Nick Cave (b. 1959) confronts violence and trauma with hopeful exuberance in vibrant art that ranges from sculpture and installation to video and performance. The best-known works in his ongoing Soundsuits series are sometimes displayed as static objects, but they come to life when worn for performances. The costumes consume a body in beads, sequins, faux fur, dyed hair, buttons, raffia, colorful fabric, salvaged musical instruments and an eclectic gathering of other materials so that a performer is kaleidoscopically transformed.
The humble and widely familiar materials that comprise the Soundsuits — frequently acquired at flea markets and thrift stores — are elevated in these assemblages, reorganized so that they become something majestic. Cave created the first of the Soundsuits in 1992 in reaction to the Los Angeles police department’s beating of Rodney King the previous year. In dramatically masking a person, the suits can, as Cave puts it, “hide gender, race, class — so you’re forced to look at something without judgment.”
Born in Fulton, Missouri, Cave is now based in Chicago and continues to push into new media as he advocates for social justice and empowerment through his art. His study of fiber arts at the Kansas City Art Institute as well as his summers with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in the early 1980s led to his enduring interest in the body. Whether bringing a percussive performance with dancers and horse-like costumes to Grand Central Terminal in 2013 or filling a gallery at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art with a monumental installation of found objects woven with millions of beads in response to gun violence and the deaths of Black people at the hands of police in 2016, Cave reveals the power of joy through dynamic materials.
Find original Nick Cave art now on 1stDibs.
Soundsuit #6 (Performance Art, Artistic Expression, Contemporary Art)
By Nick Cave
Located in Kansas City, MO
Nick Cave Soundsuit #6 Year: 2010 Archival Pigment Print on Premium Rag Size: 17 x 12 in. Edition: 200 Signed by hand on label COA provided Ref.: 924802-2069 Tags: #NickCave #Missou...
Archival Paper, Archival Pigment
Specimens, Contemporary Offset Lithograph Print on Paper, 26.25 x 54
By Nick Cave
Located in Dubai, Dubai
Specimens By Nick Cave Nick Cave (born 1959) is an American visual artist known for his Soundsuits and work combining sculpture, performance and fashion. 2025 Offset lithograph o...
Lithograph, Paper
$744Sale Price|20% Off
H 40 in W 83 in
Reflections on Lido Island Cyanotype Triptych, Contemporary Seascape
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This series of cyanotype triptychs showcases the beauty of nature scenes, including stunning beaches and oceans, as well as the intricate textures of water, forests, and skies. These...
Lithograph, Monotype, Paper
Ode to Titian's Venus of Urbino
By E2 - Kleinveld & Julien
Located in New Orleans, LA
16 x 24 inches - Edition 2 of 5 with 2 APs framing is an additional $420. Photography and acting are kindred spirits in the new series by e2 (Elizabeth Kleinveld and Epaul Julien)....
Archival Pigment
Ode to Goya's Maya
By E2 - Kleinveld & Julien
Located in New Orleans, LA
10.5 x 16 inches - Edition 3 of 7 with 2 APs framing is an additional $265. Photography and acting are kindred spirits in the new series by e2 (Elizabeth Kleinveld...
Archival Pigment
$9,500
H 26 in W 25 in
"Laughing Matters" Comedy Legends-Marx Bros, Laurel, Hardy, Burns, Allen, Twain
By Albert Al Hirschfeld
Located in New York, NY
"Laughing Matters" Comedy Legends-Marx Bros, Laurel, Hardy, Burns, Allen, Twain Al Hirschfeld (1903-2003) Laughing Matters Lithograph on heavy paper, 1987 Signed lower right, numbe...
Paper, Lithograph
$295
H 9 in W 12 in D 0.75 in
Players (Signed and dated by Tina Barney) monograph by renowned photographer
By Tina Barney
Located in New York, NY
Tina Barney Players (Signed and dated by Tina Barney), 2010 Hardback monograph with dust jacket (Hand signed and dated by Tina Barney) Signed and dated 3/9/2011 by Tina Barney 9 × 12...
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset, Board
$1,200
H 22.75 in W 18.25 in
Lt Ed Hand SIGNED Book: Mario Testino Private View Bi-Lingual (Chinese-English)
By Mario Testino
Located in New York, NY
Mario Testino Private View Bi-Lingual (Chinese-English), hand signed and stamp numbered, 2012 Limited Collector's Edition Hardback Monograph with Lenticular Cover portrait of Lady Ga...
Plastic, Paper, Acrylic Polymer, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset
$550
H 12 in W 9 in D 2 in
A Visual Biography (Hand signed by BOTH Marina Abramovic and Katya Tylevich)
By Marina Abramovic
Located in New York, NY
Marina Abramović A Visual Biography (Hand signed by BOTH Marina Abramovic and Katya Tylevich), 2023 Large (huge!) hardback monograph with no dust jacket as issued Hand signed by BOT...
