Al Held Art

American, 1928-2005

Alvin Jacob Held, (1928-2005) Al Held earned his slot in the annals of American contemporary art with his bold, geometric canvases that took abstraction to another level. His free-floating, interlocked cubes, and planes invited the viewer into a vertigo-inducing landscape that seemed to stretch on into infinity. "Immense architectural structures curve and slice through these complex paintings, often enmeshing themselves in cellular structures," noted the Times of London. "Viewers felt that they were exploring some mysterious universe, and Held never lost his passionate belief in abstract painting's ability to create a sublime new world." Held grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and as a teenager, missed so many days of high school that it was suggested he consider leaving altogether. He eventually earned a night-school diploma, and spent two years in the U.S. Navy. Back in New York City, he enrolled in classes at the Art Students League, and went on to study at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris in the early 1950s. The first solo exhibition of his work was staged there, in 1952 at the Galerie Huit. Held's abstract work took on a more orderly, formal tone, aided by a switch from oil to acrylic paints in 1959, and he had his first solo show in New York City that same year at the Poindexter Gallery. "Finessing the gap between Minimalism and Color Field painting," wrote New York Times journalist Ken Johnson of the next decade of Held's career, "he produced smooth, simplified works based on enlarged letters of the alphabet. And in the late '60s and '70s he made complex black-and-white pictures of sharply outlined cubes, pyramids, and other geometric shapes floating in illusory spaces of indeterminate depth." Some of Held's best-known works are those floating black and white cubes, a series he began in 1967. One of the largest, which stretches more than 90 feet in length, was installed at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York. In the late 1970s, in an abrupt shift, he began using color again, and the geometric shapes became so precise that they were sometimes mistaken for computer-generated art. Held considered his images not unlike those of religious art, once telling an interviewer that "historically, the priests and wise men believed that it was the artist's job to make images of heaven and hell believable, even though nobody had experienced these places," he said, according to his Chicago Tribune obituary. Held spent 20 years teaching at Yale University's. Represented by the Robert Miller Gallery in New York City, which staged what would be his last exhibition of new work in 2003, Held's works were avidly sought by contemporary-art enthusiasts around the world, and were part of the permanent collections of many institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. — Carol Brennan

Artist: Al Held

Al HeldScholes II, Screenprint by Al Held, 1991

$2,500

Scholes II, Screenprint by Al Held

By Al Held

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Al Held, American (1928 - 2005) Title: Scholes II Year: 1991 Medium: Silkscreen, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 80 Image Size: 23 x 29 inches Size: 29 x 34 in. (73.66...

Category

1990s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Al HeldRussell's Way, Large Colorful Geometric Abstract Etching by Al Held, 1969

$4,800

Russell's Way, Large Colorful Geometric Abstract Etching by Al Held

By Al Held

Located in Long Island City, NY

Russell’s Way by Al Held, American (1928–2005) Date: 1969 Aquatint on Somerset paper, signed, dated, and numbered in pencil verso Edition of 37/50 Image Size: 35.5 x 44.5 inches Size...

Category

1960s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Al HeldScholes II, 1991

$1,760Sale Price|20% Off

Scholes II

By Al Held

Located in Austin, TX

Artist: Al Held (American, 1928–2005) Title: Scholes II Year: 1991 Medium Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition Number 18/80 Print Size: 29h x 34w in. (73.66 x 86.36 cm)...

Category

1990s Hard-Edge Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Al HeldScholes I, Large Framed Geometric Abstract Screenprint by Al Held, 1991

$2,500

Scholes I, Large Framed Geometric Abstract Screenprint by Al Held

By Al Held

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Al Held, American (1928 - 2005) Title: Scholes I Year: 1991 Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 80 Image Size: 23 x 29 inches Size: 29 x 34 in. (73.66...

