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, three boys and stoop, 1962

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, three boys and stoop, 1962

Sale Date: October 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Untiled, still life with dolls and fish, 1959

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untiled, still life with dolls and fish, 1959

Sale Date: October 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Untilted, doll and umbrella, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untilted, doll and umbrella, 1960

Sale Date: October 8, 2010

Auction Closed

Untitled (portrait of madelyn meatyard), 1965

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (portrait of madelyn meatyard), 1965

Sale Date: May 24, 2010

Auction Closed

Untitled (Cemetary Statue), 1959

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (Cemetary Statue), 1959

Sale Date: April 16, 2010

Auction Closed

Untitled (Motion-Sound), 1968–1972

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (Motion-Sound), 1968–1972

Sale Date: April 16, 2010

Auction Closed

Zen #0057 (+ Abstract window; 2 works), 1959–1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Zen #0057 (+ Abstract window; 2 works), 1959–1960

Sale Date: April 13, 2010

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1960–1969

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1960–1969

Sale Date: April 15, 2010

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1960

Sale Date: April 15, 2010

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1964

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1964

Sale Date: April 15, 2010

Auction Closed

Untitled, man on porch, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, man on porch, 1960

Sale Date: April 18, 2009

Auction Closed

Untitled, shuttered window by stairway, 1966

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, shuttered window by stairway, 1966

Sale Date: April 18, 2009

Auction Closed

Child as bird, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Child as bird, 1960

Sale Date: April 18, 2009

Auction Closed

Untitled (Arched doorway with woman and boy), 1966

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (Arched doorway with woman and boy), 1966

Sale Date: November 19, 2009

Auction Closed

The family album of Lucybelle Crater (bk w/64...

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

The family album of Lucybelle Crater (bk w/64...

Sale Date: October 6, 2009

Auction Closed

Untitled - Two boys hiding), 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled - Two boys hiding), 1960

Sale Date: October 6, 2009

Auction Closed

Surreal no.1, 1958

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Surreal no.1, 1958

Sale Date: October 8, 2009

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1951

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled, 1951

Sale Date: December 17, 2008

Auction Closed

Ohne Titel, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Ohne Titel, 1960

Sale Date: December 5, 2008

Auction Closed

Life on water, 1959

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Life on water, 1959

Sale Date: October 16, 2008

Auction Closed

Michael and Christopher with American Flag, 1960

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Michael and Christopher with American Flag, 1960

Sale Date: October 16, 2008

Auction Closed

Untitled (Three masked boys and abandoned..., 1964

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Untitled (Three masked boys and abandoned..., 1964

Sale Date: October 15, 2008

Auction Closed

Madonna, 1964

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Madonna, 1964

Sale Date: May 22, 2008

Auction Closed

Ralph Eugene Meatyard, portfolio three..., 1959–1971

Ralph Eugene Meatyard

Ralph Eugene Meatyard, portfolio three..., 1959–1971

Sale Date: January 31, 2008

Auction Closed

English (US)

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