The art of Francie Hester evokes the feeling of a secret or memory being uncovered. Her contemporary abstract pieces may seem chaotic at first, but patterns begin to emerge upon closer inspection. Using mathematical and geometric principles, Hester creates paintings, drawings and sculptures that strive to bring order to chaos and draw out the unknowable.
Born in 1959, Hester focused on art from an early age. She earned a BFA from the University of Michigan in 1982 and an MFA from the University of Maryland in 1994. She held her first solo exhibition at Anton Gallery in Monterey, California, in 2006 and has since exhibited across the country and around the world.
Hester also creates large-scale public commissions. One of her most well-known site-specific works is Wordfall, a 2016 installation for the lobby of the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. The stunning piece, which drapes down from the high ceiling, is made from over 80,000 paperclips wrapped in the words of poetry from Brendan Ogg, a young cancer victim.
Hester is the recipient of several honorary grants, including from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Arts Council of Montgomery County and the Maryland State Arts Counsel. Her paintings and sculptures are held in many private and corporate collections, including those of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, Capital One and Ernst & Young.
Hester lives and works in Boulder, Colorado, and Silver Springs, Maryland, and is represented by Susan Eley Fine Art in New York. In 2022, she was one of the featured artists at an exhibition presented by the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts in California called "The Most Beautiful Mistake You Can Make." A perfect fit for Hester's work, the show explored how random errors can stimulate artistic creativity.
On 1stDibs, find Francie Hester paintings, drawings, sculptures and more.
$11,040Sale Price|20% Off
Strata 25-A
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
The 2025 series was created as a result of a 2-month artist residency in Monte San Martino, Italy in the summer of 2025. Francie Hester embeds fragments, echoing mosaics, onto the s...
Acrylic
$3,680Sale Price|20% Off
Portale #2
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
The "Portale" series was created as a result of a 2-month artist residency in Monte San Martino, Italy in the summer of 2025. Francie Hester embeds fragments, echoing mosaics, onto ...
Acrylic
$7,360Sale Price|20% Off
Tempo #2
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
The "Tempo" series was created as a result of a 2-month artist residency in Monte San Martino, Italy in the summer of 2025. Francie Hester embeds fragments, echoing mosaics, onto th...
Acrylic
$560Sale Price|20% Off
Intertwined 20-2, small mixed media work on paper, yellow and silver
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
Acrylic, wax and aluminum leaf on paper. 15.5" x 15.5" framed. Shown at VOLTA New York 2020. Aluminum leaf shines in the light.
Paper, Mixed Media, Wax, Acrylic
$1,280Sale Price|20% Off
Crossing Lines #15, abstract mixed media painting on aluminum, multicolored
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
Crossing Lines The exhibition also includes Crossing Lines, a series created in collaboration with interdisciplinary artist Lisa Hill. This series draws on the literal and figurati...
Metal, Wire
Confluence #3, small abstract work on paper, multicolored and silver
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
Confluence continues the dialogue of the Daily Drawing Series, a visual diary that integrates day-to-day imagery to narrate a story about shifting time. In Confluence, the layering of fragmented and unfolding circles -- the underpinning for each piece -- defines a sense of deep and evolving space...
Paper, Wax, Acrylic
$5,520Sale Price|20% Off
Portale #5
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
The "Portale" series was created as a result of a 2-month artist residency in Monte San Martino, Italy in the summer of 2025. Francie Hester embeds fragments, echoing mosaics, onto ...
Acrylic
$7,360Sale Price|20% Off
Tempo #3
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
The "Tempo" series was created as a result of a 2-month artist residency in Monte San Martino, Italy in the summer of 2025. Francie Hester embeds fragments, echoing mosaics, onto th...
Acrylic
$3,680Sale Price|20% Off
Portale # 1
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
The "Portale" series was created as a result of a 2-month artist residency in Monte San Martino, Italy in the summer of 2025. Francie Hester embeds fragments, echoing mosaics, onto ...
Acrylic
$2,720Sale Price|20% Off
Portale #4
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
The "Portale" series was created as a result of a 2-month artist residency in Monte San Martino, Italy in the summer of 2025. Francie Hester embeds fragments, echoing mosaics, onto ...
Acrylic
$2,760Sale Price|20% Off
Portale #3
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
The "Portale" series was created as a result of a 2-month artist residency in Monte San Martino, Italy in the summer of 2025. Francie Hester embeds fragments, echoing mosaics, onto ...
Acrylic
$1,280Sale Price|20% Off
Crossing Lines #11, abstract mixed media painting on aluminum, red and white
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
Crossing Lines The exhibition also includes Crossing Lines, a series created in collaboration with interdisciplinary artist Lisa Hill. This series draws on...
