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.
Louise Nevelson Etching Pencil Signed Numbered Pace Gallery 1965 Abstract Modern
By Louise Nevelson
Located in Atlanta, GA
Abstract Modern Etching, entitled "Magnificent Jungle Cats", by Louise Nevelson, American, circa 1965. It is hand signed by the artist and numbered 13/20. A very limited edition of t...
Metal
Louise Nevelson Serigraph Collage, Signed and Numbered 147/150, Archival Frame
By Louise Nevelson
Located in Kansas City, MO
Louise Nevelson (American, 1899-1988) Untitled, 1980 Original five screen serigraph collage Signed and numbered in pencil by the artist. 147 of an edition of 150. See details in...
Aluminum
$850
H 18.13 in W 16.94 in D 1.75 in
Op-Art Artist Anne Youkeles New Perspective Signed 3-D Serigraph Collage, 1971
By Anne Youkeles
Located in St. Louis, MO
Anne Youkeles (Austrian/American b. 1920) Op-Art Artist 3-D Geometric Serigraph Collage titled "New Perspective" signed, number 43/210 and dated 1971. In fine condition, not examined...
Glass, Wood, Paper
$2,600
H 17.25 in W 15 in D 1 in
Claes Oldenburg Lithograph, Pop Art, Hot Water Bottle, Pencil, Numbered, Signed
By Claes Oldenburg
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Great Pop Art lithograph by the well known artist Claes Oldenburg ,pencil signed LR, numbered 26/100. Titeled on plate London 66(.image size along is 7.5 X 5.5 inches.) Framed.
Paper
$760Sale Price|20% Off
H 26.13 in W 33.63 in D 1.13 in
Framed Lithograph Landscape with View of the Lake and Boats Signed
By Henri Martin
Located in Miami, FL
A very colorful lithograph professionally framed, signed. This interesting work of art is attributed to Bernard Gatner. Will enhance any space. Measures: 26 1/8" H x 33 5/8" W x 1...
Paper
$7,500
H 60.5 in W 31 in D 2 in
Rare 50th Anniversary Dr. Seuss Grinch at Mount Crumpit Serigraph Custom Framed
By Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel)
Located in Tustin, CA
Very collectible and rare, sold out limited edition 50th Anniversary of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Dr. Seuss “Grinch at Mount Crumpit” serigraph on coventry rag paper. This ...
Paper
Selection of Modernist Art Lithographs or Serigraphs
By (after) Alexander Calder, Victor Vasarely, (after) Henri Matisse, Claude and Francois-Xavier Lalanne
Located in Atlanta, GA
Selection of modernist art serigraphs or lithographs, circa 1950s-1970s. They are: 1) Victor Vasarely color lithograph, circa 1960s. It has been recently reframed in a clean lined bl...
Glass, Paper, Wood
John Luke Eastman "One Mind" Serigraph
By John Luke Eastman
Located in Van Nuys, CA
A lithograph by 1970s psychedelic master John Luke Eastman, who worked out of Southern California during the 1960s-1980s. The print features a young woman who gazes at herself in the...
Paper
$2,995
H 28.25 in W 28.25 in D 1 in
Sister Mary Corita Kent Signed Limited Edition Large Abstract Serigraph Print
By Corita Kent
Located in Studio City, CA
Known as God's own Pop artist, Sister Mary Corita Kent went straight from high school into Catholic convent life in 1936. While serving her order and teaching art at Immaculate Heart...
Paper
$1,311Sale Price|25% Off
H 24.81 in W 32.49 in D 0.79 in
Luigi Veronesi Hand-Signed and Numbered Untitled Serigraph, 1976
By Luigi Veronesi 1
Located in Barcelona, ES
This elegant untitled serigraph by Italian artist Luigi Veronesi, created in 1976, is a fine example of his mastery in blending geometric abstraction with color theory. Hand-signed b...
Paper
$391Sale Price|20% Off
H 27.17 in W 20.48 in D 0.79 in
Mid Century Abstract Color Lithography signed and numbered, 1970s
Located in Berlin, DE
Crafted during the vibrant 1970s, this Mid Century Abstract Color Lithography, signed and numbered, is a testament to the era's artistic dynamism. The lithograph bursts with bold col...
Cut Glass, Oak, Lacquer, Paper
$295
H 9.75 in W 7.75 in D 0.75 in
1976 Limited Edition Hand-Signed Etching Print, Numbered 1/75, Framed.
Located in Seattle, WA
Limited edition fine art etching, dated 1976, hand-signed and numbered 1/75. This small-scale print features a detailed linework composition with subtle hand-coloring, depicting a cl...
Wood
Custom Framed Lithograph by Marcel Vertes, Signed and Numbered
By Marcel Vertès
Located in Palm Desert, CA
This is a beautiful custom-framed lithograph by Hungarian-born French artist, Marcel Vertes, entitled "Circus Queens". The piece is signed, Vertes, in the lower right corner and numbered, "30/50" in the lower left corner. The image itself measures 23" high x 16" wide. The frame is a 2" thick 2 toned framed, black and a subtle cerused-like grey. It was originally sold through the Vincent Price...
Wood
$240Sale Price|20% Off
H 38 in W 27.5 in D 0.75 in
Black & White Print of Female Nude, pencil signed and numbered 58/150
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Black & White Print of Female Nude pencil signed and numbered 58/150 artist Unknown date Unknown images size: 18 3/4" x 29" "very nicely framed" mahogany frame with gold edge l...
Paper
Louise Nevelson Signed Limited Edition 78/90 Lithograph
By Louise Nevelson
Located in West Hartford, CT
Although Nevelson is best known as a sculptor, like many of her contemporaries, Nevelson expanded her practice by exploring different branches of printmaking. As a printmaker Nevelso...
Paper