Robert Ryman

(American, 1930–2019)

Robert Ryman was an American painter known for his rigorous formal investigation of monochromatic painting. Ryman’s iconic works examine the limited palette of white on white, painted on a variety of surfaces that include linen, fiberglass, vinyl, jute, and wallpaper. His abstract paintings never attempt to create an image, and instead present endless variations of paint as subject matter in and of itself. “There is never any question of what to paint,” the artist famously declared, “but how to paint.” Born on May 30, 1930 in Nashville, TN, he went on to serve in the army where he joined the army reserve band, later moving to New York with the intention of becoming a jazz saxophonist. While working as a guard at The Museum of Modern Art, he met the artists Sol Lewitt and Dan Flavin, who inspired him to begin painting in the mid-1950s. A figure of seminal importance in the history of 20th-century art, Ryman’s work was included in the 1976, 1978, and 1980 Venice Biennales as well as the 1977, 1987, and 1995 Whitney Biennials. His work is in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, Dia:Beacon in upstate New York, and the Tate Gallery in London, among others. Ryman died in 2019 in New York at the age of 88.

Robert Ryman Artworks

Robert Ryman (493 results)
Five, 1964

Robert Ryman

Five, 1964

Sotheby's New York

Est. 400,000–600,000 USD

Location, 2002

Robert Ryman

Location, 2002

White Cube

Contact Gallery

Untitled, 1962

Robert Ryman

Untitled, 1962

Xavier Hufkens

Price on Request

Ohne Titel, 1969

Robert Ryman

Ohne Titel, 1969

Edition Domberger

Price on Request

Untitled Painting #12, 1963

Robert Ryman

Untitled Painting #12, 1963

Sale Date: April 23, 2024

Auction Closed

Untitled, from On the Bowery, 1969

Robert Ryman

Untitled, from On the Bowery, 1969

Sale Date: March 14, 2024

Auction Closed

Seven Aquatints: One Plate, 1972

Robert Ryman

Seven Aquatints: One Plate, 1972

Sale Date: March 4, 2024

Auction Closed

Nohow On, 1989

Robert Ryman

Nohow On, 1989

Sale Date: March 4, 2024

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1993

Robert Ryman

Untitled, 1993

Sale Date: November 29, 2022

Auction Closed

5 Aquatintaradierungen, aus: Robert..., 1969–1993

Robert Ryman

5 Aquatintaradierungen, aus: Robert..., 1969–1993

Sale Date: November 25, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1969

Robert Ryman

Untitled, 1969

Sale Date: November 10, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled, Prototype, 1969

Robert Ryman

Untitled, Prototype, 1969

Sale Date: November 14, 2023

Auction Closed