authentic Vija Celmins art available for sale. You can also browse by medium to find art by Vija Celmins in aquatint, screen print, lithograph and more. Much of this artist's original work was created during the 21st Century and Contemporary, and is mostly associated with the photorealist style. Not every interior allows for large Vija Celmins art, so small editions measuring 18.25 inches across are available. Customers interested in this artist might also find the work of Gloria Vanderbilt, Robert Bechtle and Mickalene Thomas. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $7,500 and tops out at $35,000, while the average work can sell for $14,250.

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