Category

1990s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Al HeldStone Ridge #4, Abstract Geometric Etching by Al Held, 1983

$2,600

Stone Ridge #4, Abstract Geometric Etching by Al Held

By Al Held

Located in Long Island City, NY

Al Held, American (1928 - 2005) - Stone Ridge #4, Year: 1983, Medium: Etching, signed and dated in pencil on verso, Edition: 65, Size: 26.5 x 40 in. (67.31 x 101.6 cm), Publisher...

Category

1980s Abstract Al Held Art

Materials

Etching

Al HeldRUSSELL'S WAY, 1989

$7,500

RUSSELL'S WAY

By Al Held

Located in Three Oaks, MI

In excellent condition from an edition of 50, this piece is beautifully framed in museum-quality materials. Al Held is best remembered for his large-scale paintings of bright, hard-e...

Category

1880s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Etching, Aquatint

Al HeldPutu, Large Colorful Geometric Abstract Etching by Al Held, 1988

$4,800

Putu, Large Colorful Geometric Abstract Etching by Al Held

By Al Held

Located in Long Island City, NY

Putu by Al Held, American (1928–2005) Date: 1988 Aquatint Etching, signed, numbered and dated in pencil verso Edition of 16/25 Image Size: 35.5 x 44.5 inches Size: 41 in. x 53.5 in. ...

Category

1980s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Al HeldUntitled - 20th Century Brightly Colored Print, Yellow, Red, Green + Grey Circle, 1968

$3,471

Untitled - 20th Century Brightly Colored Print, Yellow, Red, Green + Grey Circle

By Al Held

Located in Kingsclere, GB

Born in Brooklyn in 1928 to Polish immigrants, Al Held claims to have been expelled from high school in the Bronx in 1944. After serving in the U.S. Navy from 1945 to 1947, Held asso...

Category

20th Century Abstract Expressionist Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Al HeldUntitled "D", 1961

$75,000

Untitled "D"

By Al Held

Located in London, GB

Signed and dated 'Al Held 61' (lower right) Price: $75,000 (+5% import VAT) Provenance: Robert Miller Gallery, New York (stock no.1179359 HELD-0075) Private collection, New York Private collection, New York (acquired from the above in 2012) Exhibited: New York, Queens Museum; Norfolk, Virginia, Chrysler Museum; Maine, Portland Museum of Art; Miami Beach, Bass Museum of Art; Washington, D.C., The Phillips Collection...

Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Art

Materials

Acrylic

Al HeldScholes I, 1991

Price Upon Request

Scholes I

By Al Held

Located in New York, NY

This screenprint was created by the artist in 1991. Signed in pencil and numbered from the edition of 80 measuring 29 x 34 in. (73.7 x 86.4 cm.). Published by The Metropolitan Museu...

Category

20th Century Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Al HeldScholes II, 1991

Price Upon Request

Scholes II

By Al Held

Located in New York, NY

This screenprint was created by the artist in 1991. Signed in pencil and numbered from the edition of 80 measuring 29 x 34 in. (73.7 x 86.4 cm.). Published by The Metropolitan Museu...

Category

20th Century Contemporary Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Al HeldPachinko, 1989

Price Upon Request

Pachinko

By Al Held

Located in San Francisco, CA

Category

Al Held Art

Joan MitchellFields I /// Joan Mitchell Large Diptych Etching Aquatint Female Abstract Artist, 1992

$75,000

H 37.25 in W 48.88 in

Fields I /// Joan Mitchell Large Diptych Etching Aquatint Female Abstract Artist

By Joan Mitchell

Located in Saint Augustine, FL

Artist: Joan Mitchell (American, 1925-1992) Title: "Fields I" Portfolio: Fields *Signed and numbered by Mitchell in pencil (on second sheet) lower right Year: 1992 Medium: Original E...

Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint, Intaglio, Handmade Paper

Ian TysonUntitled #1, 1970

$600

H 25 in W 38 in D 0.01 in

Untitled #1

By Ian Tyson

Located in San Francisco, CA

This artwork "Untitled #1" 1970 is an original silkscreen on Wove paper by noted British artist Ian Tyson, born 1933. It is hand signed, dated and numbered 60/75 in pencil by the art...

Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Sam FrancisUntitled Etching by Sam Francis, Abstract Expressionist, Signed 12/18, 1979

$9,292

H 34.77 in W 19.02 in D 0.04 in

Untitled Etching by Sam Francis, Abstract Expressionist, Signed 12/18

By Sam Francis

Located in Roma, IT

Untitled is an original artwork realized in 1989 by Sam Francis. Etching, Aquatint and monotype in colors on BFK Rives Edition including 18 color variations, this one is signed and...

Category

1980s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Art

Materials

Aquatint, Etching

Max BillUntitled from "Kinderstern" - Max Bill, Hard Edge, Color Field, Bright Colors, 1989

$2,358

H 29.93 in W 22.84 in

Untitled from "Kinderstern" - Max Bill, Hard Edge, Color Field, Bright Colors

By Max Bill

Located in Köln, DE

Screenprint by Max Bill. From the portfolio "Kinderstern". No Title, 1989 76 x 58 cm Copy 61/100 Edition of 100 (approx.)

Category

1980s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Jean MiotteJean Miotte - Abstract Composition - Original Signed Lithograph, 1990

$2,859

H 29.93 in W 22.05 in D 0.04 in

Jean Miotte - Abstract Composition - Original Signed Lithograph

By Jean Miotte

Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH

Jean Miotte - Rare Original Signed Lithograph Title: Abstract Composition Dimensions: 76 x 56 cm Edition: 64/99 Signed and Numbered in pencil Jean Miotte, 1926 - 2016 Miotte came o...

Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Art

Materials

Aquatint

Kyohei InukaiLife Forces - 1978 Signed Limited Edition Screen Print, 1978

$500

H 30 in W 22.5 in D 1 in

Life Forces - 1978 Signed Limited Edition Screen Print

By Kyohei Inukai

Located in Rochester Hills, MI

Artist: Kyohei Inukai Title: Life Forces Year: 1978 Print - Silkscreen Size: 30'' x 22½'' in Edition: signed in pencil and marked 70/200 Kyohei Inukai (1913–1985) was a Japanese...

Category

1970s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Giuseppe SantomasoFermento Etching, Abstract Style, Signed, Edition 16/102, 1964, 1964

$333

H 26.78 in W 19.69 in D 0.04 in

Fermento Etching, Abstract Style, Signed, Edition 16/102, 1964

By Giuseppe Santomaso

Located in Roma, IT

Inconscious is an original Contemporary Artwork realized by Giuseppe Santomaso (Venice, 1907 - Venice, 1990) in 1976. Etching on paper. Hand signed and numbered. Edition of 102 c...

Category

1960s Abstract Al Held Art

Materials

Etching

Stanley BoxerStanley Boxer Aquatint Intaglio Etching Elephant Herd Abstract Expressionist, 1979

$1,950

H 24.5 in W 28 in

Stanley Boxer Aquatint Intaglio Etching Elephant Herd Abstract Expressionist

By Stanley Boxer

Located in Surfside, FL

Elephants. 1979 edition 2/20 Hand signed and dated Framed 24.5 X 28. Sheet 23 X 26 This is from a series of prints Boxer produced at Tyler Graphics between 1975 and 1979. Over thi...

Category

1970s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint, Intaglio

Thomas BarrettINTERFACE

$350

H 24 in W 30 in

INTERFACE

By Thomas Barrett

Located in Portland, ME

Barrett, Thomas. INTERFACE. Screenprint in colors, not dated. Edition of 100. Numbered 48/100, titled and signed and dated in pencil. 22 1/2 x 28 1/2 inches. In excellent condition.