Metal, Wire
$1,280Sale Price|20% Off
Crossing Lines #3, abstract mixed media painting on aluminum panel, blue tones
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
Crossing Lines The exhibition also includes Crossing Lines, a series created in collaboration with interdisciplinary artist Lisa Hill. This series draws on the literal and figurati...
Metal, Wire
$1,280Sale Price|20% Off
Crossing Lines #2, abstract mixed media painting on aluminum panel, green
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
Crossing Lines The exhibition also includes Crossing Lines, a series created in collaboration with interdisciplinary artist Lisa Hill. This series draws on the literal and figurati...
Metal, Wire
Confluence #17, small mixed media work on paper, neutral tones and black
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
Confluence continues the dialogue of the Daily Drawing Series, a visual diary that integrates day-to-day imagery to narrate a story about shifting time. In Confluence, the layering of fragmented and unfolding circles -- the underpinning for each piece -- defines a sense of deep and evolving space...
Paper, Wax, Acrylic
Confluence #6, small abstract work on paper, multicolored and silver
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
Confluence continues the dialogue of the Daily Drawing Series, a visual diary that integrates day-to-day imagery to narrate a story about shifting time. In Confluence, the layering o...
Paper, Wax, Acrylic
Confluence #4, small abstract work on paper, multicolored and silver
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
Confluence continues the dialogue of the Daily Drawing Series, a visual diary that integrates day-to-day imagery to narrate a story about shifting time. In Confluence, the layering o...
Paper, Wax, Acrylic
$4,250
H 24 in W 11 in D 2.25 in
Shifting Plane - Abstract Geometric Form, Painted Welded Steel Wall Sculpture
By Chris Hill
Located in Chicago, IL
This dynamic wall sculpture is created from sheets of steel, welded together in an abstract geometric pattern. Earth tones of blue, orange, pur...
Steel
$1,440Sale Price|20% Off
H 24 in W 24 in
"Multiverse #16" - Framed Geometric Contemporary Abstract Painting
By G. Campbell Lyman
Located in New Orleans, LA
Comes framed and ready to hang in black floater frame. Artist’s Statement: “These paintings are technically challenging, as they combine wax (encaustic), tar, oil, acrylic, powdered...
Lacquer, Charcoal, Wax, Oil, Acrylic, Graphite
Between Equinox and Solstice
By Meghan Hedley
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Meghan Hedley's work is a commentary on the full spectrum of aliveness and is influenced by her lifelong research into healing. Her process is a celebration and a contemplation, and ...
Oil Pastel, Acrylic, Pen, Permanent Marker
$4,117Sale Price|20% Off
H 47.25 in W 47.25 in D 0.99 in
Large Contemporary Abstract Painting Gestural Mixed Media Mediterranean Light
By Ángel Celada
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Large contemporary abstract painting with gestural marks and layered mixed media textures inspired by Mediterranean light and atmosphere. This work by Ángel Celada develops an open ...
Oil, Spray Paint, Acrylic, Board, Wax Crayon, Wax
$3,000
H 19.69 in W 41.34 in D 0.12 in
Lab #7, #6 and #11 Painting. From the Lab series
By Alec Franco
Located in Miami Beach, FL
"The work explores the interconnection between organic nature and circuits, reflecting the relationships between human beings. On the canvas, organic shapes are displayed that evoke ...
Paper, Oil Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$315
H 12 in W 10 in
Layers on Layers - Colorful Framed Impasto Textural Thick Paint Abstract Artwork
By Shiri Phillips
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Impasto-painted strokes of bright colors are the framework of artist Shiri Phillips’ abstract artworks. Her paintings are flooded with texture through the layering of acrylic paint i...
Canvas, Glitter, Acrylic
$17,000
H 74.81 in W 106.3 in D 0.12 in
Cintra and Frenetic Diptych. Mixed media Abstract painting on Canvas
By Alec Franco
Located in Miami Beach, FL
" The work resists framing in concepts, it overflows the contours and borders of the rational. It is through the presence of color, combined with an abstraction at times with express...
Canvas, Pastel, Mixed Media, Acrylic
$14,000
H 48 in W 30 in D 1.63 in
Cecil Touchon Painting on Panel Titled: PDP806ct16 30 x 48
By Cecil Touchon
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Painting on Panel signed verso Cecil Touchon Born 1956 Austin, Texas is a contemporary American collage artist, painter, published poet and theorist living in Pagosa Springs, Colora...
Acrylic, Archival Paper
American Modern Art - Blue
By Kismine Varner
Located in Houston, TX
Stupendous mixed media painting in a kaleidoscope of colors and a paper collage technique by American artist Kismine Varner, circa 1990. Unsigned. O...
