Wayne Thiebaud’s pastel-hued still-life paintings and prints of baked goods, gumball machines, hot dogs and paint cans are often associated with the Pop art movement, thanks to the mass-cultural appeal of their content. Stylistically, however, Thiebaud eschewed the precision found in the art of such Pop giants as Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol in favor of a more painterly approach, not unlike that of the Italian modernist Giorgio Morandi, whose dreamy paintings of vessels and household objects are simple yet richly atmospheric.
Thiebaud was born in Mesa, Arizona, in 1920 and grew up in Southern California from the age of six months. As a high schooler, he had a summer apprenticeship at Walt Disney Studios, which led to a stint as a graphic artist in the U.S. Army Air Forces’ First Motion Picture Unit during World War II. After the war, he attended the California State College at Sacramento on the G.I. Bill, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1951 and earning a master’s soon after. He went on to teach at the University of California, Davis, from 1960 to ’91.
In the late ’50s, time spent living in New York City proved crucial to Thiebaud’s career. There, he befriended Abstract Expressionist painters Willem de Kooning and Franz Kline and drew inspiration from the work of Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg. Admiring the color and form on display in New York’s many bakeries, he began painting small canvases featuring rows of treats, which would become one of his central subjects. Though Thiebaud himself doesn’t identify as a Pop artist, the first major exhibition that brought him national renown was a seminal 1962 Pop show at the Sidney Janis Gallery in Manhattan. That same year, he was included in "New Painting of Common Objects” at the Norton Simon Museum of Art at Pasadena, which also featured paintings by Ed Ruscha and Jim Dine. Iconic works such as Pie Counter (1963) demonstrate Thiebaud’s signature treatment of commonplace items with the grandeur and scale of a landscape.
Thiebaud’s interest in exaggerated colors and vernacular subject matter — characteristics that call to mind images found in mid-century advertising — made him an intriguing figure occupying the hazy borderlands between fine and commercial art. Yet through a masterful handling of paint, evocative use of light and poignant sense of isolation, Thiebaud’s work is unquestionably thoughtful and singular. His later forays into landscape painting, as seen in Steep Street (1989) or Country City (1988), bring to bear his bold use of color on complex urban scenes.
Pieces by Thiebaud can be found in the collections of major museums, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, among many others. In 1994, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Bill Clinton.
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1985 Wayne Thiebaud "Pies" Limited Edition Exhibition Print
By Wayne Thiebaud
Located in San Carlos, CA
Gorgeous 1985 print after Wanye Thiebaud's original etching "Pies" which he produced in 1964. This limited edition print, totaling 500, was produced for the Van Staveren Fine Art Gallery in Sacramento...
Paper
$191Sale Price|20% Off
1982 Wayne Thiebaud "Street & Shadows" Landscapes & City Views Exhibition Print
By Wayne Thiebaud
Located in San Carlos, CA
For Sale: Wayne Thiebaud Exhibition Poster - "Street & Shadow" (1982) Step into the captivating world of Wayne Thiebaud with this stunning exhibition poster featuring his 1982 maste...
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1983 Wayne Thiebaud Print, "Apartment Hill" Artscape Event Poster
By Wayne Thiebaud
Located in San Carlos, CA
For Sale: Vintage 1983 "Artscape" Print – Wayne Thiebaud's "Apartment Hill" Own a rare piece of art history with this beautiful, vintage 1983 "Artscape" print featuring Wayne Thieba...
Paper
$709
H 11.82 in W 19.69 in D 0.01 in
Panoramic View of Vienna – Imperial City, Salmon / Tirion, Amsterdam c.1740
Located in Langweer, NL
Panoramic View of Vienna – Imperial Capital, Salmon / Tirion, Amsterdam c.1740 Description: This finely engraved panoramic view depicts Vienna as the imperial capital of the Habsbur...
Paper
$264
H 6.7 in W 10.36 in D 0.01 in
Antique Engraving of Guayaquil – Waterfront and Harbor City View, 1867
Located in Langweer, NL
Antique Engraving of Guayaquil, Waterfront and Harbor View, 1867 Fine 19th-century engraving titled Guayaquil, published in 1867. The view captures the bustling waterfront of Ecuado...
Paper
Luke Butler The End Limited Edition Print
By Phaidon
Located in New York, NY
Photograph Color photograph made with archival pigments on fine art rag paper with matte finish Size varies based on edition This work comes with a "Certificate of Authenticity". Luke Butler...
Paper
Daniel Graves Italian Country Landscape Etching 39/100, 1982
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Graves graduated Cum Laude from the Maryland Art Institute in 1972, where he studied anatomy and painting with Joseph Sheppard and Frank Russell, then pursued etching and history pa...
Paper
Rome Panorama from Monte Gianicolo, Antique City View Print 1869
Located in Langweer, NL
Rome Panorama from Monte Gianicolo, Antique City View Print 1869 Description: This expansive panoramic view depicts Rome as seen from Monte Gianicolo, offering a sweeping survey of ...
