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)
Untitled (masked children in a barn), 1965, 1965

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (masked children in a barn), 1965, 1965

Sale Date: April 17, 2016

Auction Closed

Boy in Window, Man in Doorway, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Boy in Window, Man in Doorway, 1960

Sale Date: April 17, 2016

Auction Closed

Untitled (Motion-Sound landscape), circa 1970, 1970

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (Motion-Sound landscape), circa 1970, 1970

Sale Date: April 17, 2016

Auction Closed

Untitled (Ottawa Silica Co.), 1967

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (Ottawa Silica Co.), 1967

Sale Date: January 17, 2016

Auction Closed

Untitled

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled

Sale Date: January 17, 2016

Auction Closed

Untitled

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled

Sale Date: January 17, 2016

Auction Closed

Sans titre, 1953

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Sans titre, 1953

Sale Date: November 20, 2015

Auction Closed

Sans titre, 1959

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Sans titre, 1959

Sale Date: November 21, 2015

Auction Closed

Center for Photographic Studies,..., 1959–1971

After Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Center for Photographic Studies,..., 1959–1971

Sale Date: October 15, 2015

Auction Closed

Wall abstraction, 1958

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Wall abstraction, 1958

Sale Date: October 15, 2015

Auction Closed

Sans titre, 1962

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Sans titre, 1962

Sale Date: May 28, 2015

Auction Closed

Sans titre, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Sans titre, 1960

Sale Date: May 28, 2015

Auction Closed

Untitled (Boy with Old Man's Mask and Two Men), 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (Boy with Old Man's Mask and Two Men), 1960

Sale Date: March 10, 2015

Auction Closed

Child's no, 1963

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Child's no, 1963

Sale Date: December 11, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1967

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1967

Sale Date: November 18, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1960–1969

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1960–1969

Sale Date: November 18, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1960–1969

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1960–1969

Sale Date: November 18, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1970

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1970

Sale Date: November 18, 2014

Auction Closed

Cranston Richie, 1959

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Cranston Richie, 1959

Sale Date: November 6, 2014

Auction Closed

Jeux d'enfants, 1964

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Jeux d'enfants, 1964

Sale Date: November 6, 2014

Auction Closed

Selection of 17 prints (17 works), 1960–1969

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Selection of 17 prints (17 works), 1960–1969

Sale Date: October 17, 2014

Auction Closed

Child with model of head, 1961

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Child with model of head, 1961

Sale Date: September 30, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1955–1956

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1955–1956

Sale Date: October 1, 2014

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1970

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1970

Sale Date: October 1, 2014

Auction Closed

English (US)

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