Category

20th Century Abstract Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Victor VasarelyVictor Vasarely, Untitled - Signed Print from 1966, Op-Art, Abstract Geometric, Circa 1966

$2,263

H 27.56 in W 27.56 in

Victor Vasarely, Untitled - Signed Print from 1966, Op-Art, Abstract Geometric

By Victor Vasarely

Located in Hamburg, DE

Victor Vasarely (Hungarian-French, 1906-1997) Untitled, ca. 1966 Medium: Screen print on card Dimensions: 27 3/5 × 27 3/5 in (70 × 70 cm) Edition of 100: Hand-signed in pencil, not n...

Category

20th Century Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Harry HoehnAbstract Expressionist Etching by Harry Hoehn, c1963

$1,100

H 21.5 in W 27 in

Abstract Expressionist Etching by Harry Hoehn, c1963

By Harry Hoehn

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Harry Hoehn, American (1917 - 1974) Title: Untitled Year: circa 1963 Medium: Aquatint Etching, Signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 18/50 Image Size: 17.5 x 23 inches ...

Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Art

Materials

Aquatint, Etching

Sigismond Kolos-VariNets – Mid-Century Modernism, Atelier 17, 1952

$1,400

H 11.75 in W 15.625 in

Nets – Mid-Century Modernism, Atelier 17

By Sigismond Kolos-Vari

Located in Myrtle Beach, SC

Sigismond Kolos-Vari, 'Nets', color etching with soft-ground and aquatint, edition 200 (1 of 60 artist's proofs), 1952. Signed and dated in pencil. Numbered L/LX in pencil. A superb, richly-inked impression, on heavy, off-white, Arches wove paper; the full sheet with margins (1 3/8 to 3 1/2 inches), in excellent condition. Published by the Guide de la Gravure, Switzerland, with their blindstamp in the bottom left sheet corner. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Image size 11 3/4 x 15 5/8 inches (298 x 397 mm); sheet size 15 x 22 1/4 inches (381 x 565 mm). ABOUT THE ARTIST Sigismund Kolos-Vari was born in Hungary and attended the School of Applied Arts in Budapest from 1915 to 1918 and then the School of Decorative Arts until 1925. The artist settled in Paris, and his first one-person show in 1928 at Galerie Miromesnil, which was highly successful, led to numerous subsequent exhibitions, including with the prestigious Galerie Bonaparte in 1929 and Galerie Povolosky in 1930. Kolos-Vari’s early success was abruptly interrupted by the outbreak of WWII when he was arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned in the Gurs internment camp. During this period, he created a sketchbook for a little girl, which is now preserved at the Centre de Documentation Juive Contemporaine at the Mémorial de la Shoah in Paris. He managed to escape after two years, crossing the border into Switzerland. After the war, he returned to Paris with a renewed dedication to his painting, producing increasingly powerful compositions. His work was highly acclaimed when shown at an important 1946 exhibition at the Musée National d’Art Moderne de Paris, organized by Jean Cassou. The artist was then approached by the eminent art dealer Jean Bucher, who gave Kolos-Vary a major one-person show at his gallery in 1948. During this post-war period, Kolos-Vary participated in the radical Salon de Mai, 1949-1958, the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles, 1956-1961, and the Salon des Comparaisons, 1960-1962. Supported by his association with Stanley William Hayter and the landmark printmaking workshop Atelier 17...

Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Expressionist Al Held Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Previously Available Items

Al HeldUntitled (Cubes), 1969

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H 41.5 in W 31.5 in D 1.25 in

Untitled (Cubes)

By Al Held

Located in Astoria, NY

Al Held (American, 1928-2005), Untitled (Cubes), Lithograph on Strathmore Paper, 1969, signed in pencil and numbered edition "67 / 100" to verso, Strathmore blindstamp lower right co...

Category

1960s Post-Modern Al Held Art

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

Al HeldCamerata XVI, 1989

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H 18 in W 23.75 in

Camerata XVI

By Al Held

Located in Toronto, Ontario

Al Held (1928-2005) was one of the most prominent and successful American artists. associated with the hard-edge painting. He was a pioneer in the evolution of abstraction and redefi...

