n.d.
Contemporary New York City-based artist Mark Beard has long demonstrated command in a variety of mediums — he works in oil paint, bronze, ceramics and more. Beard is known mainly for his portraits and figurative paintings, but he is prolific in figurative drawing and nude photography as well.
Beard was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1986, he began working as a set designer, and for the next decade, he created more than 20 sets in New York City, London, Frankfurt, Vienna and Cologne. As a painter and printmaker, Beard didn’t wish to confine himself to a rigid style and instead sought to explore Impressionism, Art Nouveau and other movements in a range of mediums. In order to freely move from one style to the next, Beard created several different personas, assigning a specific biography to each one.
Beard's most prominent artistic alter ego is Bruce Sargeant, whom the artist has positioned in exhibitions as an early 20th-century painter. Beard's work as Sargeant is a detailed study of the male physique. The paintings often feature sculpted athletic men engaged in physical activities like wrestling and rowing. The work is steeped in homoeroticism, and the artist’s name itself is a reference to painter John Singer Sargent — while he’s best known for his Edwardian-era portraits, John Singer Sargent also created murals and drawings of male nudes that were similarly reflective of a homoerotic sensibility.
Beard is also an accomplished landscape painter. His great-grandfather, George Beard, was a regional painter and photographer of the Rocky Mountains. Mark spent summers at his grandfather's 19th-century log cabin retreat as a child. These formative experiences are reflected in his own stunning landscape paintings.
Beard's artwork is held in many high-profile museum collections, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Today, Beard resides in the Manhattan loft that he purchased in 1994 with his partner, James Manfred. It serves as both his home and his studio. The space is filled with his oil paintings, drawings and sculptures.
On 1stDibs, find Mark Beard paintings, drawings, photography and more.
Portrait of a Young Man dressed as a Sailor
Located in London, GB
Charcoal and watercolour on paper 64cm × 47cm (70cm × 53cm framed) An émigré from Argentina in the early 1950s who settled in Paris with her partner Yvonne Bilis-Régnier, exhibited ...
Paper, Charcoal, Watercolor
$1,450
H 23.04 in W 30.91 in D 1.19 in
Vladimir Trofimovich Skriabin (1927-1989) - Framed 20th Century Oil, At the Pier
Located in Corsham, GB
Vladimir Trofimovich Skriabin (1927-1989) Russian School, 'At the Pier', oil on board. Well presented in a gilt effect frame. Monogrammed lower right. Inscribed in Cyrillic verso. Im...
Oil
$6,750
H 39 in W 33 in
Self Portrait of the Artist, Early 20th Century Oil Painting, Cleveland Artist
By Kenneth Marcus Hugh
Located in Beachwood, OH
Kenneth Marcus Hugh (American, 1916-2011) Self Portrait Oil on canvas Signed lower right and dated ’36 33 x 27 inches 39 x 33 inches, framed Kenne...
Oil
Self-portrait (portrait of man)
By Wesley Lea
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Wesley Lea (1914-1981). Self-portrait, ca. 1940. Oil on canvas, 12 x 17 inches. Signed lower left center "WESLEA" as was his practice in 1930s-40's. Unframed.
Oil
Male Figure at Beach
By Joseph Kardonne
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Joseph Kardonne (1911-1985).Male Figure at Beach, 1952.. Gouache on cardboard panel, 9 x 10 inches, 14.5 x 15.25 inches in maple frame. Signed, dated lower le...
Watercolor
$3,400
H 26 in W 17 in D 1.5 in
Untitled Portrait II (Modern, Academic Style Portrait Painting of a Young Man)
By Mark Beard
Located in Hudson, NY
Modern, academic style portrait painting on canvas of a young athletic male oil on canvas, 26 x 17 inches in antique wood frame This vertical, contemporary portrait painting of sin...
Canvas, Oil
Portrait of a Man
By William Barnett
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
William Barnett (1918-1992). Portrait of a Man ca. 1950's. Pencil and Ink on paper measuring 10.25 x 13 inches. Signed lower right. Unframed. William Barnett ( called Will) was...
Ink, Pencil
Work and Play
By Gordon Grant
Located in Missouri, MO
Gordan Hope Grant (1875-1962) "Work and Play" Lithograph Signed in Pencil Lower Right Image Size: 9 x 11.5 inches Framed Size: approx 18 x 20.5 inches Born in San Francisco, Gordon Grant is known for his etchings and paintings of marine subjects. He also painted portraits, streets, harbors, beaches and marines, and was an illustrator, whose work included pulp fiction* for Popular Detective magazine in the 1930s. Skilled with watercolor, Grant was honored many times by the American Watercolor Society*. Memberships included the Society of Illustrators*, Salmagundi Club*, Allied Artists of America*, New York Society of Painters, and American Federation of Artists*. At age 13, he was sent to Scotland for schooling, and the four-month sail around Cape Horn remained a permanent influence on his career. He studied art in Heatherly and at the Lambeth School of Art* in London, and then in 1895, he became a staff artist for the San Francisco Examiner. The next year, he took the same type of job for the New York World and covered the Boer War for Harper's Weekly. He also worked for Puck magazine...
