From sneaking into art classes to setting up a studio in an abandoned pier, Guy Dill’s journey toward becoming a celebrated contemporary American sculptor is anything but conventional.
Dill’s first love was the sea. Intending to travel the world by boat, the Malibu, California native began a career working for the U.S. Coast Guard during the Vietnam war. In his time off, he visited his brother, Laddie John Dill, who was attending the renowned Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles and unofficially joined his life drawing classes after an instructor pressed him to bring a sketchpad. Dill enjoyed the classes and eventually accumulated enough work to submit to Chouinard for application.
After graduating from Chouinard with a bachelor's degree in painting in 1967, Dill put down the brush but continued to draw. Attracted to the Venice Beach lifestyle, Dill set up a studio with some fellow artists in an abandoned space on the Pacific Ocean Park (POP) pier. Located a few miles south of the now-famous Santa Monica pier, the POP pier slowly deteriorated under Dill’s feet while he began his sculpting career.
During the late 1960s, Irving Blum’s influential Ferus Gallery was the epicenter of L.A.’s art scene. Blum discovered Dill’s sculptures and put him in a group show with other exciting new talent from the area. Artists such as Ed Ruscha and Roy Lichtenstein had begun to make their names at the gallery, and the exposure proved important for Dill. Today he works in cardboard, glass, bronze, wood and more, and his large-scale abstract sculptures are known all over the world.
In 1972, Dill was awarded the Theodoron Award from the Guggenheim Museum in New York and First Prize at the Chicago Institute of Art’s “American Show” in 1974. Additional accolades include the California Heritage Museum Artist’s Award, the Stars of Design Lifetime Achievement for Art Award from the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles and more.
Dill’s work is held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Smithsonian Institution, the Guggenheim and the Stedelijk Museum.
On 1stDibs, find authentic Guy Dill sculptures, prints and more.
$32,000
File Angel
By Guy Dill
Located in Boca Raton, FL
Guy Dill is an American sculptor noted for his monumental bronze and marble abstractions. He graduated with honors in 1970 from the Chouinard Institute of Art, Los Angeles, Californi...
Bronze
Price Upon Request
Pooja, sculpture by Guy Dill, abstract, contemporary, bronze sculpture, indoor
By Guy Dill
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Pooja, sculpture by Guy Dill, abstract, contemporary, bronze sculpture, indoor, outdoor Contact us with expected delivery times. Abstract sculptor GUY DILL is well-known and in suc...
Bronze
Messenger 24/100
By Sandy Graves
Located in Napa, CA
Born in Colorado and raised in Nebraska, Sandy Graves first forayed into the art world by presenting work as a child and 4-H member at local county fairs. As she continued her educat...
Bronze
$2,400
H 16 in W 6 in D 5 in
Bronze and Steel Sculpture by David Kimball Anderson 'Green Bottle Ochre Seeds'
By David Kimball Anderson
Located in White Plains, NY
'Green Bottle Ochre Seeds' by David Kimball Anderson, 2022. Bronze, steel, and paint, 16 x 6 x 5 in. This sculpture features a square vase cast in bronze a...
Bronze, Steel
$2,350
H 12 in Dm 4 in
David Hostetler Bronze Sculpture Figurative Green Full FigureSmall By Commission
By David Hostetler
Located in Nantucket, MA
The Classic Lady bronze was cast from a wood carving. She is David's most petite sculpture. Movement and grace with the twist at the waist and tilt of the head. She can add beauty to...
Bronze
Floating Peace- mini #13
By Kevin Box
Located in Napa, CA
“It took two years of tireless experimentation for me to develop the process of casting paper into bronze, another seven years to perfect, and it continues to evolve today.” - Kevin ...
Bronze, Steel
$6,500
H 22 in W 8 in D 5 in
Female Torso in Bronze Finish - Contemporary Figurative Sculpture by Zura
By Zura
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This work encapsulates Zura's deep exploration of the human form, rendered with raw immediacy and emotional resonance. The sculpture’s sensuous curves and rough, tactile surface invi...
Bronze
$89,139
H 33.47 in W 55.12 in D 53.15 in
Boulder #3 – The Tunnel by Tom Price, Rock-like Bronze Sculpture, Outdoor Art
By Tom Price
Located in Paris, FR
Boulder #3 – The Tunnel is a bronze sculpture by contemporary artist Tom Price, dimensions are 85 × 140 × 135 cm (33.5 × 55.1 × 53.1 in). This artwork is available on commission. 8 ...
Bronze
$75,425
H 61.03 in W 39.38 in D 33.47 in
Boulder #4 by Tom Price - Rock-like Bronze Sculpture, Outdoor Art
By Tom Price
Located in Paris, FR
Boulder #4 is a sculpture by English artist Tom Price. This artwork can be customized— feel free to contact us for a quote. Tom Price’s artistic approach focuses on material explora...
Bronze
$1,750
H 6.3 in W 11.82 in D 7.09 in
British Contemporary Sculpture by Philip Hearsey - No Need
By Philip Hearsey
Located in Paris, IDF
Bronze Series of individual variations Stamped with monogram signature on underside and uniquely numbered 615A This sculpture sits low on a surface and is ideal for placement on a lo...
Bronze
$1,338
H 15 in Dm 15 in
Nature II : Abstract, Bronze, Wood Sculpture by Indian sculptor "In Stock"
By Pradip Mondal
Located in Kolkata, West Bengal
Pradip Mondal - Nature (II) - 15 x 15 inches Medium - Wood & Bronze Single edition. About the Artist and his work : Born : 1977 in West Bengal. Education : 2001-02 : BVA (Modellin...
Bronze
Aria 36/50
By Sandy Graves
Located in Napa, CA
Born in Colorado and raised in Nebraska, Sandy Graves first forayed into the art world by presenting work as a child and 4-H member at local county fairs. As she continued her educat...
Stone, Bronze
$1,200
H 7 in W 6 in D 4 in
Bronze and Steel Sculpture by David Kimball Anderson 'Planet Purple Zinnia'
By David Kimball Anderson
Located in White Plains, NY
'Planet Purple Zinnia' by David Kimball Anderson, 2022. Bronze, steel, and paint, 7 x 6 x 4 in. This sculpture features a rounded square vase cast in bronze and finished with a green...
Bronze, Steel
$5,028
H 27.56 in W 11.03 in D 7.49 in
Grey Gingko by Kuno Vollet - Contemporary bronze sculpture on rough granite base
By Kuno Vollet
Located in DE
Artist: Kuno Vollet Title: Brass Gingko with 5 leaves art sculpture Materials: Bronze, black granite base Polished bronze to gold adds highlights to the leaves. Art Deco Mid-centu...
Granite, Bronze
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H 76 in W 47 in D 58 in
Navy, large abstract metal sculpture, white powder coated aluminum, vertical
By Guy Dill
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Navy, large abstract metal sculpture, white powder-coated aluminum, vertical Guy Dill is an American sculptor noted for his monumental bronze and marble abstractions.[1] His work is...
Metal
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H 71 in W 105 in D 31.5 in
Large Frieze by Guy Dill, contemporary abstract large scale outdoor sculpture
By Guy Dill
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Large Frieze by Guy Dill, contemporary abstract large scale outdoor sculpture
Steel
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H 52 in W 75 in D 33 in
Large Dorado by Guy Dill, abstract sculpture, outdoor, steel, powder coat
By Guy Dill
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Large Dorado by Guy Dill, abstract sculpture, outdoor, steel, powder coat
Steel