Skip to main content

Will Barnet Paintings

American, 1911-2012
At the beginning of his career, Will Barnet was known for his figural depictions of domestic scenes. But, as he continued to stylistically develop, Barnet arrived at abstract geometric paintings far removed from his original career. A part of the Indian Space Painters group, Barnet was inspired by Native American art in creating these divergent images. Throughout his career, Barnet oscillated between representational and abstract paintings, never fully settling on one. He has received the National Medal of Arts in 2011, and his work has been displayed at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
to
1
1
1
2
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
4
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
1
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
4
4
1
1
1
65
756
754
754
659
1
4
Artist: Will Barnet
Dark Image Abstract Oil Painting, Signed, 1960, Framed, 55.5x32.875
Dark Image Abstract Oil Painting, Signed, 1960, Framed, 55.5x32.875

Dark Image Abstract Oil Painting, Signed, 1960, Framed, 55.5x32.875

By Will Barnet

Located in New York, NY

Dark Image, 1960 by Will Barnet (1911-2012) Oil on canvas 53 x 30 ½ inches unframed (134.62 x 77.47 cm) 55 ½ x 32 ⅞ inches framed (140.979 x 96.2152 cm) Signed and dated on top right on the reverse Description: This abstract oil painting by Will Barnet uses minute gradations in value to achieve a work that presents a contextual understanding of color. Upon first inspection, it looks as if Barnet has created a completely black canvas with some hints at forms in the darkness; however, upon a closer look, the canvas is, in fact, not black, but instead comprised of varied shades of dark, muted blues, grays, and purples. Barnet presents us with an illusion of vision, asking the viewer to question his perspective and understanding of color interplay. At the beginning of his career, Will Barnet was known for his figural depictions of domestic scenes. But, as he continued to stylistically develop, Barnet arrived at abstract geometric paintings far removed from his original career. A part of the Indian Space...

Category

1960s Abstract Will Barnet Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of a Child
Portrait of a Child

Will BarnetPortrait of a Child

$9,750Sale Price|35% Off

Portrait of a Child

By Will Barnet

Located in Buffalo, NY

An original modern abstract portrait of a child by American artist Will Barnet. The work has a letter of provenance from the artist's wife. The i...

Category

1930s American Modern Will Barnet Paintings

Materials

Oil, Wood

The Caller
The Caller

Will BarnetThe Caller, 1974

Price Upon Request

The Caller

By Will Barnet

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Will Barnet, American (1911 - 2012) Title: The Caller Year: 1974 - 1976 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed and dated l.r. Size: 91.5 x 31.5 in. (232....

Category

1970s Contemporary Will Barnet Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Related Items
A Captivating 1930s Modern Portrait of a Young Woman by Francis Chapin
A Captivating 1930s Modern Portrait of a Young Woman by Francis Chapin

A Captivating 1930s Modern Portrait of a Young Woman by Francis Chapin

By Francis Chapin

Located in Chicago, IL

A captivating, 1930s portrait painting of a young woman by famed Chicago artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). A sensitive, skilled portrait of a young female model, most likely h...

Category

1930s American Modern Will Barnet Paintings

Materials

Oil, Masonite

"Georgia Moonshiner, c. 1935" by Athos Menaboni (1895-1990) American WPA Era Oil
"Georgia Moonshiner, c. 1935" by Athos Menaboni (1895-1990) American WPA Era Oil

"Georgia Moonshiner, c. 1935" by Athos Menaboni (1895-1990) American WPA Era Oil

Located in Yardley, PA

A fantastic WPA-era painting of a Georgia moonshiner by famed Italian-American artist Athos Menaboni (1895-1990). This work depicts an older man sporting a brown hat, brown jacket, ...