Lithograph
$995
H 16.15 in W 13 in D 0.6 in
Max Wulfart (1876-1955) - Mid 20th Century Oil, Portrait of a Basque Man
Located in Corsham, GB
A painterly portrait of a man wearing a traditional black Basque beret by Max Wulfart (1876-1955). Signed to the lower right. On canvas on stretchers. Image size: 41 x 33cm.
Oil
$3,000
H 28.5 in W 20 in D 1.5 in
Striking 1940s portrait painting of a distinguished gentleman
Located in Colfax, CA
This is a striking portrait painting of a gentleman, possibly a self portrait by the artist Dunbar Dyson Beck. Beck was a painter, muralist, teacher, interior designer and educator. ...
Oil
![[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Edgar Robinson, Physical Culturalist, c. 1931](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/mark-beard-paintings-bruce-sargeant-1898-1938-edgar-robinson-physical-culturalist-c-1931-for-sale/a_9323/a_52110411572637399318/Beard_Sargeant_MBE1421_Edgar_Robinson_Physical_Culturalist_c1931_53_5x29_artnet_master.jpg?width=240)
[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Edgar Robinson, Physical Culturalist, c. 1931
By Mark Beard
Located in New York, NY
Oil on canvas Signed in black, u.l. This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Price includes framing. “Bruce Sargeant is a mythic figure in the modern art move...
Oil, Canvas
![[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Michael Hunting](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/mark-beard-paintings-bruce-sargeant-1898-1938-michael-hunting-for-sale/a_9323/a_28833811527267299402/Beard_Sargeant_Michael_Hunting_with_frame_980_master.jpg?width=240)
[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Michael Hunting
By Mark Beard
Located in New York, NY
Oil on canvas Signed in red, u.r. 14 x 11 inches, canvas size 14.5 x 11.5 inches in distressed gold leaf frame This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. “Bruc...
Canvas, Oil
![[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Justin Head Study](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/mark-beard-paintings-bruce-sargeant-1898-1938-justin-head-study-for-sale/a_9323/a_28828111527264028195/Beard_Sargeant_Justin_Head_Study_980_master.jpg?width=240)
[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Justin Head Study
By Mark Beard
Located in New York, NY
Oil on canvas Signed in red, u.r. 9 x 8 inches, canvas size 9.5 x 8.5 inches in distressed black painted wood frame This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. ...
Canvas, Oil
![[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] In and Out of the Water](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/mark-beard-paintings-bruce-sargeant-1898-1938-in-and-out-of-the-water-for-sale/a_9323/1600876243999/Beard_Sargeant_In_and_Out_of_the_Water_1200_master.jpg?width=240)
[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] In and Out of the Water
By Mark Beard
Located in New York, NY
Price includes $500 additional cost for framing Oil on canvas Signed in red, u.l.
Canvas, Oil
![[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Michael Moonbeam](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/mark-beard-paintings-bruce-sargeant-1898-1938-michael-moonbeam-for-sale/a_9323/1616606006709/Sargeant_Michael_Moon_Beam_master.jpg?width=240)
[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Michael Moonbeam
By Mark Beard
Located in New York, NY
[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Michael Moonbeam n.d. Signed in red, u.l. Oil on canvas 12 x 9 inches $3000.00 + framing This work is offered by ClampArt in New York City.
Canvas, Oil
![[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Julian Coming Out of the Water Male Figure Painting](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/mark-beard-paintings-bruce-sargeant-1898-1938-julian-coming-out-of-the-water-for-sale/a_9323/a_147640521720560585164/_Bruce_Sargeant_1898_1938_Julian_Coming_Out_of_the_Water_1200_master.jpg?width=240)
[Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938)] Julian Coming Out of the Water Male Figure Painting
By Mark Beard
Located in New York, NY
A queer figurative painting of a shirtless man coming out of the ocean by Mark Beard. Signed in red, u.l. This work is offered by ClampArt in New York City.
Canvas, Oil
The French photographer transformed everyday encounters into enduring images of shared experience.
The New York photographer tells us how an encounter with the then-13-year-old boxer led to a decade-long project that saw them both go pro.
