Painter and draftsman Ian Hornak created vivid hyperrealist and Photorealist works, and was celebrated for his visionary incorporation of multiple-exposure photography into his landscape paintings.
The subject matter at the heart of the world’s finest Photorealist works flickers between crystal-clear reality and dreamy illusion, and Hornak’s representational art is just as compelling, enveloping the viewer with rich imagery and vibrant colors.
The painter was born John Francis Hornak in Philadelphia to Slovakian immigrants who moved to New York when he was still an infant. He became enamored of visual art at an early age — for his ninth birthday, Hornak received a set of oil paints and a book about Renaissance paintings. He reproduced many of the book’s photos of the works of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and others so well that they looked like the photographs themselves.
Hornak studied art at the University of Michigan and Wayne State University. After earning his bachelor's and master's degrees in fine arts, he moved to New York City in 1968 and befriended Lowell Nesbitt. The realist artist introduced him to Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell, Robert Indiana and others. Hornak resisted the Abstract Expressionist and Pop styles of the era, instead creating work that was noted for its Surrealist and even Romantic elements.
In 1970, Hornak debuted his first paintings in his multiple-exposure style. A year later, the Tibor de Nagy Gallery hosted his first New York City solo exhibition, and his prominence in the art world grew. From 1986 until his death in 2002, Hornak produced botanical and still-life paintings inspired by Flemish and Dutch masters.
Hornak’s work can be found in the permanent collections of many institutions, such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and the Library of Congress.
On 1stDibs, find authentic Ian Hornak paintings, drawings, prints and more.
$48,000Sale Price|20% Off
Ian Hornak, Sorcerer Series: Beast Head, Spider Web, 1969
By Ian Hornak
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite acrylic painting by Ian Hornak (1944–2002), titled Sorcerer Series: Beast Head, Spider Web, was executed in 1969. The masterfully conceived composition exemplifies Hor...
Acrylic, Canvas
$72,000Sale Price|20% Off
Ian Hornak, Female Nude: Moonlight (Andy Warhol Superstar, Ultra Violet), 1971
By Ian Hornak
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite acrylic and pen and ink painting by Ian Hornak (1944–2002), titled Female Nude: Moonlight (Andy Warhol Superstar, Ultra Violet), was executed in 1971. The masterfully ...
Canvas, Acrylic, Ink, Pen
$70,400Sale Price|20% Off
Figure, Volcano
By Ian Hornak
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Ian Hornak (1944-2002) Title: Figure, Volcano (John Huszar) Year: June 1971 Medium: Acrylic, Pen & Ink on Canvas Size: 72 x 48 inches Condition: Ex...
Acrylic, Canvas
Hannah's Mirror, Variation #3: The Expulsion from Eden
By Ian Hornak
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Ian Hornak Title: Hannah's Mirror, Variation #3: The Expulsion from Eden Year: 1977 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed, dated, and titled verso Size: 42 x 60 inches (106.68 x 152....
Oil
$429Sale Price|20% Off
H 21.66 in W 18.12 in
A man and his boat Spain oil on canvas painting seascape beach
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Signed Adolfo Perez Frame size 75x66 cm.
Canvas, Oil
$1,458
H 23.63 in W 31.5 in D 0.79 in
Chroma sky (Blue key) 10 - Contemporary, Blue, Minimalist, Figurative, Landscape
By Cătălin Petrișor
Located in Baden-Baden, DE
Chroma sky (Blue key) 10, 2007 Acrylic and oil on canvas (Signed on reverse) 23.62 H x 31.49 W in 60 H x 80 W cm The artist wrote about how he conceives this work: "The transformat...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$6,346Sale Price|20% Off
H 55.12 in W 38.59 in D 1.19 in
Self-portrait 3 Male nude 2009, canvas, acrylic, felt tip pen 140x98 cm
By Juris Utans
Located in Riga, LV
Self-portrait 3 2009, canvas, acrylic, 140x98 cm Juris Utāns (1959-2022) was a Latvian painter. Worked in the field of critical realism, socially active and political art. Juris U...
Canvas, Acrylic, Felt Pen
"Aura" Oil Painting
By David Cheifetz
Located in Denver, CO
David Cheifetz's "Aura" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a nude woman's torso in profile overlaid with blue and green colors around her hands. About the Artist: D...