Category

1980s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Watercolor

Al HeldScholes I, 1991

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H 40 in W 45.5 in

Scholes I

By Al Held

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Al Held, American (1928 - 2005) Title: Scholes I Year: 1991 Medium: Silkscreen, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 80 Image Size: 23 x 29 inches Size: 29 x 34 in. (73.66 ...

Category

1990s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Al HeldRussell's Way, 1989

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H 35.25 in W 44.5 in

Russell's Way

By Al Held

Located in New York, NY

Al Held Russell's Way, 1989 color aquatint on Somerset paper 35.25h x 44.50w in

Category

1980s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Etching

Al HeldLiv, Large Colorful Geometric Abstract by Al Held, 1992

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H 41 in W 54 in

Liv, Large Colorful Geometric Abstract by Al Held

By Al Held

Located in Long Island City, NY

Artist: Al Held, American (1928 - 2005) Title: Liv Year: 1992 Medium: Etching with aquatint on paper, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 16/30 Image Size: 35.5 x 44.5 inches Size...

Category

1990s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Al HeldScholes, 1, 1991

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H 23 in W 29 in

Scholes, 1

By Al Held

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Signed and numbered in pencil by the artist lower right Edition: 80 (3/80) Published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Mezzanine Gallery, New York, with their blindstamp lower...

Category

1990s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Al HeldScholes II, 1991

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H 29 in W 34 in D 2 in

Scholes II

By Al Held

Located in Fairlawn, OH

Signed and numbered in pencil by the artist lower right Edition: 80 (3/80) Published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Mezzanine Gallery, New York, with their blindstamp lower...

Category

1990s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Screen

Al HeldStone Ridge #1, 1983

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H 32 in W 45 in D 1 in

Stone Ridge #1

By Al Held

Located in Austin, TX

Artist: Al Held Title: Stone Ridge #1 Year: 1983 Medium: Color etching Edition number 53/65 numbered on verso. Signed on verso "Al Held 83 53/65 AH.106.A" ...

Category

1980s Abstract Al Held Art

Materials

Etching

Al HeldMagenta, 1990

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H 48 in W 61 in D 3 in

Magenta

By Al Held

Located in Austin, TX

Artist: Al Held Title: Magenta Year: 1990 Medium: Color aquatint with spit bite aquatint Edition: 37/50 Signed, dated, and numbered verso Dimension: image: 35.5"h x 44.75"w, sheet: 4...

Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Art

Materials

Aquatint

Al HeldIndigo, 1990

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H 48 in W 61 in D 3 in

Indigo

By Al Held

Located in Austin, TX

Artist: Al Held (American, 1928-2005) Title: "Indigo" Year: 1990 Medium: Color aquatint with spit bite aquatint Signed, dated, and numbered verso Edition 32/50 Dimensions: image: 35....

Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Al Held Art

Materials

Aquatint

Al HeldStone Ridge #4, 1983

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H 32 in W 45 in D 1 in

Stone Ridge #4

By Al Held

Located in Austin, TX

Artist: Al Held Title: Stone Ridge #4 Year: 1983 Medium: Color etching Edition number 53/65 numbered on verso. Signed on verso "Al Held 83 53/65 AH.106.A" ...

Category

1980s Abstract Al Held Art

Materials

Etching

Al HeldLiv, 1992

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H 40.5 in W 54 in

Liv

By Al Held

Located in New York, NY

1992, color hardground etching with aquatint, 40 1/2 x 54 inches (102.9 x 137.2 cm), edition of 30, signed, numbered, and dated on reverse

Category

1990s Abstract Geometric Al Held Art

Materials

Etching, Aquatint

Al Held art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Al Held art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of orange, blue, red and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Al Held in paint, screen print, acrylic paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Al Held art, so small editions measuring 22 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Theodoros Stamos, Peter Voulkos, and Friedel Dzubas. Al Held art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,000 and tops out at $100,000, while the average work can sell for $5,565.