Lowell Nesbitt Abstract Paintings

Lowell Nesbitt (American, 1933-1993) Flower, 1978 tempera on board 60 1/2 x 40 1/2 inches. Provenance: Sold: Christie's East, May 18, 1999, Lot 224 Blair Nesbitt is an American painter, draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor. Although he worked in a variety of media and covered a wide range of subjects throughout his career, he is best known for his large, Photorealist botanical paintings. Born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1933, Nesbitt earned a degree from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. Later, he also studied at London’s Royal Academy of Arts. Working in stained glass and etching and also producing abstract paintings in his early career, a 1962 encounter with artist Robert Indiana led him to steer his aesthetic toward realism. Though he held his first solo show at the Baltimore Museum of Art in 1958, it was his 1964 debut at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. that would truly bring him to the attention of the art world. In this exhibit, his botanical series of paintings, drawings, and prints captivated the art world and public alike. The game-changing Corcoran Gallery show would send his career down the trajectory of sustained success. In 1976, Nesbitt moved from his New York City West 14th Street studio to a massive space located at 389 West 12th Street. The 12,500 square foot living and workspace supplied ample room for creating his enormous paintings...