Oil
$6,346Sale Price|20% Off
H 55.12 in W 38.59 in D 1.19 in
Self-portrait 1 Male nude 2009, canvas, acrylic, felt tip pen 140x98 cm.
By Juris Utans
Located in Riga, LV
Self-portrait 1 2009, canvas, acrylic, 140x98 cm. Juris Utāns (1959-2022) was a Latvian painter. Worked in the field of critical realism, socially active and political art. Juris ...
Acrylic, Felt Pen, Canvas
$1,982
H 15 in W 19 in D 2 in
Farm in the Woods at Winter in the English Countryside with Warm Brown Colours
By Christopher Osborne
Located in Preston, GB
Farm in the Woods at Winter in the English Countryside with Warm Brown Colours by 20th Century British Artist, Christopher Osborne. Art measures 14 x 10 inches Frame measures 19 x 1...
Canvas, Oil
$6,346Sale Price|20% Off
H 55.12 in W 38.59 in D 1.19 in
Self-portrait 2 Male nude 2009, canvas, acrylic, felt tip pen 140x98 cm
By Juris Utans
Located in Riga, LV
Self-portrait 2 2009, canvas, acrylic, 140x98 cm Juris Utāns (1959-2022) was a Latvian painter. Worked in the field of critical realism, socially active and political art. Juris U...
Canvas, Acrylic, Felt Pen
$3,000
H 9 in W 12 in D 0.75 in
"Homestead" (2024) By Michael Miller, Original Midwestern Landscape Oil Painting
By Michael Miller
Located in Denver, CO
Michael Miller's beautiful original photorealist Midwestern landscape painting "Homestead" (2024) depicts a cozy Midwestern red barn in the middle of a plains farmland, among a grey ...
Canvas, Oil
$2,392
H 12 in W 16 in D 2 in
Elevated View of a Sussex Town in the Countryside of South England in Summer
By Christopher Osborne
Located in Preston, GB
Elevated View of Sussex Town in the Countryside of the South of England in Summer, by 20th Century British Artist, Christopher Osborne. Art measures ...
Canvas, Oil
$6,950
H 39 in W 39 in
Underwater Siren, Photorealistic Figurative Swimmer Painting, Oil on Canvas
Located in Atlanta, GA
Photorealist painter, Miguel Nuñez was born in Uruguay, in the city of Maldonado in 1966. Maldonado is located on the banks of the Río de la Plata and the Atlantic Ocean, and the ef...
Canvas, Oil
$3,000
H 10 in W 10 in D 0.75 in
"Summer Evening" (2024) By Michael Miller, Original Landscape Oil Painting
By Michael Miller
Located in Denver, CO
Michael Miller's beautiful original photorealist landscape barn painting "Summer Evening" (2024) depicts a Midwestern barn in the middle of the vast plains, with a large cloud loomin...
Canvas, Oil
Red Stripes Still Life: Photorealist Oil Painting
By Jesus Navarro
Located in Atlanta, GA
This painting is in excellent condition and has only been shown in a gallery setting. Size listed does not include the frame. Frame adds around 3 inches to each side to the posted ...
Canvas, Oil
Untitled (Abstract Celebrating Figures)
By Ian Hornak
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Ian Hornak (1944-2002) Title: Untitled (Abstract Celebrating Figures) Year: 1963 Medium: Watercolor on heavy archival paper Size: 29.5 x 21 inches Condition: Good Provenance:...
Watercolor
Untitled (Abstract Female Nude)
By Ian Hornak
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Ian Hornak (1944-2002) Title: Untitled (Abstract Female Nude) Year: 1963 Medium: Watercolor on heavy archival paper Size: 29.5 x 21 inches Cond...
Watercolor
Untitled (Abstract Figure with Flowers)
By Ian Hornak
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Ian Hornak (1944-2002) Title: Untitled (Abstract Figure with Flowers) Year: 1963 Medium: Watercolor on heavy archival paper Size: 29.5 x 21 inches Condition: Good Provenance:...
Watercolor
Untitled (Abstract Celebrating Figures)
By Ian Hornak
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Ian Hornak (1944-2002) Title: Untitled (Abstract Still Life with Flowers) Year: 1963 Medium: Watercolor on heavy archival paper Size: 29.5 x 21 inches Condition: Good Provena...
Watercolor