Will Barnet Abstract 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.

Artist: Will Barnet

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

$62,500

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 Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

20th Century School, Abstract Composition, Post-Cubism, Circa 1990

$2,099

H 42.92 in W 27.56 in

20th Century School, Abstract Composition, Post-Cubism

Located in NANTES, FR

Geometric abstract composition, influenced by Post-Cubism, with an expressionist touch in the colors. The palette is vivid and saturated. The forms, outlined in black, interlock with...

Category

1990s Abstract Geometric Will Barnet Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Philippe HosiassonBlue Grey, 1960

$12,000

H 39.25 in W 31.75 in

Blue Grey

By Philippe Hosiasson

Located in Austin, TX

Waterline Fine Art, Austin, TX is pleased to present the following work: Oil on canvas. Signed and dated lower right and verso, titled verso. 39.25 x 31.75 in. 40.25 x 32.75 in. (f...

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1960s Abstract Expressionist Will Barnet Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Clifford Mitchell Jr."Receding Flood, 1959" African American Abstract Expressionist Oil Connecticut, 1959

$16,500

H 30.25 in W 55.25 in D 2 in

"Receding Flood, 1959" African American Abstract Expressionist Oil Connecticut

Located in Yardley, PA

An exceptional, early work by important Connecticut-based artist Clifford Mitchell, Jr. (1925-2005). This fantastic abstract expressionist compositi...

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1950s Abstract Expressionist Will Barnet Abstract Paintings

Materials

Masonite, Oil

Dennis Ashbaughuntitled, 1979

$3,000

H 31.5 in W 48 in

untitled

By Dennis Ashbaugh

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Untitled Mixed media on paper, 1979 Signed and dated ‘79 lower right (see photo) Sheet size: 31 1/2 x 48" Frame: 34 1/4 x 50 1/4" Provenance: Members Gallery, Albright-Knox Art Galle...

Category

1970s Abstract Will Barnet Abstract Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Oil

Geometric Abstract Oil on Canvas, Cubist Influence, 20th Century School, 1989

$2,566

H 45.67 in W 31.5 in

Geometric Abstract Oil on Canvas, Cubist Influence, 20th Century School

Located in NANTES, FR

Blue geometric abstract composition, strong cubist influences, oil on canvas Signed and dated (1989) lower right and on the back (signature illegible)

Category

1980s Abstract Geometric Will Barnet Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Kyle MorrisGreen Burst, 1958

$75,000

H 48 in W 54 in

Green Burst

Located in Austin, TX

Waterline Fine Art, Austin, TX is pleased to present the following work: Kyle Morris Green Burst, 1958 Oil on canvas. Signed and dated lower right; signed, titled, dated verso. 48...

Category

1950s Abstract Expressionist Will Barnet Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

François ArnalLa Gare, 1949

$15,000

H 20 in W 29 in

La Gare

By François Arnal

Located in Boca Raton, FL

This richly detailed acrylic composition by François Arnal reflects the artist’s fascination with symbolic form, texture, and visual rhythm during the formative years of postwar abst...

Category

1940s Abstract Will Barnet Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

KOKO HOVAGUIMIANMusicians oil painting, Contemporary painting on canvas, Geometric oil painting., 2026

$9,000

H 24 in W 36 in D 1 in

Musicians oil painting, Contemporary painting on canvas, Geometric oil painting.

By KOKO HOVAGUIMIAN

Located in La Canada Flintridge, CA

Geometric Musicians is Koko Hovaguimian’s first major painting completed in 2026 and marks an important continuation of his evolving abstract language. In this work, fragmented geome...

Category

Early 2000s Abstract Expressionist Will Barnet Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Betty EffersonCaught in the Moment, Abstract Impressionist Oil Painting, 36x36

$2,550

H 36 in W 36 in

Caught in the Moment, Abstract Impressionist Oil Painting, 36x36

By Betty Efferson

Located in Baton Rouge, LA

Caught in the Moment 🍃 Caught in the Moment is a 36x36 oil painting features earthy tones that helps bring a sense of peacefulness, despite its erratic strokes. I intuitively pa...

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2010s Abstract Impressionist Will Barnet Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Ryan RivadeneyraLooping Horizon, Organic Minimalist Diptych in Blue and Red, Color Band Elipse, 2025

$1,230

H 40 in W 55.2 in

Looping Horizon, Organic Minimalist Diptych in Blue and Red, Color Band Elipse

By Ryan Rivadeneyra

Located in Barcelona, ES

This minimalist diptych by Ryan Rivadeneyra explores rhythm, balance, and repetition through softly undulating horizontal bands. Layered tones of blue, charcoal, and red evoke shifti...

Category

2010s Abstract Will Barnet Abstract Paintings

Materials

Paper, Oil

Jean LasnierFrench Abstract Composition in Pink and Black, Oil on Canvas, Late 20th Century, 1980

$3,382

H 46.46 in W 36.23 in

French Abstract Composition in Pink and Black, Oil on Canvas, Late 20th Century

Located in NANTES, FR

Oil on canvas by the french mid-century painter Jean Lasnier, dated 1980 French lyrical abstraction, gestural and heavily textured A rich palette of pink nuances, with accents of yel...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Expressionist Will Barnet Abstract Paintings

Materials

Oil

Klaudia LataNebula inspiration. Contemporary oil abstract Polish Young Artist, Big format, 2025

$6,415

H 78.75 in W 63 in D 0.79 in

Nebula inspiration. Contemporary oil abstract Polish Young Artist, Big format

By Klaudia Lata

Located in Warsaw, PL

Big scale abstract oil painting by Polish artist Klaudia Lata. KLAUDIA LATA (born in 1993) Graduate of painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice. Diploma in 2017 in the stud...

Category

2010s Abstract Will Barnet Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Previously Available Items

Will Barnet"Untitled (Abstract), " Will Barnet, American Modernism, 2012

Sold

H 19 in W 19 in

"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 Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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 Abstract Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Wood

Will Barnet abstract paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Will Barnet abstract 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 1960s and is mostly associated with the modern style. Not every interior allows for large Will Barnet abstract paintings, so small editions measuring 19 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Stanley Twardowicz, Michael Braden, and Pawel Kontny. Will Barnet abstract 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 $65,000, while the average work can sell for $58,000.