Beautiful Frantisek Kupka watercolor paper. Frame: 21 x 19 inches. Provenance: private owner. Biography: 1871 - 1957. A Czech painter and graphic artist, he was a pioneer and co-founder of the early phases of the abstract art movement.František Kupka was born in Opocno, eastern Bohemia (now Czech Republic) in 1871 and in 1887 he began training as an artist at the Prague academy under Frantisek Sequens, who had been strongly influenced by the Nazarener School. In 1891 the artist transferred to the academy in Vienna, where he worked under Professor Eisenmenger until 1893. In 1894 Kupka traveled to London and Scandinavia, settling in Paris, France in 1895. He worked as an illustrator of books and posters and created satirical drawings for newspapers and magazines. In 1905 Kupka moved to Puteaux in the suburbs, where he got acquainted with Jacques Villon, who introduced him to a circle of painters in 1910/11, including Marcel Duchamp, Robert Delaunay, Fernand Léger, Francis Picabia and others. Through their discussions of Cubism, Futurism and the relationship between painting and music, Kupka's work became increasingly abstract, reflecting his theories of motion, color, and orphism. In 1909, he had exhibited for the first time at the Salon d'Automne, with the submitted work marking a break in his representational style. In 1912, Kupka exhibited his abstract pictures, which are associated with Orphism because of their proximity to music.In 1918 Frantisek Kupka accepted a post as guest professor in Prague and in 1931 he co-founded the group 'Abstraction-Création' with Hans Arp, Jean Hélion, Auguste Herbin, Georges Valmier and Georges Vantongerloo, becoming a member of the group's board. In 1936, his work was included in the exhibition Cubism and Abstract Art at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and in an important show with another Czech painter, Alphonse Mucha, at the Jeu de Paume in Paris. Kupka spent the Second World War in Beaugency, returning to Puteaux immediately after the liberation. In 1946 at the occasion of his 75th birthday the artist's first major retrospective was shown in Prague. In 1955 Kupka participated in documenta I in Kassel, Germany.He died in Puteaux on July 21, 1957 and a year later a large-scale retrospective exhibition took place at the 'Musée d'Art Moderne' in Paris, which dedicated an entire room to Frantisek Kupka.

All authorship of items in this catalog are described according to the following terms:

Signed [Artist Name] : In cases in which the signature is legible in the lot, this work is described as-is with no attributions given.

By [Artist Name] : The work is by the artist.

Attributed to [Artist Name] : The work may be ascribed to the artist on the basis of style, but there may be some question as to actual authorship.

In the manner of [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but was designed deliberately to emulate the style of the artist.

After [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but is a deliberate copy of a known work by the artist.

Circle of [Artist Name] : A work of the period of the artist showing his influence, closely associated with the artist but not necessarily his pupil.

Follower of [Artist Name]: A work by a pupil or a follower of the artist (not necessarily a pupil).

American, 19th century: This work was executed by an unknown hand, and can only be identified by origin (i.e., region, period).

It is the buyer's responsibility to inspect each lot and deem their own opinions on condition, description, provenance, and validity BEFORE purchasing.
All descriptions are visual opinions based on the auction house's experience and do not warrant as