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)
Sans titre, 1957

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Sans titre, 1957

Sale Date: November 22, 2022

Auction Closed

Sans titre, 1964

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Sans titre, 1964

Sale Date: November 22, 2022

Auction Closed

Sans titre, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Sans titre, 1960

Sale Date: November 22, 2022

Auction Closed

Sans titre, 1964

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Sans titre, 1964

Sale Date: November 22, 2022

Auction Closed

Sans titre [garçon], 1961., 1961

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Sans titre [garçon], 1961., 1961

Sale Date: November 10, 2022

Auction Closed

Sans titre [la barque et les masques], 1958., 1958

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Sans titre [la barque et les masques], 1958., 1958

Sale Date: November 10, 2022

Auction Closed

Untitled (I-Cross), 1959

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (I-Cross), 1959

Sale Date: October 20, 2022

Auction Closed

Three Dolls, 1961

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Three Dolls, 1961

Sale Date: October 14, 2022

Auction Closed

Untitled, c. 1958, 1958

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, c. 1958, 1958

Sale Date: October 6, 2022

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1960

Sale Date: July 20, 2022

Auction Closed

Untitled (Boy with clock and mirror), 1960–1969

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (Boy with clock and mirror), 1960–1969

Sale Date: April 7, 2022

Auction Closed

Untitled, (Boy with Pickax Buried in Wall),..., 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, (Boy with Pickax Buried in Wall),..., 1960

Sale Date: April 7, 2022

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1962, 1962

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1962, 1962

Sale Date: April 7, 2022

Auction Closed

No. 6 Usufructuary, 1960, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

No. 6 Usufructuary, 1960, 1960

Sale Date: April 7, 2022

Auction Closed

Untitled (Boy with Sign 'Red'), 1955, 1955

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (Boy with Sign 'Red'), 1955, 1955

Sale Date: April 7, 2022

Auction Closed

Sans titre, Portrait à la fenêtre, 1965, 1965

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Sans titre, Portrait à la fenêtre, 1965, 1965

Sale Date: March 22, 2022

Auction Closed

Sans titre, Portrait flou, 1965, 1965

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Sans titre, Portrait flou, 1965, 1965

Sale Date: March 22, 2022

Auction Closed

Sans titre, Le masque et la table, 1960, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Sans titre, Le masque et la table, 1960, 1960

Sale Date: March 22, 2022

Auction Closed

Untitled (Mask in Water) (from Portfolio..., 1961

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (Mask in Water) (from Portfolio..., 1961

Sale Date: January 12, 2022

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1960, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1960, 1960

Sale Date: December 8, 2021

Auction Closed

Figure Four, 1966

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Figure Four, 1966

Sale Date: November 30, 2021

Auction Closed

Sans titre, 1962

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Sans titre, 1962

Sale Date: November 30, 2021

Auction Closed

Figures wearing masks, 1960–1969

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Figures wearing masks, 1960–1969

Sale Date: October 21, 2021

Auction Closed

Lucybelle Crater and friend with a..., 1970–1972

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Lucybelle Crater and friend with a..., 1970–1972

Sale Date: October 7, 2021

Auction Closed

English (US)

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