Category

1930s American Modern Will Barnet Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

A Fabulous 1950s Mid-Century Modern Portrait of a Seated Woman, "Southern Belle"
A Fabulous 1950s Mid-Century Modern Portrait of a Seated Woman, "Southern Belle"

A Fabulous 1950s Mid-Century Modern Portrait of a Seated Woman, "Southern Belle"

By Francis Chapin

Located in Chicago, IL

A Fabulous 1950s Mid-Century Modern Portrait of a Seated Woman, "Southern Belle" by Noted Chicago Artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). A colorful Southern painting depicting a ...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Will Barnet Paintings

Materials

Oil, Masonite

An Elegant 1940s Modernist Portrait of a Young Woman in Red Dress
An Elegant 1940s Modernist Portrait of a Young Woman in Red Dress

An Elegant 1940s Modernist Portrait of a Young Woman in Red Dress

By Francis Chapin

Located in Chicago, IL

An Elegant 1940s Modernist Portrait of a Young Woman a Red Dress by Noted Chicago Artist, Francis Chapin (Am. 1899-1965). A beautifully executed studio portrait, the painting is oil...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Will Barnet Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Love and Rage /// Contemporary Female Woman Abstract Expressionist Painting Art
Love and Rage /// Contemporary Female Woman Abstract Expressionist Painting Art

Love and Rage /// Contemporary Female Woman Abstract Expressionist Painting Art

By Margaux Halloran

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: Margaux Halloran (American, 1999-) Title: "Love and Rage" *Monogram signed by Halloran lower right. It is also signed, dated, and titled on verso Year: 2021 Medium: Original ...

Category

2010s Abstract Expressionist Will Barnet Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint, Oil

Antique American School Abstract Expressionist Forest Interior Oil Painting
Antique American School Abstract Expressionist Forest Interior Oil Painting

Antique American School Abstract Expressionist Forest Interior Oil Painting

Located in Buffalo, NY

Antique American abstract expressionist oil painting. Oil on canvas, circa 1950. No signature found. Image size, 24L x 18H. Framing available.

Category

1960s Abstract Will Barnet Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

NYC EL American Scene Social Realism Mid 20th Century Modern WPA Era Figurative
NYC EL American Scene Social Realism Mid 20th Century Modern WPA Era Figurative

NYC EL American Scene Social Realism Mid 20th Century Modern WPA Era Figurative

By Cecil Crosley Bell

Located in New York, NY

NYC EL American Scene Social Realism Mid 20th Century Modern WPA Era Figurative Cecil Bell (1906 – 1970) Street Life Under the EL 22 x 30 inches Oil on canvas, c. 1930s Signed upper...

Category

1930s American Realist Will Barnet Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Pippin" - Hyperrealist Animal Portrait, Oil Painting on Gallery Canvas
"Pippin" - Hyperrealist Animal Portrait, Oil Painting on Gallery Canvas

"Pippin" - Hyperrealist Animal Portrait, Oil Painting on Gallery Canvas

Located in Denver, CO

Carrie Goller's (US based) "Butch (Floriferous Squirrel)" (2025) is an original, handmade oil painting on gallery canvas. This piece measures 10 x 8 inches and is framed at 11.8 x 9....

Category

2010s Contemporary Will Barnet Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Simka Simkhovitch WPA Artist Oil Painting Family Mother, Kids American Modernist
Simka Simkhovitch WPA Artist Oil Painting Family Mother, Kids American Modernist

Simka Simkhovitch WPA Artist Oil Painting Family Mother, Kids American Modernist

By Simka Simkhovitch

Located in Surfside, FL

Simka Simkhovitch (Russian/American 1893 - 1949) This came with a small grouping from the artist's family, some were hand signed some were not. These were studies for larger paintin...