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1983 Andy Warhol - Querelle (Blue) Original Vintage Poster
By Andy Warhol
Located in Winchester, GB
Beautiful limited edition of 3000 poster for Rainer Werner Fassbinder's final film "Querelle". Designed by the iconic Andy Warhol, the poster marked the pop artists perhaps most famo...
Paper
Swoon: Daniella Limited Edition Print
By Phaidon
Located in New York, NY
Print Digital archival print on Moab Entrada 335 gsm Measures: 16.00 x 13.00 in 40.6 x 33.0 cm Edition of 50 This work comes with a signed Certificate of Authenticity. In partnership with Maison de...
Paper
David Hockney Exhibition Print, framed
By David Hockney
Located in Toronto, CA
Framed exhibition print of artist David Hockney's show at Andre Emmerich Gallery, New York City, 1969.
Paper
$2,450
H 37 in W 45 in D 1 in
Yoshitoshi Mori Signed Large Limited Edition Japanese Stencil Print, 1985
By Yoshitoshi Mori
Located in Studio City, CA
A quite large and engaging fine print by famed Japanese printmaker Yoshitoshi Mori. The print portrays an ancient Samurai, one of Mori's favorite subjects, with an arrowhead in hand. It is stamped, signed, dated (1985) and numbered (12/50) by the artist. The original 1985 price of 300,000 yen can be seen written along the bottom edge of print. I have only seen this print offered once before making it relatively rare. A must have for collectors or admirers of Yoshitoshi Mori's work or lovers of Japanese prints in general. Would stand out in any setting and/or collection. The print has been professionally framed. Framed dimensions: 37" high, 45" wide and 1" deep Considered to be one of Japan's finest and most innovative 20th century print makers, Mori has exhibited throughout the world and his works can be found in permanent collections in such museums and galleries as: Art Gallery of Greater Victoria Art Institute of Chicago Baltimore Museum of Art Barcelona Art...
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$2,400
H 31.5 in W 20.75 in D 1.25 in
Marc Chagall: The Musée National Message biblique (Exhibition Print)
By Marc Chagall
Located in New York, NY
Original Vintage Exhibition poster by Marc Chagall in 1975 for japan to announce the opening of the Marc Chagall Musée National Message biblique. Printed by Mourlot.
Acrylic, Wood, Paper
Tomás Saraceno: Biosphere 3 Limited Edition Print
By Phaidon
Located in New York, NY
Photograph Inkjet print Measures: 14.59 x 24.00 in 37.1 x 61.0 cm Edition of 50 This work comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. This Artspace edition print supports the Stanlee and Gereald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts' 10th anniversary featuring artists who engage in disruptive, alternative, and collective interactions with space and space technology. This print by Tomás Saraceno...
Paper
Serge Hamad Beach '4' Limited Edition Print
By Phaidon
Located in New York, NY
Photograph Photograph taken with a digital single-lens reflex camera and printed with archival pigments on fine art rag paper Measures: 30.00 x 40.00 in 76.2 x 101.6 cm Edition...
Paper
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H 28 in W 19.5 in D 0.01 in
1980 Wayne Thiebaud "Hors d'Oeuvres" 4th Annual Culinary Carnival Print
By Wayne Thiebaud
Located in San Carlos, CA
For Sale: Gorgeous Circa 1980 Print of Wayne Thiebaud's "Hors d'Oeuvre" Add a touch of artistic elegance to your space with this stunning print of Wayne Thiebaud's original painting...
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H 25.5 in W 20.5 in D 0.1 in
1978 Wayne Thiebaud "Downgrade" Boehm Gallery, Palomar College Exhibition Poster
By Wayne Thiebaud
Located in San Carlos, CA
🎨 Dive into a piece of art history with our stunning poster featuring the iconic work of California artist Wayne Thiebaud! Introducing "Downgrade" or "18th street downgrade," this p...
Paper
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H 25.5 in W 20.5 in D 0.1 in
1978 Wayne Thiebaud "Downgrade" Boehm Gallery, Palomar College Exhibition Poster
By Wayne Thiebaud
Located in San Carlos, CA
Beautiful poster in great condition featuring California artist Wayne Thiebaud's painting "Downgrade" or "18th street downgrade" to announce a Wayne Thiebaud exhibition at the Boehm Gallery of Palomar College in San Marcos, California. This Wayne Thiebaud print...
Paper
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H 24.25 in W 24.25 in D 1 in
1985 Wayne Thiebaud San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Exhibition Print
By Wayne Thiebaud
Located in San Carlos, CA
Gorgeous print after famed California artist Wayne Thiebaud to announce a 1985 exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art or SFMOMA. This Print is in very good condition, fra...
Aluminum
Wayne Thiebaud "California Cakes" Renwick Gallery Exhibition Print
By Wayne Thiebaud
Located in San Carlos, CA
To celebrate the Renwick Gallery's tenth anniversary in 1982, the Smithsonian's Resident Associate Program published an offset lithograph of Thiebaud's festive 1979 California Cakes painting...
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