Larry Bell

Larry Bell is an American artist renowned for his innovative work in sculpture and glass. Born in 1939 in Chicago, Bell moved to California, where he became a key figure in the Los Angeles-based Light and Space movement of the 1960s. His work explores the relationships between light, reflection and transparency, pushing the boundaries of perception and materiality.

Bell is best known for his glass cube sculptures, which he began creating in the early 1960s. These minimalist, geometric forms, often constructed from glass and coated with thin films of metal, manipulate light to create a dynamic interaction between the object, the viewer and the surrounding space. Bell’s use of industrial processes, like vacuum coating and laminating, allows him to achieve subtle gradations of colour and transparency. His sculptures seem to float and shift as the viewer moves around them.

Though Bell is often associated with the Light and Space movement, his work also intersects with Minimalism due to his focus on simple, abstract forms. His experiments with glass are complemented by his improvised abstract work in other materials, including Vapor Drawings, created by vaporising nickel chrome alloy using electric currents and pure oxygen into a fine coating on paper, and mixed-media pieces. Bell has also explored the properties of light and reflection in his paintings and prints, demonstrating his versatility across different mediums.

Throughout his career, Larry Bell has exhibited widely, including in major institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. His contribution to art, particularly in redefining the potential of glass and light as artistic materials, has made him a pivotal figure in post-war American art.

A trailblazer in the exploration of material, light and perception, Bell continues to create and innovate from his studios in Venice, California, and Taos, New Mexico.


LARRY BELL (B. 1939)

Untitled Glass Sculpture (Clear/Silver)

Larry Bell (b. 1939)

Improvisational Maquette [Four Works]

LARRY BELL (B. 1939)

Cube #30 (Amber)

Larry Bell (B. 1939)

Kiss My Bass

Larry Bell (b. 1939)

MVD 216 (Mirage Vapor Drawing)

Larry Bell (B. 1939)

MSMS 20 (Medium Size Mirage Study)

Larry Bell (B. 1939)

SF 6.21.12B

LARRY BELL (B. 1939)

SSSS #24 (Stain, Scratch, Smear, Specimens)

LARRY BELL (B. 1939)

MJA 21 (Memory of John Altoon)

LARRY BELL (B. 1939)

Untitled (Maquette)

LARRY BELL (B. 1939)

SMS 17 (Small Mirage Study)

Larry Bell (b. 1939)

Small Mirage Study (SMS) #76

Larry Bell (American, b. 1939)

Untitled (vapor drawing)

LARRY BELL (B. 1939)

Fraction #3376 & Fraction #3164 (Two Works)

LARRY BELL (B. 1939)

Fraction #2235 & Fraction #2233 (Two Works)

Larry Bell (B. 1939)

Fraction #1200

Larry Bell (American, b. 1939)

Untitled (vapor drawing)

LARRY BELL (b. 1939)

Fraction #2293

LARRY BELL (b. 1939)

Fraction #3200

Larry Bell (American, b. 1939)

Untitled (SMTTHOJ #1)

LARRY BELL (b. 1939)

EL 14 (Ellipse 14)

LARRY BELL (B. 1939)

Cube (Pink Rosa)

LARRY BELL (B. 1939)

Untitled (Maquette)