To capture weightlessness, movement and emotion in a single, gestural brushstroke required transgender artist James Nares to reimagine her entire art-making process. In addition to suspending herself above the canvas, Nares also created her own calligraphic brushes and paint, practicing meticulous strokes over and over until finally achieving that perfect swipe.
Dubbed an “action painter” and a “scientific painter,” Nares’ process is the result of years of researching, testing and expanding on her style. Nares moved to New York City in 1974 after studying at the Chelsea College of Art. As she is also a musician, Nares fell into the city’s “no wave” scene — a brief avant-garde music and visual art movement concentrated in downtown Manhattan. The experimentation with noise, and dissonance that became popular among no wave artists likely informed Nares’ art style and fueled her passion for creative experimentation throughout the 1980s.
Nares is represented by the Kasmin Gallery, which has exhibited her work since 1991. The artist’s solo exhibitions include 2014’s “High Speed Drawings” and 2013’s “Road Paint Paintings.” The latter featured works that Nares created with thermoplastic paint — the same type of paint that is used on tarmacs and roads. Her work is part of the collections of the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Whitney Museum of American Art. The Milwaukee Art Museum staged a retrospective on Nares in 2019.
While primarily known for her artwork, Nares' film projects have been part of solo exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and presented at the 2008 Anthology Film Archives in New York and at the New York IFC Center in 2011.
On 1stDibs, find authentic James Nares prints, drawings and paintings.
$25,000
Fountain
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
James Nares Fountain, 1987 Monotype on paper Hand signed and dated lower front Unique Frame included Measurements: Framed 41.5 by 34 inches Work 30.25 by 22.25 inches Dazzling Jame...
Monotype
Artaud's Arms (Exhibited at Brooklyn Museum)
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
JAMES NARES Artaud's Arms (Exhibited at Brooklyn Museum), 1988 Color Monotype on Gampi Torinoko Paper 36 × 27 inches Signed James Nares and dated '88 l...
Monotype
$1,800
H 18.25 in W 24.25 in D 0.75 in
Two Columns by Michael Hurson framed abstract with greco roman pillars on stage
By Michael Hurson
Located in New York, NY
In this unique Michael Hurson monotype, stylized Greco-Roman pillars flank a plane of crosshatched and dotted texture in black, brown, and purple ink. The...
Monoprint, Monotype
$725
H 40 in W 30 in
Monument in the Fertile Country Oversize print 40x30 inches Limited Edition
By (after) Paul Klee
Located in London, GB
Monument im Fruchtland (Monument in the Fertile Country) 1929. after Paul Klee, 1879 – 1940 Original work : Pastel, 47.5 × 34.8cm. Bern, Zentrum Paul Klee. (Photograph via Archiv...
Archival Pigment
$416Sale Price|20% Off
H 40 in W 28 in
Beneath the Rainbow, White and Blue, Abstract Geometric Figure, Cyanotype Print
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This handmade cyanotype monotype presents a striking interplay of geometric abstraction and atmospheric depth. Layered translucent forms in deep Prussian blue and soft white overlap ...
Paper, Monotype
$695
H 36 in W 28.75 in D 1.5 in
"Black Nude" Minimal Figurative Black and White Abstract Monotype Print
Located in Houston, TX
Black and white minimal monotype print of an abstracted female torso. The work is signed and titled by the artist in pencil along the front lower margin. Currently hung in a black fr...
Monotype
$1,250
H 22 in W 15.75 in
'White Iris', California Post-Impressionist Landscape, SJSU, Mount Madonna
By John Maxon
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, "Maxon" for John Maxon (American, 20th century) and created circa 1995. Additionally titled, verso, 'White Flower'. Monotype with additional hand-painted detail. ...
Paper, Gouache, Monotype
$1,800
H 18.25 in W 24.25 in D 0.75 in
Two Columns by Michael Hurson framed abstract with greco roman pillars on stage
By Michael Hurson
Located in New York, NY
In this unique Michael Hurson monotype, stylized Greco-Roman pillars flank a plane of crosshatched and dotted texture in black, taupe, and grey ink. The f...