Category

1930s American Modern Will Barnet Paintings

Materials

Oil, Board

Spirit, Mind and Soul - 21st Century. Contemporary, Figurative Modern, Africa
Spirit, Mind and Soul - 21st Century. Contemporary, Figurative Modern, Africa

Spirit, Mind and Soul - 21st Century. Contemporary, Figurative Modern, Africa

Located in Ibadan, Oyo

Shipping Procedure Ships in a well-protected tube from Nigeria This work is unique, not a print or other type of copy. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (Issued by the Gal...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Will Barnet Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Holy Split I Mixed Media Original Painting on Canvas, Abstract Landscape, 2026
Holy Split I Mixed Media Original Painting on Canvas, Abstract Landscape, 2026

Holy Split I Mixed Media Original Painting on Canvas, Abstract Landscape, 2026

By Nicholas Evans

Located in Paris, IDF

HOLY SPLIT I 2026 Paris, France HOLY SPLIT I is an ethereal mixed medium painting on canvas depicting a surreal dreamlike rift in a serene landscape. Abstract fuchsia forms suggesti...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Will Barnet Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Pencil

Previously Available Items
"Untitled (Abstract), " Will Barnet, American Modernism
"Untitled (Abstract), " Will Barnet, American Modernism

"Untitled (Abstract), " Will Barnet, American Modernism

By Will Barnet

Located in New York, NY

Will Barnet (1911 - 2012) Untitled (Abstract), 2012 Oil on canvas 17 3/4 x 18 inches Signed and dated on the reverse Provenance: The artist Art Students League, New York (gift from the above) Acquired by the present owner from the above, 2016 Born in 1911 in Beverly, Massachusetts, as a child Barnet enjoyed climbing the hills to watch the ships in the harbor, playing baseball, and reading at the local public library. He was excited to discover the art section. As he remembers, " I used to bury myself in those rooms day after day. It was practically my whole life. That's where my first yearning for art began." (1) At the age of 12 he established a studio in his parent's basement where he drew and painted. He made frequent trips to Boston and Salem to explore the collections of the Peabody and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Continually dissatisfied with high school, in his last year he decided to leave. In 1927 Barnet enrolled at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston where he learned drawing, painting, anatomy, and art history in the European tradition. After several years, Barnet decided to continue his study at the Art Student's League in New York, where he developed an interest in lithography, etching, and woodcutting. Between 1932 and 1942 Barnet became an avid printmaker, using the medium to capture the economic and social despair of the Depression years. He was a member of the Graphic Art Division of the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project and knew the Mexican artists José Clemente Orozco, for whom he printed lithographs, and Diego Rivera. In 1935 he married the painter and fellow student Mary Sincliar and the following year was appointed instructor of graphics at the Art Student's League. He would subsequently teach at the New School for Social Research, at New Jersey State Teachers College, and from 1945-1978 at Cooper Union in New York. Following the birth of his first son in 1938, Barnet made his wife and children his sole artistic subjects. He painted scenes of domesticity such as "Soft Boiled Eggs...

Category

2010s American Modern Will Barnet Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Summer Idyll, Limited Edition Hand Signed Lithograph by Will Barnet
Summer Idyll, Limited Edition Hand Signed Lithograph by Will Barnet

Summer Idyll, Limited Edition Hand Signed Lithograph by Will Barnet

By Will Barnet

Located in Buffalo, NY

Vintage American modernist lithograph titled, "Summer Idyll" by Will Barnet. Hand signed and numbered, circa 1980. Displayed in a period modernist frame. Image, 38"L x 30"H, overa...

Category

1980s Modern Will Barnet Paintings

Materials

Lithograph

Ahab

Will BarnetAhab, 1961

Sold

H 78 in W 20 in

Ahab

By Will Barnet

Located in Buffalo, NY

A major original oil on canvas painting by American modernist Will Barnet.

Category

1960s American Modern Will Barnet Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Wood

February, Emily Dickinson

February, Emily Dickinson

By Will Barnet

Located in Buffalo, NY

A modern realist painting by American artist Will Barnet from the artist series of works created to accompany the poetry of Emily Dickinson. rom Bever...

Category

1980s American Realist Will Barnet Paintings

Materials

Oil, Archival Paper

Will Barnet paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Will Barnet paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Will Barnet in oil paint, paint, canvas and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Will Barnet paintings, so small editions measuring 15 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Arthur Beecher Carles, Stanley Twardowicz, and Herbert Kornfeld. Will Barnet paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $8,500 and tops out at $85,000, while the average work can sell for $39,000.