Lee Reynolds Original Oil on Canvas 124 x 155cm

Lee Reynolds Burr opened his Vanguard Studios in Beverly Hills, California, in 1964 to make oil paintings an attainable decoration for any American household. With seascapes, nautical scenes, still lifes, bullfights, cowboys, pastoral views, hot-air balloons, horse races and abstractions, there was a Vanguard Studios creation to match any taste and interior.

Born in Los Angeles, Burr studied art at the University of California. After graduating and a stint in the U.S. Army, he worked in a local studio as a painter before becoming a home decor entrepreneur with financial support from his mother.

Sold in furniture stores and through interior decorators nationwide, the Reynolds-signed paintings soon became ubiquitous above couches in living rooms all over the United States.

These paintings regularly mirrored art-world trends, such as the Abstract Expressionism of the 1960s, but at prices that were much more affordable than fine art.