Roger Ballen

(American, born 1950)

Roger Ballen is an American photographer whose dark, eerie images of the South African social landscape have captured international attention. Often focusing on the downtrodden and underprivileged residents of rural Afrikaner villages, his work features abrupt juxtapositions between people and their environment in stark, black-and-white compositions. His practice is often described as painterly, and he has cited Joan Miró as an influence. “When somebody looks at something as wire-ly as, say, a Miró painting, this issue is never ‘what is this about?’ It’s just seen as an abstract line,” Ballen has remarked. “In photography, since the basis of photography is ‘capturing reality,’ people always want to know what the meaning of the wires is. In painting, you don’t ask that question.” Born in 1950 in New York, NY, Ballen studied psychology at the University of California Berkeley until, prompted by his mother's early death, he set off on extensive world travel in 1973. After receiving a PhD from the Colorado School of Mines, Ballen moved to Johannesburg in 1982, where he has lived and worked ever since. He is the recipient of such awards as the Citigroup Prize in 2002, and his work can be found among the collections of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Galería la Aurora in Murcia, among others.

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Roger Ballen Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Roger Ballen (366 results)
Funeral Rites, 2004

Roger Ballen

Funeral Rites, 2004

Etherton Gallery

Price on Request

Banner, 2009

Roger Ballen

Banner, 2009

Robert Koch Gallery

Price on Request

Headless (from Asylum series), 2006

Roger Ballen

Headless (from Asylum series), 2006

Robert Koch Gallery

Price on Request

Alter Ego (from Asylum series), 2010

Roger Ballen

Alter Ego (from Asylum series), 2010

Robert Koch Gallery

Price on Request

Untitled (from Asylum series), 2010

Roger Ballen

Untitled (from Asylum series), 2010

Robert Koch Gallery

Price on Request

Twirling Wires, 2001

Roger Ballen

Twirling Wires, 2001

HK Art Advisory + Projects

Price on Request

SERGEANT F DE BRUIN, DEPARTMENT OF PRISONS..., 1992

Roger Ballen

SERGEANT F DE BRUIN, DEPARTMENT OF PRISONS..., 1992

Sale Date: November 30, 2023

Auction Closed

Inmate, 2003

Roger Ballen

Inmate, 2003

Sale Date: October 11, 2023

Auction Closed

Boy under lamp, 2001

Roger Ballen

Boy under lamp, 2001

Sale Date: October 19, 2023

Auction Closed

Eugene on the phone., 2000

Roger Ballen

Eugene on the phone., 2000

Sale Date: October 5, 2023

Auction Closed

“Excited Man”, 2001

Roger Ballen

“Excited Man”, 2001

Sale Date: September 5, 2023

Auction Closed

“Side View of Hotel, Middleburg”, 1983

Roger Ballen

“Side View of Hotel, Middleburg”, 1983

Sale Date: August 15, 2023

Auction Closed

“Excited Man”, 2001

Roger Ballen

“Excited Man”, 2001

Sale Date: August 1, 2023

Auction Closed

“Cut Rose”, 2004

Roger Ballen

“Cut Rose”, 2004

Sale Date: August 1, 2023

Auction Closed

“Side View of Hotel, Middleburg”, 1983

Roger Ballen

“Side View of Hotel, Middleburg”, 1983

Sale Date: June 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Cat catches, 1998, 1998

Roger Ballen

Cat catches, 1998, 1998

Sale Date: June 6, 2023

Auction Closed

Sergeant F De Bruin, Department Of Prisons..., 1992

Roger Ballen

Sergeant F De Bruin, Department Of Prisons..., 1992

Sale Date: May 31, 2023

Auction Closed

Sergeant F. de Bruin, Department of Prisons..., 1992

Roger Ballen

Sergeant F. de Bruin, Department of Prisons..., 1992

Sale Date: June 6, 2023

Auction Closed

Brian with Pet Pig, 1998

Roger Ballen

Brian with Pet Pig, 1998

Sale Date: June 6, 2023

Auction Closed

Closet, 2004

Roger Ballen

Closet, 2004

Sale Date: May 2, 2023

Auction Closed

Collision, 2005, 2005

Roger Ballen

Collision, 2005, 2005

Sale Date: March 16, 2023

Auction Closed

Skew mask, 2002

Roger Ballen

Skew mask, 2002

Sale Date: March 4, 2023

Auction Closed

Judgement Day, 2003

Roger Ballen

Judgement Day, 2003

Sale Date: November 10, 2022

Auction Closed

Security Guard and his Girlfriend, 1997

Roger Ballen

Security Guard and his Girlfriend, 1997

Sale Date: November 1, 2022

Auction Closed

English (US)

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