Ralph Eugene Meatyard

(American, 1925–1972)

Ralph Eugene Meatyard was an American photographer known for his enigmatic portraits and use of multiple exposures. Though he did not gain much recognition during his lifetime, the artist’s haunting images of masked children have since established him as a key figure in American photography. Born on May 15, 1925 in Normal, IL, he joined the Navy during the end of World War II without seeing any combat. After returning from the war, Meatyard studied to become an optician and shortly thereafter accepted a job at an optical firm in Lexington, KY. He first came into contact with photography in 1950 through his job, which sold both optical and photo equipment. After purchasing his first camera, Meatyard joined the Lexington Camera club and learned many of the basics of the medium from another club member named Van Deren Coke. The artist continued his education in the mid-1950s, when he attended a summer photography course taught by Henry Holmes Smith and Minor White at Indiana University. In the years that followed, he began to incorporate his interest in Zen philosophy and jazz music into his practice. Meatyard was just beginning to gain recognition for his work before his death on May 7, 1972 in Lexington, KY. Today, his photographs are held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, among others.
 

Ralph Eugene Meatyard Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Ralph Eugene Meatyard (321 results)
Cranston Richie

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Cranston Richie

CLAMP

Price on Request

Untitled (Boy with Flag) [Christopher and the...

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (Boy with Flag) [Christopher and the...

CLAMP

Price on Request

Romance of Ambrose Bierce #3 (From Center..., 1964

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Romance of Ambrose Bierce #3 (From Center..., 1964

CLAMP

Price on Request

Untitled, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1960

Sale Date: April 10, 2024

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1959

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1959

Sale Date: April 5, 2024

Auction Closed

Romance (N). Of Ambrose Bierce #3, 1962, 1962

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Romance (N). Of Ambrose Bierce #3, 1962, 1962

Sale Date: April 3, 2024

Auction Closed

Occasion for Diriment, 1962

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Occasion for Diriment, 1962

Sale Date: February 15, 2024

Auction Closed

Untitled (Window), 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (Window), 1960

Sale Date: October 25, 2023

Auction Closed

Prescience #135, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Prescience #135, 1960

Sale Date: October 25, 2023

Auction Closed

Sans titre c., 1958

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Sans titre c., 1958

Sale Date: November 10, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled, Woman and Girl in Run Down Building

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, Woman and Girl in Run Down Building

Sale Date: October 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Grasses in Swamp

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Grasses in Swamp

Sale Date: October 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1960

Sale Date: October 20, 2023

Auction Closed

The Chicken Yard

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

The Chicken Yard

Sale Date: October 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Girl Playing Flute in Doorway

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Girl Playing Flute in Doorway

Sale Date: October 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1960

Sale Date: October 11, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1960

Sale Date: October 5, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled (Masked children in barn), 1965

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (Masked children in barn), 1965

Sale Date: October 19, 2023

Auction Closed

Doll's head., 1959

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Doll's head., 1959

Sale Date: October 5, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled (from Romances), 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (from Romances), 1960

Sale Date: May 2, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1955

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1955

Sale Date: May 2, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled (Boy in window of barn)., 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (Boy in window of barn)., 1960

Sale Date: April 27, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled (Girl in front of a window)., 1960–1969

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (Girl in front of a window)., 1960–1969

Sale Date: April 27, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled (water bubbles),

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (water bubbles),

Sale Date: December 13, 2022

Auction Closed

English (US)

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