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 (Four arms) (4 works), 1954

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (Four arms) (4 works), 1954

Sale Date: December 12, 2012

Auction Closed

Lucybelle Crater, 1971

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Lucybelle Crater, 1971

Sale Date: November 9, 2012

Auction Closed

Cranston Richie (One-armed man with..., 1958

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Cranston Richie (One-armed man with..., 1958

Sale Date: November 9, 2012

Auction Closed

The Family Album of Lucybelle Crater (book..., 1974

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

The Family Album of Lucybelle Crater (book..., 1974

Sale Date: April 10, 2008

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1958

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1958

Sale Date: May 1, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled (Skull and Umbrella), 1955

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (Skull and Umbrella), 1955

Sale Date: May 1, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1957

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1957

Sale Date: May 1, 2012

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1960

Sale Date: November 19, 2011

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1960

Sale Date: November 19, 2011

Auction Closed

Sans titre, 1965

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Sans titre, 1965

Sale Date: October 27, 2011

Auction Closed

Surreal no. 1, 1958

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Surreal no. 1, 1958

Sale Date: October 6, 2011

Auction Closed

Untitled (

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled ("motion-sound" landscape), 1969

Sale Date: July 7, 2011

Auction Closed

Untitled (figure and wall detail), 1964

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (figure and wall detail), 1964

Sale Date: July 7, 2011

Auction Closed

Jeux d'enfants, 1964

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Jeux d'enfants, 1964

Sale Date: May 27, 2011

Auction Closed

Self-portrait, 1955

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Self-portrait, 1955

Sale Date: May 27, 2011

Auction Closed

Untitled (Glass cabinet doors), 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (Glass cabinet doors), 1960

Sale Date: May 10, 2011

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1960

Sale Date: April 7, 2011

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1960

Sale Date: April 7, 2011

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1960

Sale Date: April 7, 2011

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1965

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1965

Sale Date: March 10, 2011

Auction Closed

Untitled (boy in window and boy in grass), 1950

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (boy in window and boy in grass), 1950

Sale Date: February 10, 2011

Auction Closed

Boy below white mask, 1962

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Boy below white mask, 1962

Sale Date: December 9, 2010

Auction Closed

Untitled (Mask and dolls), 1961

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (Mask and dolls), 1961

Sale Date: December 13, 2010

Auction Closed

Untitled (five works)(for Madelyn Meatyard)

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (five works)(for Madelyn Meatyard)

Sale Date: November 1, 2010

Auction Closed

English (US)

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