Charles bell photorealism biography of martin

Charles Bell (b.1935, Tulsa, OK; d.1995, Manhattan, NY) is considered a master of the Photorealist still life, renowned for his paintings of pinball machines, children’s toys and other whimsical objects.

Photorealism: 50 Years of Hyperrealistic Painting, traveling exhibition: Kunsthalle Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany – Dec.

Photorealism: 50 Years of Hyperrealistic Painting, traveling exhibition: Kunsthalle Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany – Dec.

Charles Bell was an American photorealist who depicted everyday subject matter in large, grandiose format.

A Photo-realist still life painter based in New York City and born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Charles Bell created photorealistic paintings.

In the playful Circus Act, Charles Bell depicts two colorful and simple metal toys.

Inspired by pop art, Bell was an acclaimed photorealist who created paintings of marbles, dolls and other toys.

In contrast to other artists associated with early Photorealism, Bell never received any formal art training. In 1957 he earned a degree in Business Administration from the University of Oklahoma before serving two years in the US Navy, moving to San Francisco around 1960.

While working in the studio of painter Donald Timothy Flores, Bell learned the technique of trompe l’oeil, painting landscapes and still lifes that earned him the Society of Western Artists Award in 1968. Bell moved to New York in 1967.

Two years later began regularly showing at the Louis K. Meisel Gallery, simultaneously working as comptroller for the International Nickel Corporation until becoming a full-time artist in 1980.

 

While most West Coast Photorealists preferred landscapes, particula