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset
$400
H 11 in W 8.5 in
Stonescript3, mixed media monoprint on paper, neutral greys and green
By Karin Bruckner
Located in New York, NY
Lithography oil inks on white BFK Rives Printmaking Paper. Unframed. 11" x 8.5" At the core of the dialogue between the artist and the work is an attempt to push the medium to its l...
Mixed Media, Monoprint, Paper, Ink, Oil, Lithograph
Remaking Marat
By E2 - Kleinveld & Julien
Located in New Orleans, LA
16 x 10.5 inches - Edition 4 of 7 with 2 APs framing is an additional $265. Shot in New Orleans in 2011 Inspired by David’s The Death of Marat, 1793 ...
Archival Pigment
Ode to Courbet's The Sleepers
By E2 - Kleinveld & Julien
Located in New Orleans, LA
Edition 1 of 7 with 2 APs framing is an additional $265. Photography and acting are kindred spirits in the ongoing series by E2 - Kleinveld & Julien, entitled In Empathy We Trust....
Archival Pigment
$1,875
H 16 in W 10 in
Adam and Steve, Ode to Hugo van der Goes' The Fall of Man
By E2 - Kleinveld & Julien
Located in New Orleans, LA
Edition 3 of 7, 2 APs framing is an additional $270. Shot in Amsterdam in 2013, background illustrated by Marco Ventura Inspired by van der Goes’ the fall of man, 1470-75 Photogr...
Archival Pigment
Ode to Manet's Olympia
By E2 - Kleinveld & Julien
Located in New Orleans, LA
18 x 24 inches - Edition 2 of 5 with 2 APs framing is an additional $420. Shot in New Orleans in 2011, background illustrated by Marco Ventura Inspired by Manet’s Olympia...
Archival Pigment
$195
H 11 in W 8.5 in D 1 in
Philip Treacy hardback book, hand signed by Philip Treacy, milliner to the stars
Located in New York, NY
Philip Treacy hardback book (hand signed by Philip Treacy), 2013 Hardback monograph with dust jacket (hand signed by legendary milliner Philip Treacy) hand signed by Philip Treacy on the half title page 11 × 8 1/2 × 1 inches Hand signed by Philip Treacy on the half title page. Book information: Publisher: Phaidon Press (February 5, 2013) English; Hardcover; 200 pages with over 200 photographs Review "Lovely... All the most iconic designs are here."―The Observer "How did one man change our minds on headgear? Philip Treacy by Kevin Davies celebrates [...] backroom moments of Treacy's career, no less striking than the headpieces he creates... The unseen stories behind all the 'moments'."―The Independent "An usually revealing insight into the designer's work."―Harper's Bazaar "Revealing [...] photos of Treacy at work. He looks determined and serious, but he has a kind face and he's never a poseur... In short, this is a cool book about a great guy."―VICE "The head-topper extraordinaire gets a tip of the cap in the new book... Featuring over 200 images of the milliner's museum-quality lids, including head-turning snaps of mega-fierce singer and Bond villainess Grace Jones."―InStyle "Inside the pages are 200 intimate pictures covering everything from Treacy's years at 69 Elizabeth Street to the scene backstage at fashion shows to the dignified funeral held for Treacy's beloved Jack Russell terrier, Mr. Pig."―The New York Times Style Magazine blog More about Philip Tracey...
Paper, Ink, Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset
Ode to the Pinching D'Estrées Sisters
By E2 - Kleinveld & Julien
Located in New Orleans, LA
24 x 36 inches - Edition 1 of 3 with 2 APs Additional framing $525. Shot in 2011 in Amsterdam Inspired by an anonymous artist of the Fontainebleau School’s Presumed Portrait of Ga...
Archival Pigment
Ode to the Pinching D'Estrées Sisters
By E2 - Kleinveld & Julien
Located in New Orleans, LA
10.5 x 16 inches - Edition 5 of 7 with 2 APs Additional framing $265. Shot in 2011 in Amsterdam Inspired by an anonymous artist of the Fontainebleau School’s Presumed Portrait of Gabrielle d’Estrées and Her Sister, the Duchess of Villars, circa 1594 Photography and acting are kindred spirits in the new series by e2 (Elizabeth Kleinveld and Epaul Julien...
Archival Pigment
NICK CAVE DOUBLE SIDED, INFLATABLE PUNCHING BAG
By Nick Cave
Located in New York, NY
Standing a full five-feet tall and donning a multi-colored human-hair Soundsuit on one side and a swirling sequined Soundsuit on the other is every kids perfect sparring partner. Fil...
Plastic