E. Larsen Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

Harold “Hal” E. Larsen (1934 – ) was born in Gowen, Michigan in 1934 and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico to paint. Read the full biography

Harold “Hal” E. Larsen (1934 – ) was born in Gowen, Michigan in 1934 and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico to paint. His primary medium is acrylic on canvas or paper. Larsen stands squarely in the great Romantic tradition, and we hear an echo of Wordsworth's dictum that good art arises from the spontaneous overflow of powerful emotions. Indeed, emotions are a persistent theme in Larsen's work. But these emotions are never simply vented or unleashed on the canvas. Larsen allows color, shape and line to accumulate gradually, often layer upon layer. In both subject matter and technique, Larsen shows strong affinities with the major abstract expressionists and their precursors (he has a special affection for the Fauves). Equally profound influences can be found in the physical environment of Santa Fe, where Larsen lived and painted for nearly 30 years. Even at its most abstract, it offers us unmistakable glimpses of the beautiful light and air of northern New Mexico, its vast spaces and expanses of color, its sensuous curves and sudden angularities. Larsen's work is represented in international, national, and regional museums, as well as in major private and corporate collections. He has been the subject of articles and chapters in a variety of arts publications over the past three decades.