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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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...
Paper
$359Sale Price|20% Off
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
K. Trumpf, Limited Edition Signed Print Titled Levade
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Print With Lippezaner Horses And Riders In Vienna Titled "Levade" lower left. Pencil signed lower right, numbered 175/299 lower left. Finely framed in gilt wood. sight 17 x 22 3/4", ...
Paper, Glass, Wood
"Orpheus" Limited Edition Archival Print by Louis Shields, 2018
By Hastening Designs
Located in Middleburg, VA
A haunting and poetic composition from artist Louis Shields, "Orpheus" is a limited edition archival print from the artist's 2018 Dancer Series. The original mixed-media painting on ...
Paint, Paper
$1,995
H 37.25 in W 26.5 in D 1.5 in L 37.25 in
Masami Teraoka Signed Limited Edition Exhibition Lithograph Zen Monk on Whale
By Masami Teraoka
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderful, brightly colored, large exhibition lithograph print by famed Japanese American artist Masami Teraoka titled "Thanatopsis/Contemplations On Death. (Zen Monk and Ascending...
Glass, Paper
$1,795
H 30 in W 45.5 in D 1.75 in
Will Barnet Signed Limited Edition Serigraph Print "Madame Butterfly"
By Will Barnet
Located in Studio City, CA
A tranquil, gorgeously composed, quite large limited edition print by American artist Will Barnet. The print is pencil signed, titled, dated (1980) and numbered (256/300) by the artist. This is one of Barnet's most sought after images. Clearly, a standout work. The print has been professionally framed. Framed dimensions: 30" H, 45.5" W, 1.75" D Barnet studied at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School and then at the Art Students League in New York. He is the recipient of the following awards: Artist's Lifetime Achievement Award Medal The College Art Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award The Philadelphia Academy of Fine Art’s Lippincott Prize The American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters’ Childe Hassam Prize. His work can be found in many permanent collections including: Albright-Knox Art Gallery Art Institute of Chicago Corcoran Gallery of Art Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Metropolitan Museum of Art Museum of Modern Art Museum of Fine Art, Boston National Gallery of Art Phillips...
Paper
Sarah Sze Images in Debris Limited Edition Print
By Phaidon
Located in New York, NY
Archival pigment print on Moab Entrada 290gsm Measures: 23.75 x 18.75 in 60.3 x 47.6 cm Edition of 100 This work is signed and numbered by the artist, (2016) Images in Debris depicts time lapse photographs of the sky, taken by the artist, at sunrise and sunset. The images, captured digitally, are then printed via a 4-color screen printing process. Each color separation is screen printed and then smeared while the ink is still wet, foregrounding a handmade process that involves tactility, registration, wetness, and specificity of touch. The images of the sun at dusk and dawn are at once universal and highly specific, recording a period of time on a particular day and in a particular place. By objectively recording the images and then breaking them apart and putting them back together, Sze explores the fragility of time passing and our desire for intimacy and touch in the face of both overwhelming natural forces and the ubiquitous images that surround us daily. Sarah Sze...
Paper
$2,450
H 37 in W 45 in D 1 in L 37 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...
Paper
Limited Edition Print L. Nesbitt 1974 Lily & Rose, Signed
By Lowell Nesbitt
Located in Toledo, OH
A bold signed and numbered limited edition print by L. Nesbitt, 1974. It features an over scale white lily and purple rose with a forest green field. It is signed Lowell Nesbitt, XV/...
Paper
$1,129 / item
H 37.01 in W 29.14 in D 1.97 in
Italian handmade limited edition print "Black & Wild" Collection
Located in Scandicci, Florence
From the limited edition series ''Black & Wild''. Black and white image of tropical fauna and flora handprinted with an antique press on 100% cotton engraving paper. Panthers rh...
Wood, Paper
$365
H 13.59 in W 16.34 in D 0.02 in
Copenhagen (Kiöbenhaven) Map with City View – Antique German Atlas Print, 1844
Located in Langweer, NL
Copenhagen (Kiöbenhaven) Map with City View – Antique German Atlas Print, 1844 This finely detailed antique map titled 'Copenhagen (Kiöbenhaven)' presents a historical view of Denma...
Paper
$1,129 / item
H 37.01 in W 29.14 in D 1.97 in
Italian handmade limited edition print "Black & Wild" Collection
Located in Scandicci, Florence
From the limited edition series ''Black & Wild''. Black and white image of tropical fauna and flora handprinted with an antique press on 100% cott...
Wood, Paper
$1,129 / item
H 37.01 in W 29.14 in D 1.97 in
Italian handmade limited edition print "Black & Wild" Collection
Located in Scandicci, Florence
From the limited edition series ''Black & Wild''. Black and white image of tropical fauna and flora handprinted using an antique press on a 100% cotton engraving paper. Panthe...
Wood, Paper
$1,129 / item
H 37.01 in W 29.14 in D 1.97 in
Italian handmade limited edition print "Black & Wild" Collection
Located in Scandicci, Florence
From the limited edition series ''Black & Wild''. Black and white image of tropical fauna and flora handprinted with an antique press on 100% cotton engraving paper. Panthers rh...
Wood, Paper
$1,129 / item
H 38.19 in W 20.08 in D 1.97 in
Italian handmade limited edition print "Black & Wild" Collection
Located in Scandicci, Florence
From the limited edition series “Black & Wild”. Black and white image of tropical fauna and flora handprinted with an antique press on 100% cotton ...
Wood, Paper
$1,129 / item
H 37.01 in W 29.14 in D 1.97 in
Italian handmade limited edition print "Black & Wild" Collection
Located in Scandicci, Florence
From the limited edition series ''Black & Wild''. Black and white image of tropical fauna and flora handprinted using an antique press on a 100% cotton engraving paper. Panthe...
Wood, Paper
$1,400
H 26.5 in W 23.5 in D 0.031 in
1976 Wayne Thiebaud Signed and Inscribed San Francisco MOMA Exhibition Poster
By Wayne Thiebaud
Located in Minneapolis, MN
This is a wonderful and highly personal vintage exhibition poster featuring Buffet (1976), one of Wayne Thiebaud's celebrated pastel compositions, produced for the San Francisco Muse...
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...
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...
Paper