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Paul Burlin Paintings: The 1 Most Famous, Through a Gallery's Eye
Updated October 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 3 works by Paul Burlin in our catalogue
In short
To the gallery's eye, Paul Burlin's most famous painting is A-1961 (1961), whose original hangs in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.. Of the 3 works by Paul Burlin in our catalog, the gallery presents the 1 most famous below, each original with its year, its museum and what makes it unique.
1886 – 1969, New York City
Most works: Smithsonian American Art Museum
The gallery's top 10 Paul Burlin paintings
The museums that keep Paul Burlin's originals
The museum that holds the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Paul Burlin | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Smithsonian American Art Museum |
Washington, D.C. | 1 | A-1961 |
Paul Burlin, the signature paintings of each year
Every dated original by Paul Burlin on this page was made in 1961: here they are, the most famous first.
Works per year
Pick a year to see its originals.
Paul Burlin's paintings: the gallery answers
Which Paul Burlin painting is the most famous of all?Reveal the answer
A-1961 (1961).
How old was Paul Burlin on completing A-1961?Reveal the answer
75 years old: A-1961 dates from 1961, and Paul Burlin was born in 1886.
How many works did Paul Burlin create?Reveal the answer
Our catalog holds 3 works by Paul Burlin.
Where do Paul Burlin's most famous originals hang?Reveal the answer
Mostly in Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington, D.C.). The museum table above lists them all.
Paul Burlin: the artist
The Formative Years and Artistic Evolution
Born in New York City, Paul Burlin was a painter and printmaker who began his formal artistic education between 1900 and 1912 as a part-time student at the National Academy of Art and the Art Student's League. His early travels took him to Europe from 1908 to 1909 and to the Southwestern United States in 1910. Following a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, his paintings of the region were exhibited in New York in 1911, an event that led to his invitation to participate in the 1913 Armory Show. During his time in Santa Fe, which lasted until 1920, he painted landscapes, scenes of local daily life, and portraits of Pueblo Indians, often exploring themes of spirituality and anthropomorphism.
Style and Later Life
Burlin's career saw him move to Paris in 1921, where he studied European abstract painting styles. Upon returning to the United States in 1932, he settled in New York and worked as a member of the Federal Project of the Whitney Museum. As his career progressed, his work moved toward abstract expressionism, utilizing key symbols and imagery from Greek mythology to comment on the brutality of war. In his later years, despite losing his sight and undergoing eight cornea implants, he continued to paint, even when declared legally blind. His final works, The Series of Nine, were exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Pasadena Museum.