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)
Untitled, set of six, 2003

James Siena

Untitled, set of six, 2003

Sale Date: February 17, 2021

Auction Closed

Nighthouse, 2001

James Siena

Nighthouse, 2001

Sale Date: December 18, 2020

Auction Closed

Savanna Plus Two, 2006

James Siena

Savanna Plus Two, 2006

Sale Date: December 15, 2020

Auction Closed

Coffered Perforated Recursive Combs, 2008

James Siena

Coffered Perforated Recursive Combs, 2008

Sale Date: December 15, 2020

Auction Closed

NESTED UNKNOT VARIATION, 2004

James Siena

NESTED UNKNOT VARIATION, 2004

Sale Date: November 11, 2020

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1984

James Siena

Untitled, 1984

Sale Date: October 21, 2020

Auction Closed

1-1024, 2004

James Siena

1-1024, 2004

Sale Date: October 6, 2020

Auction Closed

Untitled (Battery Redux), 2010

James Siena

Untitled (Battery Redux), 2010

Sale Date: June 24, 2020

Auction Closed

Multi-Colored Nesting Unknots, 2004

James Siena

Multi-Colored Nesting Unknots, 2004

Sale Date: June 4, 2020

Auction Closed

Distorted Overlapping Lattice, 2004

James Siena

Distorted Overlapping Lattice, 2004

Sale Date: June 4, 2020

Auction Closed

Doubled Almighty, (Upside Down), 2002

James Siena

Doubled Almighty, (Upside Down), 2002

Sale Date: May 27, 2020

Auction Closed

Non-Slice, 2004

James Siena

Non-Slice, 2004

Sale Date: March 4, 2020

Auction Closed

Battery Variation II, 2005

James Siena

Battery Variation II, 2005

Sale Date: February 26, 2020

Auction Closed

DISTORTED LATTICE, SYSTEM - NON SYSTEM, 2003

James Siena

DISTORTED LATTICE, SYSTEM - NON SYSTEM, 2003

Sale Date: December 6, 2019

Auction Closed

2-256 (Second Version), 2003

James Siena

2-256 (Second Version), 2003

Sale Date: November 14, 2019

Auction Closed

Doubled Almighty (Upside Down), 2002

James Siena

Doubled Almighty (Upside Down), 2002

Sale Date: September 25, 2019

Auction Closed

Shaded Recursive Combs, 2009

James Siena

Shaded Recursive Combs, 2009

Sale Date: August 12, 2019

Auction Closed

Two Perforated Combs, 2006

James Siena

Two Perforated Combs, 2006

Sale Date: July 24, 2019

Auction Closed

Four Folded Loops, 2001

James Siena

Four Folded Loops, 2001

Sale Date: July 17, 2019

Auction Closed

Shaded connected hooks, 2007

James Siena

Shaded connected hooks, 2007

Sale Date: April 26, 2019

Auction Closed

Untitled, 2006

James Siena

Untitled, 2006

Sale Date: March 13, 2019

Auction Closed

Alternating Connections, 2000

James Siena

Alternating Connections, 2000

Sale Date: February 26, 2019

Auction Closed

Floppy Combs, 2008

James Siena

Floppy Combs, 2008

Sale Date: December 27, 2018

Auction Closed

Veteran's Day, 1996

James Siena

Veteran's Day, 1996

Sale Date: December 12, 2018

Auction Closed