Vija Celmins Art
American, Latvian, b. 1938
Visual artist Vija Celmins is renowned for her extraordinarily detailed Photorealist paintings, prints and drawings of natural phenomena, from the surface of the sea to spiderwebs.
After immigrating to the United States from Latvia with her family in the late 1940s, Celmins found herself drawn to images in American comic books. Their word balloons and narrative captions proved important to the development of her English language skills, and the books' images would also leave a lasting impression as Celmins took to drawing at a young age.
As a budding artist, Celmins studied the fine arts at the John Herron School of Art in Indiana, Yale University and UCLA, where she began drawing everyday objects found around her studio — much like the Pop artists of the era — such as a lamp and a heater as well as photographs from World War II, which haunted her early memories. She visited New York City as a student to see the works of Abstract Expressionists such as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.
Over time, Celmins developed a fascination with science and, in particular, scientific images, leading to her painting her famous natural subjects, from the night sky to the desert floor. One global event that particularly captivated her was the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969, which provided the world with photographs of our celestial neighbor. She began drawing the surface of the moon from those images.
“The images are not from observations of nature but are ‘found images’ from old magazines, books and photos,” said Celmins. “Thus they are already flattened and a step removed from nature. My work lies between intimacy and distance.”
Celmins’s first retrospective was held at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia in 1962. She has since been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Menil Collection in Houston. Today, she lives and works in New York.
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Artist: Vija Celmins
"Spider Web" Vija Celmins (Photorealist, Drawing, Spider, Contemporary, Print)
By Vija Celmins
Located in New York, NY
This screen print depicts one of Celmins' signature subjects, the spider web, which she has represented in various media, including charcoal, oil paint, and multiple printmaking tech...
Category
Early 2000s Photorealist Vija Celmins Art
Materials
Screen
The Sun
By Vija Celmins
Located in Indianapolis, IN
Signed and dated lower right, edition 1/10.
Celmin was born in Riga, Latvia in 1938, and in 1944 moved with her family to Germany where they settled in a Latvian refugee camp near E...
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Vija Celmins Spider Web-Hand Signed and Numbered Limited Edition
By Vija Celmins
Located in Brooklyn, NY
A wonderful Spider Web by Vija Celmins, commissioned as part of Lincoln Center’s 50th Anniversary celebration. Ms. Celmins recently received an award from the International Print Cen...
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Vija Celmins Art
Materials
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$9,375 Sale Price
25% Off
Untitled (Desert)
By Vija Celmins
Located in New York, NY
A superb impression of this scarce, early color lithograph on Arches. One of only 12 artist's proofs, aside from the edition of 65. Signed, dated and inscribed "Artist's proof" in pencil by Celmins. Printed by Ed Hamilton...
Category
1970s Contemporary Vija Celmins Art
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Spider Web
By Vija Celmins
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Vija Celmins (b. 1938) is one of the most accomplished and revered living American artists. Born in Riga, Latvia, her dynamic oeuvre resists merging with any art-historical "ism" or ...
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Spider Web, Vija Celmins Contemporary Screen Prints
By Vija Celmins
Located in New York, NY
Vija Celmins
Spider Web, 2009
Signed, dated, and numbered in pencil, recto
Screenprint on rag paper (Edition of 117)
17.5 x 19 inches, sheet
11 x 13 inches, image
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Vija Celmins Art
Materials
Screen
Price Upon Request
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Vija Celmins art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Vija Celmins art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Vija Celmins in lithograph, screen print, engraving and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the Photorealist style. Not every interior allows for large Vija Celmins art, so small editions measuring 19 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Robert Bechtle, Tom Blackwell, and Hilo Chen. Vija Celmins art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $4,875 and tops out at $125,000, while the average work can sell for $15,750.