Monoprint, Monotype
$600
H 12 in W 18 in D 0.05 in
Ghosts of Philadelphia 3, dramatic black & white narrative
By Tom Bennett
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Monotype Dramatic imagery from Tom Bennett’s series of black and white monotypes, blending surrealistic mindscapes with stark realism About Tom Bennett: With quick brushstrokes, Tom...
Monotype, Archival Ink, Archival Paper
$840
H 27 in W 24 in D 1 in
Les Erophages X, Etching on Paper, Hand Signed, Edition of 10, 1968, Framed
By André Masson
Located in Aventura, FL
Hand signed and numbered by the artist. Image size: 13 x 10 in. Frame size approx 27 x 24 in. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of authenticity included. Edition of 1...
Etching, Paper
$4,697
H 18 in W 13.98 in
John Baldessari - Man With Snake, Pop Art, Conceptual Art, Signed Print
By John Baldessari
Located in Hamburg, DE
John Baldessari (American, 1931-2020) Man with Snake (Blue and Yellow), 1990 Medium: Lithograph in colors, on wove paper Dimensions: 45.7 x 35.5 cm (18 x 14 in) Edition of 170: Hand-...
Lithograph
$3,000
H 23.75 in W 18.75 in
Tool Box 5 Screen Print, Hand Signed, 1966, Edition of 150, Framed
By Jim Dine
Located in Aventura, FL
Hand signed on front; numbered on verso by the artist. From the 'A Tool Box' Portfolio. Printed by Christopher Prater; published by Editions Alecto. Artwork is in excellent condition...
Screen, Paper
$1,250
H 25.75 in W 20.5 in
Arnold Singer "Woman on Arm of Sofa" Lithograph Linear Black & White
Located in Detroit, MI
“Woman on Arm of Sofa” is an extraordinary lithograph by Arnold Singer. You could say it is representative of his interests in several art styles that ar...
Lithograph
Green Light Go, abstact monotype, abstract
By Mary Chang
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Title -Green Light Go Year- 2011 MonoType / Embossment =They are made by drawing on a plate or glass with a substance such as printer"s ink or oil paint. An impression is infused i...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Monotype
Starling (From artist book A Bestiary by Bradford Morrow)
By James Nares
Located in Toronto, Ontario
James Nares (b.1953) is famous for his swirling and dynamic abstract creations, that frequently attempt to capture the moments of creation in the artistic process. Arriving in New Y...
Woodcut
Girl About Town
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
2017, screenprint on heavy white Saunders paper, 28 x 75 inches (or 75 x 28 inches*), edition of 45*This work is signed so that it may be hung horizontally or vertically. James Nar...
Screen
Girl About Town
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
2017, screenprint, 28 x 75 inches (or 75 x 28 inches*), edition of 45 *This work is signed so that it may be hung horizontally or vertically.
Screen
Early Days
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
2015, screenprint, 47 x 34 3/4 inches, edition of 48
Screen
Girl About Town
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
2017, screenprint, 28 x 75 inches (or 75 x 28 inches*), edition of 45 *signed so that it may be hung horizontally or vertically
Screen
I'm Blue
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
2017, screenprint on Saunders 425 g, 28 x 75 inches (or 75 x 28 inches*), edition of 45 *signed so that it may be hung horizontally or vertically
Screen
Road Paint Print 6
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
2016, intaglio from polyurethane mold, 46 x 22 inches (116.8 x 55.9 cm), edition of 12 For his Road Paint series, Nares brought a road striping machine into his studio. These tools ...
Intaglio
Go
By James Nares
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: James Nares, British/American (1953 - ) Title: Go Year: 2007 Medium: 10 Color Screenprint on Somerset Paper, signed, dated and numbered in pencil Edition: 38 Paper Size...
Screen
Before the Rain
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
2015, screenprint, 47 x 34 3/4 inches, edition of 48
Screen
Before the Rain
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
2015, screenprint, 47 x 34 3/4 inches, edition of 40
Screen
Cosmas
By James Nares
Located in New York, NY
Screenprint, 28 x 75 inches, edition of 38
Step Up
By James Nares
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Screenprint on Saunders 410g paper 59 x 46" ed. of 44 SOLD