Morris Kantor (Russian-American, 1896-1974). "Open Door" oil on canvas, ca. 1960s. Signed by the artist on the lower left. A striking painting by Morris Kantor that, while abstract, still manages to conjure associations with the natural world. A juxtaposition of undulating forms seem to reference human figures and living flora, and passages of gestural brushwork suggest interior life at the tissue and cellular level. All is delineated in a vibrant palette - shades of lemon yellow, violet, royal blue, peach, mint green, ruby red, azure, and cerulean - and set in a custom frame that is embellished with a gold pigment. A spectacular painting in which Kantor masterfully engaged with Biomorphic Modernism. Size of painting: 50" L x 36" W (127 cm x 91.4 cm) Size of frame: 50.75" L x 36.625" W (128.9 cm x 93 cm)

Born in Minsk, Russia (now Belarus) Morris Kantor immigrated to the United States in 1906 when he was just a child. There is some debate as to whether he was with family or alone, but we know that he was very young, lived in New York City, and earned enough money working in the Garment District to enroll in art school by age 20. Kantor began attending the Independent School of Art in New York in 1916 and went on to teach at Cooper Union during the 1940s and the Art Students League from 1936 to 1972. Many of his students - including Robert Rauschenberg, Knox Martin, Susan Weil, and Sigmund Abeles - became quite famous in their own right.

Kantor maintained a studio in Manhattan, close to Union Square, as well as on Cape Cod in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. During the 1920s, he also worked in Paris. His arts circle included notable modernists such as the sculptor Isamu Noguchi. During the 1930s, Kantor supervised a Federal Arts Project Easel Painting Project in Rockland County, New York. The following decade he spent some summers in Monhegan, Maine, and in the 1960s his work was shown at Bertha Schaefer Gallery in New York City. Kantor's work has also been exhibited at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and other prestigious institutions. His honors include receiving the Logan Medal of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Temple Medal of the University of Illinois. Kantor's oeuvre was vast and impressive, as he explored numerous styles ranging from realism colored by a hint of Surrealism to abstract movements including Cubism and Futurism.

Provenance: Private M. C. collection, Irvine, California, USA; Ex-Morris Kantor collection

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#168235

Painting is signed by the artist on the lower left. The title "Open Door" is handwritten on a stretcher bar as well as on a white label on the verso. The painting has some expected age wear with minor scuffs here and there and could probably be restretched, but the imagery and coloring are still strong.