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From the Collection of Helen and Paul Anbinder, New York

59

Ellsworth Kelly

Untitled

Estimate
$60,000 - 80,000
Lot Details
graphite and collage on paper, in 2 parts
signed, inscribed and dated "for Paul with thanks, Sept. 1987 Ellsworth Kelly" on the reverse
13 3/4 x 21 3/4 in. (34.9 x 55.2 cm.)
Executed in 1987.
Catalogue Essay
Characterized by an extreme economy of means, the works that comprise Ellsworth Kelly’s highly-regarded practice reveal the artist’s keen interest in formal issues such as ground/foreground, planarity, shape, and line. This particular drawing is uniquely notable both as a brilliant juxtaposition of naturalistic plant drawing and hard edged abstraction, and also as the maquette for the cover of the original catalogue raisonné of Kelly’s prints. Combining hand-drawn reinvestigations of two prints, Cyclamen III and Conques, which are both actually reinterpretations of an earlier drawing and painting respectively, Untitled from 1987 is both a fully realized object in its own right and a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of one of the most important American artists of the post-war era.

Ellsworth Kelly

American | B. 1923 D. 2015
Acting as a vital contributor to the Abstract movement, Ellsworth Kelly focused on color and composition. Becoming inspired by ornithology and the bold coloring of birds, Kelly used a two or three pigment color palette — painted flatly and geometrically — on his canvases. While living in Paris, the artist used Monet's late works as a base for experimenting with expressionism and serial work
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