James Siena

(American, born 1957)

James Siena is a contemporary American artist known for his complex abstract paintings and prints. Siena composes his works using a set of rules he calls “visual algorithms,” to create asymmetrical patterns that resemble floating diagrams. “At a certain point I wanted to make drawings and works that act as machines,” he said. “The way they act as machines is you have to find your way into them and find your way out of them. As you undo the making of them they come to life.” Born on October 28, 1957 in Oceanside, CA, he grew up in Washington, D.C. and went on to attend Cornell University. After finishing school in 1979, Siena moved to New York where he was mentored by both Alan Saret and Chuck Close about how to navigate the art world. He continues to live and work in New York, NY. Today, the artist’s works are held in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Hammer Museum at UCLA, among others.

James Siena Artworks

James Siena (251 results)
Shifted lattice, 2006

James Siena

Shifted lattice, 2006

Sale Date: November 12, 2011

Auction Closed

Blue line rectangle, 1994

James Siena

Blue line rectangle, 1994

Sale Date: November 9, 2011

Auction Closed

Tanagra, 2006

James Siena

Tanagra, 2006

Sale Date: November 6, 2011

Auction Closed

Recursive combs, boustrophedonic, 2004

James Siena

Recursive combs, boustrophedonic, 2004

Sale Date: November 10, 2011

Auction Closed

Multi-colored nesting unknots, 2004

James Siena

Multi-colored nesting unknots, 2004

Sale Date: September 23, 2011

Auction Closed

Distorted overlapping lattice, 2004

James Siena

Distorted overlapping lattice, 2004

Sale Date: September 23, 2011

Auction Closed

Nested unknots, 2004

James Siena

Nested unknots, 2004

Sale Date: July 28, 2011

Auction Closed

Shaded recursive combs, 2007

James Siena

Shaded recursive combs, 2007

Sale Date: June 9, 2011

Auction Closed

Tanagra, 2006

James Siena

Tanagra, 2006

Sale Date: May 15, 2011

Auction Closed

Battery variation I (+ Battery variation..., 2005

James Siena

Battery variation I (+ Battery variation..., 2005

Sale Date: March 6, 2011

Auction Closed

Shifted lattice, 2006

James Siena

Shifted lattice, 2006

Sale Date: November 18, 2010

Auction Closed

Recursive infected lighthouse, 2004

James Siena

Recursive infected lighthouse, 2004

Sale Date: November 9, 2010

Auction Closed

Multi-colored nesting unknots (+ Recursive..., 2005

James Siena

Multi-colored nesting unknots (+ Recursive..., 2005

Sale Date: November 7, 2010

Auction Closed

Drawing after proton saga with voids, 1999

James Siena

Drawing after proton saga with voids, 1999

Sale Date: September 22, 2010

Auction Closed

Battery variation (+ 2 others; 3 works)

James Siena

Battery variation (+ 2 others; 3 works)

Sale Date: September 12, 2010

Auction Closed

Shifted lattice, 2006

James Siena

Shifted lattice, 2006

Sale Date: July 24, 2008

Auction Closed

Battery, variation III, 2005

James Siena

Battery, variation III, 2005

Sale Date: June 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Forty-six combs, 2008

James Siena

Forty-six combs, 2008

Sale Date: June 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Sagging grid, 2006

James Siena

Sagging grid, 2006

Sale Date: May 4, 2010

Auction Closed

Shaded connected hooks, 2007

James Siena

Shaded connected hooks, 2007

Sale Date: November 1, 2009

Auction Closed

Shifted lattice, 2006

James Siena

Shifted lattice, 2006

Sale Date: June 2, 2009

Auction Closed

Shifted lattice, 2006

James Siena

Shifted lattice, 2006

Sale Date: November 23, 2008

Auction Closed

Recursive lighthouse variation, 2005

James Siena

Recursive lighthouse variation, 2005

Sale Date: November 16, 2008

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1985

James Siena

Untitled, 1985

Sale Date: October 25, 2008

Auction Closed