Louise Nevelson was one of the leading American female sculptors of the 20th century, and she did it on her own terms. She was a pioneer of installation art and created large-scale monochromatic sculptures that are today known for their provocative, compartmentalized forms. While her assemblages involved a range of materials, she is best known for her wooden sculptures. Working in a single color was her signature, and all-encompassing color demanded an all-encompassing focus for this artist — she even kept separate studios for work in black, white and gold.
Nevelson was born in what is now Ukraine in 1899 and emigrated to the United States with her family in 1905. She moved to New York City as a young woman in 1920 to study at the Art Students League. In the 1930s, Nevelson traveled around Europe, came into contact with the works of Picasso, studied with Hans Hofmann and assisted Diego Rivera in New York City.
Nevelson had her first solo show in 1941 at the Nierendorf Gallery in New York. In the late 1940s, she studied with Stanley William Hayter and worked as a ceramicist in the workshop of revered furniture designer Vladimir Kagan, who let her take scraps from the factory to use in her sculptures. (As a child, Nevelson had also worked with discarded wood from her father's lumber yard.)
By the early 1950s, Nevelson had traveled to Guatemala and Mexico. She was inspired by pre-Columbian art and the totemic works of ancient cultures. Nevelson began creating the first of her iconic wood sculptures and later participated in the legendary “Sixteen Americans” exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. Her work was acquired by prominent institutions in the years that followed.
Nevelson made reliefs in shadow boxes and was for a time affiliated with New York City’s Sidney Janis Gallery as its first female Abstract Expressionist artist (her work was abstract but she also drew on the Cubist and Constructivist movements). In the early 1960s, Nevelson showed her art in Chicago, Manhattan, Paris and West Germany. It was around this time that she exhibited at Pace Gallery in Boston and New York. The gallery represented her for the duration of her career.
Nevelson died in 1988, but her legacy is immense. Her work is held in virtually every major American art museum, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Art. Her permanent large-scale public sculptures are installed all over the country, including in Louise Nevelson Plaza in New York City's Financial District.
On 1stDibs, find original Louise Nevelson sculptures, prints and drawings.
Lester Goldman Abstract Watercolor Painting, Blue, Pink, Green, and Red, Signed
Located in Kansas City, MO
Lester Goldman watercolor in striking colors of blue, pink, green and red. Acquired directly from the estate of Lester Goldman. Excellent condition and ...
Chrome
Willem De Kooning "High School Desk" Lithograph, Signed, Numbered, Framed, 1970
By Willem de Kooning
Located in Kansas City, MO
Willem De Kooning (Dutch-American, 1904-1997) High school desk, 1970 Viscosity acid edged Lithograph print on Italia paper. Signed, dated and numbered. 26 of an edition of 57. P...
Gold Leaf
Abstract Painting by Nicole Mauser, Acrylic on Canvas
Located in Kansas City, MO
Nicole Mauser acrylic on canvas painting. Excellent condition. Stretched over a wood frame. Signed and dated Nicole Mauser, 2010.
Paint
Irving Harper Paper Sculpture
By Irving Harper
Located in Kansas City, MO
Unique work by Irving Harper. Paper construction. Exhibited: Irving Harper: A Mid-Century mind at play, 14 September 2014 - 24 January 2015, the Rye arts center gallery, Rye, NY.
Paper
Large Irving Harper Paper Sculpture, Six Feet Tall
By Irving Harper
Located in Kansas City, MO
One of a kind tall geometric paper sculpture by Irving Harper. This work is unique.
Paper
Abstract Figural Painting by John Bashor, 1950s
Located in Kansas City, MO
Painting by John Bashor (1926-2003)- Artist from Montana, professor at Bethany College in Lindsborg, KS. This work was done in the 1950's. Excellent comp...
Geometric Abstract Screenprint by Louise Nevelson
By Louise Nevelson
Located in Long Island City, NY
An Abstract Geometric screenprint by Louise Nevelson. This print is in Nevelson’s typical style, using layers of fragmented geometric shapes to create depth. Nevelson is best known f...
Screen
The Great Wall
By Louise Nevelson
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Caviar20 is thrilled to present the esteemed work of Louise Nevelson - one of the most revered and unique artists of the 20th century. (Also, an artist who continues to be undervalu...
Metal
Reflections I
By Louise Nevelson
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Caviar20 is excited to be offering this evocative print by the inimitable Louise Nevelson - one of the most revered and unique sculptors of the 20th century. Nevelson is renowned for her mysterious and complex artworks. She was an active printmaker, experimenting with different techniques and approaches while working with some of the best print-making studios in the United States. Nevelson, whether working in sculpture or in two dimensions typically had a strict palette; almost exclusively black. While there are iconic works in white, gold, or raw wood, Nevelson almost entirely avoids color. However, during the last decade of her life, her palette expands notably with her printmaking. "Reflections I" is an example from her 1983 portfolio, "Reflections I-V" consisting of six large-scale prints. These prints contain signature elements found throughout Nevelson's prints; ripped or collage-like forms as well as the use of fabric, lace, and toile in the printing process. However one of the strongest characteristics of the "Reflections" series is her new uninhibited use of color. Here it is used to maximum effect. This work features unexpected elements of crimson and translucent rose and Prussian blue that punctuate her signature layered collage-like composition. Nevelson's late prints are truly some of her best. Over the last few years, there has been tremendous momentum in both interest and appreciation of Nevelson's work. In May of 2021, a new auction record of $1.35 million was established for one of Nevelson's signature white construction sculptures...
Etching, Aquatint
Sky Garden
By Louise Nevelson
Located in Toronto, Ontario
As always, Caviar20 is thrilled to present the esteemed work of Louise Nevelson - one of the most revered and unique artists of the 20th century. (Also, an artist who continues to b...
Metal
Untitled
By Louise Nevelson
Located in New York, NY
Very good impressions of these 4 color screenprints on white wove paper. Each signed, dated and numbered 15/25, 18/36, 15/39 or 6/40 in pencil.
Color, Screen
Louise Nevelson (1899–1988) - Untitled - silkscreen on paper - 1975
By Louise Nevelson
Located in Varese, IT
Silk-screen on hand-made paper, edited in 1975 Limited edition in 40 copies Signed and dated 1975 in pencil by artist in lower right corner, Numbered 2/40 in lower left corner Very g...
Silk, Handmade Paper