Acrylic, Paper
$4,000
H 18 in W 14 in D 1.5 in
"Buster" by L. A. Spowart - Bright Playful Abstract Animal Dog Painting on Wood
By Lesley Anne Spowart
Located in Carmel, CA
Lesley Anne Spowart (American, born 1957) "Buster" 2023 Acrylic Paint, Oil Paint, Mixed Media, Wood Panel, Wire The artist signed the bottom left and back of the painting. "Buster"...
Wire
$1,440Sale Price|20% Off
H 24 in W 24 in
Multiverse #13 (Framed Contemporary Abstract Painting)
By G. Campbell Lyman
Located in New Orleans, LA
Artist’s Statement: “These paintings are technically challenging, as they combine wax (encaustic), tar, oil, acrylic, powdered graphite and other media. They are painted on fiber pan...
Lacquer, Charcoal, Wax, Oil, Acrylic, Graphite
$2,339Sale Price|20% Off
H 39.38 in W 27.56 in D 0.99 in
Abstract Mixed Media Painting Gray Field Gestural Composition on Panel
By Ángel Celada
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Contemporary abstract mixed media painting with layered gray tonalities, gestural brushwork and process-driven surface textures on panel. Created in 2022, Approximations is a large-...
Wax Crayon, Wax, Acrylic, Board
Passeggiata #1
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
The "Passeggiata" series was created as a result of a 2-month artist residency in Monte San Martino, Italy in the summer of 2025. Francie Hester embeds fragments, echoing mosaics, o...
Acrylic
Confluence B, Abstract geometric painting
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
This is a time that has forced us to redefine. Redefine how we live, how we interact, how we see, what we value. The Redefine series reflects on that process of redefinition. It i...
Silver
Convex #35
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
Acrylic and cold wax on three segments of aluminum. 29 inches diameter. This is a time that has forced us to redefine. Redefine how we live, how we interact, how we see, what we va...
Steel
Sold
H 10 in W 10 in
Crossing Lines #13, abstract mixed media painting on aluminum, blue and white
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
Crossing Lines The exhibition also includes Crossing Lines, a series created in collaboration with interdisciplinary artist Lisa Hill. This series draws on the literal and figurati...
Metal, Wire
Sold
H 10 in W 10 in
Crossing Lines #1, abstract mixed media painting on aluminum panel, earth tones
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
Crossing Lines The exhibition also includes Crossing Lines, a series created in collaboration with interdisciplinary artist Lisa Hill. This series draws on the literal and figurati...
Metal, Wire
Sold
H 10 in W 10 in
Crossing Lines #5, abstract mixed media painting on aluminum panel, green tones
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
Crossing Lines The exhibition also includes Crossing Lines, a series created in collaboration with interdisciplinary artist Lisa Hill. This series draws on the literal and figurati...
Metal, Wire
Sold
H 10 in W 10 in
Crossing Lines #4, abstract mixed media painting on aluminum panel, blue tones
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
Crossing Lines The exhibition also includes Crossing Lines, a series created in collaboration with interdisciplinary artist Lisa Hill. This series draws on the literal and figurati...
Metal, Wire
Sold
H 10 in W 10 in
Crossing Lines #7, abstract mixed media painting on aluminum, black and white
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
Crossing Lines The exhibition also includes Crossing Lines, a series created in collaboration with interdisciplinary artist Lisa Hill. This series draws on the literal and figurati...
Metal, Wire
Sold
H 10 in W 10 in
Crossing Lines #6, abstract mixed media painting on aluminum panel, green tones
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
Crossing Lines The exhibition also includes Crossing Lines, a series created in collaboration with interdisciplinary artist Lisa Hill. This series draws on the literal and figurati...
Metal, Wire
Sold
H 10 in W 10 in
Crossing Lines #8, abstract mixed media painting on aluminum, black and white
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
Crossing Lines The exhibition also includes Crossing Lines, a series created in collaboration with interdisciplinary artist Lisa Hill. This series draws on the literal and figurati...
Metal, Wire
Sold
H 16 in W 16 in
Renewal #1, mixed media aluminum sculpture, multicolored grid, 16 x 16 inches
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
For the past two decades, I have been working on aluminum panels – attacking the metal with sanders, hammers, routers and drills. Surfaces of paint are layered, sanded, and stripped ...
Metal
Sold
H 12 in W 12 in D 12 in
Cluster #1, mixed media aluminum sculpture, multicolored sphere
By Francie Hester
Located in New York, NY
For the past two decades, I have been working on aluminum panels – attacking the metal with sanders, hammers, routers and drills. Surfaces of paint are layered, sanded, and stripped ...
Metal