Lowell Nesbitt

(American, 1933–1993)

Lowell Nesbitt was an American painter and printmaker best known for his large-scale depictions of flowers. These frontal paintings of irises, lilies, tulips, orchids, and roses, isolated the flower from space, pressing them against a monochromatic or patterned background. Though grouped into the Photorealist movement, Nesbitt’s stylization of objects was more akin to the works of Robert Indiana, Andy Warhol, and James Rosenquist. Born on October 4, 1933 in Baltimore, MD, he studied at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia and the Royal Academy of Arts in London. In 1958, the Baltimore Museum of Art hosted his first solo show. By 1962, the artist who had mostly worked with abstraction began introducing subject matter to his paintings, including piles of shoes, dogs, empty studios, and building facades. Moving to a massive studio space in Manhattan in 1976, Nesbitt began producing works up to 30 feet long. In 1989, the artist who had promised to gift the Corcoran Gallery of Art $1.5 million after his death, renounced his bequest after the museum infamously cancelled his friend Robert Mapplethorpe’s solo exhibition. Nesbitt later gave the $1.5 million endowment to the Phillips Collection. The artist died on July 8, 1993 in New York, NY. Today, his works are held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Detroit Institute of Art, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and The Museum of Modern Art in New York, among others. 

Lowell Nesbitt Artworks

Lowell Nesbitt (1,270 results)
IBM MAGNETIC STORAGE DRUM, 1966–1966

Lowell Nesbitt

IBM MAGNETIC STORAGE DRUM, 1966–1966

Sale Date: February 14, 1989

Auction Closed

IRIS ON GREY, 1969–1969

Lowell Nesbitt

IRIS ON GREY, 1969–1969

Sale Date: February 14, 1989

Auction Closed

FEMALE NUDE IN PROFILE (HOMAGE TO JACK..., 1970–1970

Lowell Nesbitt

FEMALE NUDE IN PROFILE (HOMAGE TO JACK..., 1970–1970

Sale Date: February 14, 1989

Auction Closed

ROSE TULIP, 1972–1972

Lowell Nesbitt

ROSE TULIP, 1972–1972

Sale Date: November 17, 1988

Auction Closed

JOSEPH RAFFAEL'S STUDIO, 1967–1967

Lowell Nesbitt

JOSEPH RAFFAEL'S STUDIO, 1967–1967

Sale Date: November 17, 1988

Auction Closed

White iris on ivory, 1978–1978

Lowell Nesbitt

White iris on ivory, 1978–1978

Sale Date: May 13, 1988

Auction Closed

Dark red rose, 1979–1979

Lowell Nesbitt

Dark red rose, 1979–1979

Sale Date: May 13, 1988

Auction Closed

Alex Katz's studio, 1967–1967

Lowell Nesbitt

Alex Katz's studio, 1967–1967

Sale Date: May 13, 1988

Auction Closed

NOCTURNAL WATERLILY, 1981–1981

Lowell Nesbitt

NOCTURNAL WATERLILY, 1981–1981

Sale Date: February 17, 1988

Auction Closed

IRIS AND ROSE ON GOLD, 1978–1978

Lowell Nesbitt

IRIS AND ROSE ON GOLD, 1978–1978

Sale Date: February 17, 1988

Auction Closed

DREAMS ON THE BALCONY, 1961–1961

Lowell Nesbitt

DREAMS ON THE BALCONY, 1961–1961

Sale Date: December 16, 1987

Auction Closed

CHATEAU BRIDGE, 1982–1982

Lowell Nesbitt

CHATEAU BRIDGE, 1982–1982

Sale Date: December 16, 1987

Auction Closed

Violet tulip, 1974–1974

Lowell Nesbitt

Violet tulip, 1974–1974

Sale Date: October 7, 1987

Auction Closed

Apollo 13 Lovell space suit, 1970–1970

Lowell Nesbitt

Apollo 13 Lovell space suit, 1970–1970

Sale Date: October 7, 1987

Auction Closed

THREE TULIPS, 1977–1977

Lowell Nesbitt

THREE TULIPS, 1977–1977

Sale Date: October 6, 1987

Auction Closed

WHITE ELECTRIC DAFFODIL, 1974–1974

Lowell Nesbitt

WHITE ELECTRIC DAFFODIL, 1974–1974

Sale Date: October 6, 1987

Auction Closed

Spotted Lily, 1975–1975

Lowell Nesbitt

Spotted Lily, 1975–1975

Sale Date: May 20, 1987

Auction Closed

JOSEPH RAFFAEL'S STUDIO, 1967–1967

Lowell Nesbitt

JOSEPH RAFFAEL'S STUDIO, 1967–1967

Sale Date: April 10, 1987

Auction Closed

ELECTRIC IRIS, 1980–1980

Lowell Nesbitt

ELECTRIC IRIS, 1980–1980

Sale Date: April 10, 1987

Auction Closed

ELECTRIC IRIS, 1980–1980

Lowell Nesbitt

ELECTRIC IRIS, 1980–1980

Sale Date: April 10, 1987

Auction Closed

Studio window with palm, 1975–1975

Lowell Nesbitt

Studio window with palm, 1975–1975

Sale Date: November 14, 1986

Auction Closed

Orchid center, 1972

Lowell Nesbitt

Orchid center, 1972

Sale Date: October 8, 1986

Auction Closed